Bersama in the Bay: What Cross-Community Collaboration Taught Us About Teamwork

As AAPI Heritage Month has just come to a close, I’ve been reflecting on Bersama in the Bay, a first-ever cross-community celebration jointly created by the Malaysia Professional & Business Association (MPBA), SingaporeConnect (SGC), and the Indonesian Professional Association (IPA) to honor our shared heritage through authentic cuisine, interactive activities, and traditional performances in the Bay Area. We were also honored by the presence of the Mayor of San Leandro, the Consuls General of the respective countries and their representatives, as well as other distinguished community leaders.

I became involved midway through this project due to work commitments. Coming in at that stage allowed me to bring a fresh perspective and some objectivity to help the team move through moments of challenge, realign around what mattered, and continue moving the work forward together.

Behind every successful large event is a team journey. Since this was the first time three volunteer-led organizations collaborated at this scale, we naturally went through the classic “forming and storming” stages many teams experience.

Looking back, I believe four principles helped us continue to move forward

• Shared purpose: Celebrating Southeast Asian culture while creating joy and connection for the community.
• Strong alignment among leaders: Staying focused on the bigger vision despite differing viewpoints at times.
• Experienced and capable teams: People stepped up generously and played to their strengths across operations, sponsorships, communications, marketing, performances, and community engagement.
• Trust and a collaborative mindset: Supporting one another, jumping in to help, and operating as one team rather than three separate organizations.

Special appreciation to Jane Yang for her passion and unwavering commitment as Program Lead, orchestrating the many moving pieces behind the event. Kudos to the presidents of the three organizations, Manor Narayanan (MPBA), Mark Sin (单敬尧) (SGC), and David I. Widjaja, PMP® (IPA), for their partnership, alignment, and commitment throughout the journey.

As a board member of MPBA, I’m grateful to everyone who contributed their time, energy, and generous support to make Bersama in the Bay possible. What we achieved together is something to be proud of, not only as individual organizations, but as one cross-community team united by a shared purpose.