Cultivating Belonging on Campus & in Community
Dear Friends,
As we welcome the fall season, students around the country have started another year at schools, colleges, and universities. But for many in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, particularly first-generation college students, school doesn’t always provide a sense of belonging. Higher education environments can often lack the individualized support and community building opportunities that would benefit our students. That’s why we’re proud to announce the launch of TALA (Thriving AANHPI Leadership Accelerator), a signature career and leadership development program.
For nearly 1 in 2 AANHPI youths, internal pressure to succeed academically, competitively, or professionally is the top stressor negatively impacting mental health. And an internal survey with College Pulse of 2,322 undergraduates in Aug-Sep 2024 found that 38% of Asian American students did not feel confident about their future career success—the highest among all racial groups. Read on to learn how TALA will provide much-needed access to culturally-rooted career guidance, mental wellbeing resources, and intergenerational community building.
After we pilot TALA in New York City and San Francisco, we are excited to roll out the program across the country and help create a better future for our youth and communities.
In solidarity,
Norman Chen
CEO, The Asian American Foundation
BELONGING
Building Opportunity, Leadership, and Community through TALA
Last month, we introduced TALA (Thriving AANHPI Leadership Accelerator), a new career and leadership development program that supports economic mobility and holistic wellbeing for AANHPI college students. We’re pleased to share more details about this exciting new program that we’re leading with Asian American Dream (AAD) and Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI).
TALA serves undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds, the majority of whom are the first in their families to go to college. The pilot cohort of this two-year program just launched in New York City and San Francisco, with 80+ Fellows representing over 25 AANHPI ethnicities and 35 colleges. Leadership development, wellbeing resources, networking, and belonging are woven into the programming and support TALA offers.
For more information on TALA please visit https://www.taaf.org/our-work/tala, and stay tuned for updates on our first TALA cohorts in upcoming newsletters!
Back to School: Extra Resources for the Classroom
TAAF’s AAPI History Hub offers high quality, vetted lesson plans, multimedia, and other learning materials on Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Whether you’re looking for foundational lessons like Asian Immigration Timelines, timely lessons for heritage months like History, Arts, and Culture of Filipino Americans in the United States, or topical lessons like Birthright Citizenship: Wong Kim Ark, we have you covered.
And our Fighting for Belong! graphic novels are a great way for young readers to explore AANHPI history in an engaging format.
CONVENINGS
TAAF in Community
- TAAF was proud to be a core sponsor of the 1990 Institute’s inaugural youth symposium, Roots and Wings: Celebrating Asian American Youth with the Power of Community. Held on September 6 at the College of San Mateo, it was a day of community, learning, and inspiration for Asian American students, parents, and educators.
- TAAF staff in our San Francisco office were taken on a tour of Chinatown by our friends at Edge on the Square and Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco. They explored the deep, shared history of the neighborhood and learned about accomplished community artists, thriving alleyway culture, and amazing local events.
- TAAF also joined Community Youth Center (CYC) and the California Dragon Boat Association at the Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival this month. You can read more about CYC’s dragon boating program in our interview with Henry Ha.
ON THE BLOG
Mural Artist Anthony Lee Brings Detroit’s History and Culture to Life on the City’s Walls
This month on The Takeaway, we’re featuring an interview with Detroit muralist Anthony Lee. We spoke about what drew him to mural painting, the revitalization of Detroit Chinatown, and how he came to paint the Vincent Chin memorial mural. We also chatted with author Abigail Hing Wen about her new middle grade novel, The Vale, and talked to musician Ali Sethi about his new album Love Language and accompanying US tour.
And in case you missed it, we’ve been sharing personal stories of navigating and celebrating our identities as part of our Asian+American campaign. Check back often as we’ll be adding more!
What is your Asian+American story?
This summer, TAAF launched the Asian+American campaign, an initiative to remind our community that we don’t have to choose between being Asian and being American. We are both. And should celebrate being both — fully, proudly, powerfully.
Our community has shared their Asian+American stories — what is yours? Tag us on @TAAForg and use the hashtag #AsianPlusAmerican for a chance to be featured on our socials and in our newsletter!
