Fundraiser for Summer Youth Leadership Program
You can help middle school kids learn leadership skills, take on community and environmental issues, and have a fun summer!
Please help us raise funds for AAU’s summer youth program! You can:
- Become a member of AAU
- Make a donation to AAU to support this important program
To get involved, call AAU at 215-925-1538 or email esomekawa@mac.com.
Thanks to Hao-Li!
Photo: Dr. Joan May T. Cordova
With tremendous gratitude, Asian Americans United thanks Hao-Li Tai Loh for almost a decade of service as one of AAU’s most energetic and devoted board members. During her tenure, Hao-Li anchored numerous board projects, including personnel issues and fundraising, an area where she and her family devoted tremendous time and effort. Hao-Li led donor drives and anchored events such as the AAU “Strike for Justice Bowl-A-Thon.” Hao-Li was a leader in transforming a trash-filled lot next to AAU’s former Arch Street home into the award-winning Chinatown garden, which served elderly residents for almost five years. And she was a founder of AAU’s Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School, where she now serves as Board Chair. All of us at AAU have benefited from Hao-Li’s devotion to politics, community and process.
Thank you Hao-Li, Evan and Nicholas, from all of us at Asian Americans United.
Helen Gym named
Philadelphia Inquirer’s
“2007 Citizen of the Year”
Photo: Mike Levin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Congratulations to Helen Gym, honored by both the Philadelphia Inquirer as well as by the Philadelphia Education Fund. Named the “Inquirer’s 2007 Citizen of the Year,” a December 23rd editorial focused on Helen’s work with both Parents United for Public Education and highlighted her involvement in a number of Asian Americans United campaigns, including the 2001 stadium battle, the 2005 FACTS founding and the 2006 Justice for Jiang Zhen Xing Campaign. Described as an “inclusionary leader who has tirelessly fought to improve city schools,” the Inquirer quoted Helen: “If we are waiting for someone else to stand up and do what we know to be right, then we will wait forever… Schools are where we institutionalize our love for our children. And why not invest in love and give our children all they deserve?”
Helen was chosen from candidates in the tri-state region. You can read about her award here.
Ellen Somekawa honored
by the Bread & Roses Community Fund
Congratulations to Ellen Somekawa, honored by the Bread & Roses Community Fund as one of 30 local activists who’ve “broken new ground in building paths to social justice.” Involved in AAU since 1988 and Executive Director since 1996, Ellen’s work with AAU builds on previous years of activism in the anti-apartheid movement, the anti-nuclear movement, and the movement for indigenous land rights in the Black Hills. While active in the Asian American Student Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania, the group successfully fought to get Penn to change the offensive name of the “Oriental” Studies Department and to initiate its Asian American Studies program.
DONATE TO AAU!
If you give to your workplace’s United Way Campaign, you can target your gift to AAU.
AAU’s United Way Donor Choice #00400
Thank you for your support!
Thank You to Our Funders!
Thank you to the funders who generously support AAU’s work: Atwater Kent Foundation, Bread and Roses Community Fund, Douty Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Allen Hilles Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, The Philadelphia Foundation: Henry Griffith and Anna Griffith Keasbey Fund and the William J. McCahan 3rd Fund in Memory of Thomas C. McCahan and Florence M. McCahan, Seybert Institution, Henrietta Tower Wurts Memorial.
13th Annual Mid-Autumn Festival!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
10th Street between Arch & Race
1-5 pm street fair • 4 pm martial arts demonstration • 6 pm lantern parade and lion dance through Chinatown • 6:45-10 p.m. stage performances
The 13th Annual Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinatown will be held September 13th, 2008! For details, check here or to download the press release.
Join the team of AAU people who plan, organize, and run the Festival! Just download the info and volunteer form or contact Ellen at 215-925-1538 or email esomekawa@mac.com.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS! If you’d like to volunteer, please check here for details.
Job Announcement
Asian Americans United
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Download a Word doc copy of this posting
Asian Americans United exists so that people of Asian ancestry in Philadelphia exercise leadership to build our communities and unite to challenge oppression. AAU has worked in Philadelphia’s Asian American communities and in broader multiracial coalitions around quality education, youth leadership, anti-Asian violence, immigrant rights, and folk arts and cultural maintenance. Among our accomplishments are: initiating and monitoring the settlement of a lawsuit with the School District of Philadelphia to improve services to immigrant students; expanding the leadership capacity of our community through our youth leadership programs; creating the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival; and founding the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School.
Our current programs focus on building youth leadership through a middle school summer leadership program, middle school service learning projects, and high school community service opportunities; reclaiming culture through our annual Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival and after school folk arts programs; and advocacy on issues such as immigration and education.
AAU seeks a part time assistant director to assist the director in all aspects of running the organization and its programs.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must be committed to working for social change and have experience doing activist, community or grassroots organizing work (either professionally or on a volunteer basis). Applicants must also be familiar with issues facing Asian American communities and be committed to working with youth in the Asian American community. Good administrative, communication, youth program, and organizing skills are required. Flexibility and willingness to learn from your experience and from others is required. Bilingual ability in an Asian language is beneficial but not required. Must be willing to work some evenings and weekends.
AAU JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Working collaboratively with the executive director on all aspects of building a successful youth program, Mid-Autumn Festival and other programs;
- Building AAU and AAU membership through establishing and maintaining relationships with community members we serve and organize;
- Drawing on the resources of, engaging, and supporting volunteer committee members in advancing AAU’s youth development, cultural, and advocacy goals;
- Assisting with grant seeking and other fund raising for the project and for AAU, including maintaining records of the project for grants reporting, budget, and evaluation purposes and for future staff;
- Collaborating with and supporting other staff in performing administrative and other tasks.
HOURS AND COMPENSATION: This is a part time (20–30 hours/per week) position. Compensation commensurate with experience. We will work to raise funds to grow this into a full time position.
POSITION IS OPEN UNTIL FILLED:
Send a resume, writing sample and cover letter to:
Ellen Somekawa
Asian Americans United
1023 Callowhill Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
MEMBER MEETINGS 2008
NEXT MEETING – Thursday, September 25, 2008 from 6 to 8:30 pm
Programming Meetings
at Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School
1023 Callowhill Street (north of Vine Street)
We are currently focusing on organizing Mid-Autumn Festival but please join us when we start up again!
Food contribution: $3–$5. If you’re planning to come, please contact Ellen at 215-925-1538 ahead of time. If you are new to AAU or want to become a member, please call or email us!
NEWS
To download a pdf copy of our latest newsletter, please click here.
Community Action Class at FACTS
Early in January, AAU members began teaching a Community Action class at the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures School (FACTS). Students explored how change can happen through information gathering and collective action. Sixth and seventh graders focused specifically on the abandoned railway viaduct that is next to FACTS and that goes through much of the neighborhood.
Photos of student presentations: Dr. Joan May T. Cordova
The students walked by the viaduct, took photos of it and adjacent properties, heard presentations by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation and Reading Viaduct Project on various proposals, and discussed and debated ideas on what changes are needed in the area. After surveying FACTS staff and community members, the class did a great job of presenting their findings and their thoughts to FACTS and AAU leaders.
Paths to Leadership
This past summer, AAU organized a summer program titled Paths to Leadership for middle school youth from both FACTS and from other local schools. The youth participated in a variety of leadership development activities, learned about environmental and community issues, and developed a plan to implement a recycling program at the FACTS. Youth met with leaders at FACTS to present their plan to create a recycling program. The 2008 program will run from July 14 to August 8 (see right-hand column of this page for a description and application).
Club AAU
In 2007, AAU created an after school club at FACTS designed for middle school youth. Students are challenged to learn about community and environmental issues as well as strengthen their leadership skills. Currently, Club AAU members are working on an educational recycling campaign in order to support the work of the youth from AAU’s summer Paths to Leadership program.
AAU Launches High School Youth Leadership Program
Following in the long tradition of our first summer program, AAU continues to work with high school students to provide leadership training and opportunities for them to mentor and tutor younger students. AAU provides training and support for high school students who volunteer as tutors and mentors in the FACTS aftercare program. FACTS after care is a homework help and enrichment program for 25 FACTS students who attend kindergarten through 6th grade (and that is run by AAU youth alumna, Anh Ha and two other FACTS staffers). AAU Executive Director Ellen Somekawa and Anh worked to design training sessions for high school students that were supportive and team building, helped them understand the needs of the FACTS students, and nurtured their potential for being positive role models and mentors to the FACTS students.
This youth leadership program has distinct cycles that correspond with FACTS marking periods. The high school tutors who participated in the first cycle were pleased by the positive impact they had on the FACTS program and its students; many are continuing on in the second cycle. Thanks to our dedicated, responsible and caring volunteers: Jessica Do, Kenneth Huang, Xin Lin, Dior Miller, Winnie Rao, Stephanie Tran, Ada Wu, Yan Zhang who successfully finished our first session. Another crew is now starting up for the second session.
We are still recruiting volunteers who are prepared to commit to a regular weekly schedule of volunteering and who are willing to come to training and evaluation meetings. Send us an email at esomekawa@mac.com to find out when the next orientation and training session will be held.
Folk Arts Classes at FACTS
AAU partners with the Philadelphia Folklore Project and FACTS to offer children the opportunity to study kung fu and lion dancing with Shu Pui Cheung and Chinese dance with Shu Yuan Li. By creating opportunities for students to learn from elders and artists that live in their communities, our folk arts programs help bridge generations and build respect for diverse cultural traditions.
Immigration Workshop: The Current Face of Immigration
Photo: Dr. Joan May T. Cordova
The Central High School Asian Students’ Association organized the first annual Pan Asian-American Student Conference. It was held at FACTS last May. AAU members created an interactive workshop focused on current immigration and deportation issues, challenging students to think critically about this complex issue. In January, AAU members Anh Ha and Adrienne Poon presented this workshop to groups of Central High School students as part of a series of speakers for the school’s “International Day” and again at the East Coast Asian American Student Union Conference at Cornell University.
AAU Opposes Iraq War
On October 27, AAU joined over 3,000 opponents of the Iraq War in the greater Philadelphia area in a human chain that extended from the Veterans Affairs Hospital in West Philadelphia to Center City. That event was then followed by a march to and rally at Independence Mall. AAU endorsed the local action which was part of a national day of action coordinated by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) and held in 11 locations through out the United States.
A series of antiwar activities were organized by UFPJ on March 19, which marks the fifth anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. Please check the UFPJ website at www.unitedforpeace.org for coverage and news or upcoming actions.
12th Annual Mid-Autumn Festival
Photo: Dr. Joan May T. Cordova
On September 22, 2007, thousands of people gathered under the full moon to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. Closing down 10th Street, people gathered to reclaim old traditions and establish new ones, and in so doing, asserted their right to exist as a community. Read more.
updated: 30 August 2008