Tags: Identity

• Sharing My Culture: 2018 Spring Intern Introduction

  By Kenny Lam, DC Elementary School Program Intern Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff   The AALEAD Internship program is an excellent opportunity for folks to get involved in the community and learn about youth development. K

• 19 going on 20

  By Neel Saxena, Executive Director Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff The title of this blog pays homage to the film, “13 Going on 30” which is the story about a girl who makes a wish on her thirteenth birthday, and wakes up the next day as a thirty-year-old woman. The story of AALEAD began 19 y

• Do You Know Who You Are?

  By Ha Nguyen, Development and Communications Associate Photos Courtesy of AALEAD staff As 2017 starts to wrap up and give way to 2018, we begin to reflect back on how our life has progressed throughout the year. It is essential to not just dwell on mistakes that you have made along the way. It is also about rejoicing for what you have accomplished and drawing lessons on what disappointed you. 2017 has been a roller coaster for me, but I would not take it any other way. Hello eve

• Fall 2017 Internship Reflections: A Fulfilling and Educational Opportunity

  By Fahduma Majid, Development and Communications Intern and Jenny Zhang, DC Elementary School Program Intern Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff   The AALEAD internship program seeks to provide interns with an educational and impactful experience. This semester, AALEAD had the privilege of supporting Fahduma Majid and Jenny Zhang in our internship program!  Freidricka Camille, Community College and Internship Programs Coordinator, shares that "Being the internship coordinator gives me

• Giving Tuesday 2017- AALEAD Cultivates Young Leaders

  By: Fahduma Majid, Communications and Development Intern and Charles Kuo, DC Programs Manager Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff What is defined as charity? Can “giving” only be defined as a monetary value or is there merit t

• 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

• 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

• MIC CHECK VA: The Weekly Play By Play

  By Vi Bui, Mentoring & Volunteer Programs Coordinator Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff It feels like summer programs have just started but our Virginia youth have already closed out their program by giving their final MIC CHECK presentations. Here’s a recap of what they’ve been up to this summer! Week 1 Our Youth Program Co

• Who Tells Your Story?

  By Diane Bui, MD Middle School Coordinator Photos Courtesy of Sanctuaries DC Storytelling is a skill each person has, but often goes unnoticed. This summer, Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) wants to focus on youth stories and storytelling skills. AALEAD wants to empower our youth to take control of their own story in order to provide a safe space to be open about who they truly are. Our summer theme MIC CHECK focuses on just that: highlighting individual experiences and using a creative outlet t