For Immediate Release
Media Contact: communications@fylpro.org
October 3, 2025
Filipino Young Leaders Program’s Tayo to be Awarded American Public Health Association Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health’s 2025 Community Leader Award
Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)’s Tayo project is being honored with the American Public Health Association (APHA)’s Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health (APIC) 2025 Community Leader Award.
The award recognizes Tayo’s outstanding dedication, leadership, and commitment to uplifting and empowering the Filipino/a/x community through public health advocacy, education, and engagement.
“Tayo’s work is an inspiring example of how community-centered initiatives drive meaningful impact,” 2025 APIC Awards Committee said in the selection of Tayo.
APIC represents the unique health issues and needs of the multi-lingual, multi-ethnic Asian and Pacific Islander populations. APIC’s mission is to advance the health and health equity of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States, associated jurisdictions and the diaspora, in affiliation with the American Public Health Association.
The APIC 2025 Community Leader Award will be presented to the Tayo team during the APIC Social at the APHA Annual Meeting in November in Washington, D.C.
“This recognition is a full circle moment for FYLPRO. To see Tayo, an alumni legacy project that began within our own community, now highlighted on the national stage of the American Public Health Association is deeply meaningful. It reflects not only the power of our alumni to create lasting impact, but also FYLPRO’s mission to support, nurture, and champion these projects as they grow,” said FYLPRO President Genevieve Jopanda. “To be recognized by APHA’s esteemed API Caucus for Public Health is an affirmation that the work of our alumni is resonating far beyond our circles, advancing health equity and representation for our communities nationwide.”
Tayo is an innovative data hub that empowers Filipinx/a/o communities by collecting data, fostering partnerships, publishing culturally relevant insights, and developing leaders to create an equitable and sustainable future.
Tayo provides vital, trustworthy, and culturally relevant information to help Filipinos navigate the information ecosystem. Tayo’s interdisciplinary leadership team is composed of journalists, doctors, attorneys, mental health professionals, creatives and technologists.
Tayo was developed by FYLPRO’s COVID-19 Task Force in the Fall of 2020 in response to the ongoing pandemic and to tackle the specific needs of Filipinos in the diaspora and back home. It was also known as the Caretaker project.
Today, Tayo has participated and led research projects and studies around mental health, heart health and vaccine hesitancy. In addition, Tayo works to continue to combat misinformation by publishing explainers and fact checks. Tayo is a member of the Asian American Disinfo Table (anchored by NCAPA), Tiny News Collective and NHLBI’s Healthy Hearts Network. Tayo received the 2025 AAPI Community Impact Award from the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) for amplifying and making space for the AAPI community with special focus on solutions and impact.
“This award is just another validation of the ongoing work Tayo has been working on since the onset of the pandemic and beyond,” said Tayo Cofounder and Project Director Leezel Tanglao. “We are honored to keep serving our community throughout the diaspora.”
About Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)
FILIPINO YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM (FYLPRO) is a network of high performing, next-generation leaders who advance the Philippines and the Filipino people through their advocacy and expertise in various industries.
We continually expand the pipeline of Filipino young leaders in the diaspora. By connecting them to the motherland, we foster collaborative multinational relationships that create innovations and support the socio-economic progress of the global Filipino community.
For more information:
About Tayo
Tayo, a project of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), is an innovative data hub that empowers Filipinx/a/o communities by collecting data, fostering partnerships, publishing culturally relevant insights, and developing leaders to create an equitable and sustainable future.
For more information, visit tayohelp.com.
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