An Invitation to Dabawenyos | SteemPH Meet-Up Caravan In Davao City

I will never tire in saying that one of the biggest blessings I received in 2017 was to be a part of SteemPH. Their announcement at the year-end party about me leading @steemph.davao took me by surprise. Although I was deeply honored, I had doubts and apprehensions - I still do. I am physically away from Davao (more than 900 kilometers away, in fact) and I had no clue how I would create a team when I only knew a couple of Steemians from Davao at that time.

After SteemPH Davao's first post in January however, Steemians from Davao started to make themselves known to me. The Davao Chatroom in Steemit Philippines Discord Channel has seen more and more activities. Since then, we were able to come up with activities and projects for the Steemit community in Davao.

Activities/Projects	Post Link
Gift Giving	First Steemph.Davao Outreach and Promotion Event
Free Art Workshop For Kids	Art in Community Building Efforts in Davao City
Power-UP Brigade	Calling All Davaoenos - New Initiatives: Featured Contents & Power-UP Brigade
Daily Featured Posts	Davao Weekly - New Initiatives, Concluded Projects, & Challenge Updates

In April, we are bound for Davao and will be spending time with the students of Samal Libertad High School in the hopes of imparting knowledge on Basic Homesteading techniques.

Activity	Post Link
Homesteading Brigade	Live In Davao - Projects, Updates, & Meet-Ups

Homesteading Brigade is a project that I am personally involved in. It was a proposal I made to the SteemPH core group last year when my brother, an educator at Libertad National High School, told me about some of his students eating sea salt with rice for lunch. I look forward to making this project a success and have been preparing for it the past few months.

But since it's not everyday that I get to visit Davao, I want to make sure I get the most out of our trip there this year. It would truly be lovely if I could finally meet the Steemians of my own hometown, and what better way to meet them than through SteemPH's Meet-Up Caravan!

Meet-Up Caravan

SteemPH Meet-Up Caravan Kick-Off in Malolos, Bulacan

This really just evolved from my partner's (@steemitph) desire to meet Steemians from Bulacan, his hometown. After he posted his intention to hold a meet-up in Malolos, Steemians from different parts of the Philippines reached out to us through comments and direct messages, asking if there were any meet-ups in their areas. The truth is, Red and I have always thought about going to certain parts of the country to meet the Steemians who we know are based in those places. Their queries gave new light to that thought and that is how the SteemPH Meet-Up Caravan was born. It has these objectives:

• Start or improve engagement between existing Steemians located outside of Metro Manila
• Provide educational materials to improve existing Steemians' experience in the platform with the help of @steemnest
• Encourage Steemit promotion among existing Steemians by requiring them to bring a non-Steemian friend to the meet ups
• Explore community related events in each location to improve visibility for Steemit, and support @steemph's vision

This will also be the perfect time to get to know the Steemians who I can work with for future Steemit activities in Davao. As we are nearing April, I have been busy the past few days in search of a good place where we can hold the meet-up. I have been reaching out to my fellow Dabawenyos and they responded with suggestions. Here are some of the places on our list, in no particular order.

Claude's Le Cafe De Ville

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Claude’s formally opened on the 1st of May 1996. According to their website, "(t)his little café was born out of a dream to build a home in an ideal place to make roots – Davao."

I love their elegant setting and the fact that they have excellent reviews when it comes to the overall experience of their guests. People are raving about their "perfectly prepared dishes", and the restaurant boasts of top-notch service.

Saging Repablik

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According to their Facebook page, Saging Repablik offers a refined modern twist of Filipino cuisine and contemporary dishes. It’s a place where diners can enjoy a wide variety of banana-inspired dishes, drinks and desserts. They also received very good reviews on their food, place, and service.

Dencia's Restaurant

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I have personal experience with this restaurant and I've always loved everything about it. The Chinese and Filipino cuisine they serve is one of the things I miss about my hometown. It is an establishment that is known to Davao because of its longevity (over 50 years), and that is well-loved because of its food and service.

I will be spending the next few days reaching out to these establishment, making inquiries, and making arrangements for the Davao stop of the SteemPh Meet-Up Caravan. We have always aimed for the meet-ups to be free for the participants so our budget, will be one of the deciding factors on which place will be chosen. If you know of other places in Davao where we can hold the meet-up, please share it in the comments section below. You can also reach me through Discord - I'm using Dandalion - or start a conversation about it in our Davao chatroom in Steemit Philippines Discord channel.