Keeping Up with DC AALEAD!

By Natie Hara, DC High School Program Coordinator
Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff, Youth, and Partners

And we’re off!  Kicking off our fall programs, AALEAD has been hard at work facilitating hybrid programs and bringing youth and communities together.  Below is a summary of all of the programs and events DC AALEAD has hosted and has had the opportunity to attend.  Shine to all of the staff, youth, and partners who made these events possible!

Interns

For the Fall semester, we onboarded 4 Interns to support with curriculum development and data management.  Congratulations Emre, Brandon, Jerry, and Young-Pal!  I look forward to working with y’all!

Program Highlights

Wrapping Up Work

For the past month, AALEAD has been focused on the topic of work including dream jobs, ways to stay productive, and setting positive boundaries between work and life.  We used templates to identify jobs based on our personalities and to organize our time and manage our cognitive, social, and emotional capacities.

Next month, we look forward to diving into our passions and discovering hobbies and activities we do outside of work.

Community Events

Poster Making Workshop on October 16, 2021

Hosted by the DC Public Library, the 1882 Foundation, and the Urban Studio, community members met outside of the MLK Library for a poster making workshop based on Miu Eng’s “A People Emerging” Risograph.  Youth and families used calligraphy brushes to create their own versions of the work.

Photos Courtesy of Jenn Low and the 1882 Foundation

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Private Screening on October 29, 2021

Thanks to a generous donor, AALEAD hosted our own private screening of the movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  Although this was my fourth time watching the film, bringing youth together to watch Asian American representation on the big screen filled my heart with feelings of joy, warmth, and gratitude.

All of our programs and events have felt extremely rewarding and I am so thankful for the opportunities AALEAD has been given and has offered to young people and the community.  Now more than ever, our priority is maintaining high quality programs that inspire fun, creativity, and friendship and we hope to see you at future events!  If you or someone you know might be interested in joining AALEAD programs, send me an email at nhara@aalead.org or fill out an enrollment form here.