Yearly Archives: 2017

• Unmasking Identity: Supporting Asian American Youth

  by Neel Saxena, Executive Director Photos Courtesy of Neel Saxena & Bitmoji Today is Halloween, one of my favorite “holidays” because it was a time in my life as a youth to be able to define for myself how I wanted the world to see me and emulate a favorite character and see someone I did

• Reflections of a Community College Program Coordinator

  by Freidricka Camille, Community College and Internship Programs Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff With the fall weather in full swing, it is hard to believe that it has been nearly a month since I started office hours at Montgomery College in Rockville. I have “met” and communicated with

• How the AALEAD Community Supports Youth

  By Stephanie Lim, DC Middle and High School Program Coordinator & AALEAD DC Middle and High School Youth Photos Courtesy of Stephanie Lim The beginning of another cycle of after-school programming is an exciting and busy time for staff and youth. Staff have been hard at work preparing lesson plans and act

• AALEAD Origins: Rooted in our Past, Creating Our Future

  By Neel Saxena, Executive Director Photos Courtesy of Various Staff Logo Courtesy of DC Programs Manager, Charles Kuo Asian American LEADs orgins are rooted in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC where Sandy Dang, AALEAD’s founder, saw the unmet need in low-income Vietnamese refugee youth and made supporting th

• #ThrowbackTuesday

  By Diane Bui, MDHS Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD MD Staff After-School programs in Maryland start THIS WEEK! We are so excited to be back in our schools, reconnecting with returning youth, and welcoming new youth to programs. Youth in schools today are busier than ever. Between magnet programs, IB classes, AP course loads and a number of after-school activities, it’s no surprise our youth are always on the move. This got our MD staff talking about when we were younger, and

• When It Comes to Our Youth, Expect the Unexpected!

  By: Pallavi Rudraraju Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff As I near the start of After School Programs in Fairfax County, and head into my fourth month as the VA Middle School Program Coordinator, I feel so grateful for a wonderful beginning to my journey in the VA Middle School Program. Over the past few months, I have worked with MD and VA high schoolers during their leadership retreat, co-facilitated the VA MIC CHECK Summer Program, and learned immensely along the way. One important less

• My Journey To Youth Work

  By: Saadia Ahmad, DC Elementary School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff “But you’re a fashion designer, how come you’re teach

• The 3 Most Important Things I’ve Learned About Youth Work in 3 Months

  By: Mecca McPherson, MD Middle School Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff I had just arrived off the metro from a closing shift at work, when I saw the email notification. I read good news - my application to intern with Asian American LEAD had been accepted! During orientation, I met the other interns and learned I would be working with the DC Middle and High School Summer Program under the tutelage of one Stephanie Lim. Though filled with slight apprehension, I was mostly excited.

• Standing together with ALL youth!

  “Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use, and the regular exercise of choosing kindness over cruelty would change us.”

  -Gandhi By: Neel Saxena, Executive Director Photos Courtesy of Various Sources This past Tuesday, the current administration announced the end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), thrusting the hopes and dreams of 780,

• Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned: What Young People Taught One Youth Worker

  By Keo Xiong, Former AALEAD Staff Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff In August 2013, I packed into my new Scion XB a few bags of clothes, some books, photo scrapbooks, and a few snacks, and hit the road on a three day road trip from St. Paul, MN to Washington, D.C. to begin my new job at Asian American LEAD as a Maryland Middle School Program Coordinator. Four years later, after having become the Maryland Programs Manager, in August 2017, I repacked my now-tattered Scion XB (thanks, DC drivers)