AALEAD MD Middle School Programs

• Arts and the Community

  By Antwoine Johnson, MD Middle School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff Community is an aspect of life that is embedded in every culture and manifests itself in many ways. To engage the community, to be part of it in such a way as to help it thrive and grow is a privilege and a responsibility. Asian American LEAD youth, this past week, focused on how to make the community grow through art and music which ended with a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art. Groups 4 and 5 took th

• As We Go On, We’ll Remember….AALEAD’s End of the Year BBQ

  By Antwoine Johnson, MD Middle School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Chelsea Iorlano, Development & Communications Associate

  All good things must come to an end and that is exactly what this year was…..a good thing.

  Filled with memories, trials, ups and downs, strengthened friendships, amazing food, and a plethora of events, AALEAD bid farewell to the 2014-2015 school year and wrapped it up with the End of the Year BBQ. 80 youth, parents and staff

• Greetings from the New AALEAD Program Director

  By Mylynh Nguyen, Program Director Photos courtesy of Mylynh Nguyen Dear Friends and Families of AALEAD, I am delighted to join the AALEAD team to serve as the new Program Director. I started in this new role on June 9th, and just within a few short days, I have had the honor of witnessing the sincere dedication of the AALEAD staff and the exuberance of our some of our youngest elementary school youth. I have also already had the great pleasure of meeting some AALEAD parents and guardians. I

• Thank You for Joining Us!

  By Sharon Choi, AALEAD Staff Photos Courtesy of Silvy Song, Photographer & AALEAD Staff Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) hosted our 16th Annual Dinner on Wednesday evening at the Silver Spring Civic Center in downtown Silver Spring. Thank you to everyone who came to join us in our celebration of AALEAD's mission, impact, community, and most importantly, our youth!

• Food and Fun: Learning through Eating

  By Keo Xiong, MD Middle School Program Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Keo Xiong, MD Middle School Program Coordinator "What are we doing today?" asks a youth entering the room as I am writing the agenda on the classroom board. "Are we making food today?" shouts another youth from the doorway. I hear these two questions daily. As expected, middle school youth are most excited about our in-class food and cooking lesson plans. As one youth remarked, "I like cooking activities because it shows me

• Youth Media Project: Upstanding Upload

  By Sharon Choi, Development & Communications Manager Aaannd, AALEADers are back with their second youth media project! We partnered again with the Gandhi Brigade to mobilize youth to create film projects around cyber civility. Last year, our youth created two videos around stereotypes and 

  AALEAD is FUELing the Legacy!

  By Antwoine Johnson, MD Middle School Program Coordinator Photos courtesy of AALEAD Staff

  “As you move forward and plan your day, figure out what issues are important to you and what fuels your fire.”

  - Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote

  These were the words of the first keynote speaker of this year's FUEL Conference, as she encouraged everyone to make the most of the conference and

• Staff Spotlight: Her Name Rhymes with “Meow!”

  By Sharon Choi, Development & Communications Manager Photos courtesy of AALEAD Staff & Youth Keo joined the AALEAD family in August 2013, hailing all the way from Minnesota. When she’s not busy supporting AALEADers an

• MD Summer Kinect Finale!

  By Antwoine Johnson, AALEAD Staff Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff & Interns Two weeks ago, we had our final week of AALEAD's MD Summer Kinect program. What a program we had this summer! This year was made extra special by the fact that AALEAD was able to serve 85 students! We were able to give our youth many opportunities to experience new things they otherwise may not have had a chance to.  Youth went to the Comedy Spot to learn improvisation skills, learned and discussed mental health is