Vietnamese American Roundtable

THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN ROUNDTABLE (VAR) ENVISIONS A STRONG AND UNIFIED VIETNAMESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY THAT WORKS TOWARDS IMPROVING OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. TO THIS END, VAR FOCUSES OUR MISSION TO ORGANIZE, ADVOCATE, AND EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY. WE ACCOMPLISH THIS THROUGH MOBILIZATION, ADVOCACY, AND EDUCATION - MOBILIZATION THROUGH EVENTS AND COALITION BUILDING, ADVOCACY THROUGH EMPOWERING AND STRATEGY, AND EDUCATION THROUGH PANELS, WORKSHOPS AND CULTURAL EVENTS.

WORKING PARTNERSHIPS USA - WORKER EDUCATION | AS A PART OF THE FAIR WORKPLACE COLLABORATIVE IN SERVICE OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, VAR ORGANIZED MONTHLY VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON WORKERS RIGHTS TRAININGS FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED EMPLOYEES AND LABORERS. THESE TRAININGS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED RESOURCES REGARDING UNLAWFUL LABOR PRACTICES AND WERE DISSEMINATED TO OVER 2000 CONSTITUENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS (SEEDS) | OUR YOUTH BASED SUMMER PROGRAM WHICH FOCUSES ON STUDENTS 14-24 YEARS OF AGE SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONED INTO A HYBRID IN-PERSON AND ONLINE PROGRAM FOR A SECOND YEAR IN 2021, ITS FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR. THE HYBRID FORMAT ALLOWED US TO ENGAGE WITH AN AVERAGE OF 15 STUDENTS PER SESSION FROM JUNE TO AUGUST 2021. WE PROVIDED PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, PARTICIPATED IN A COLLABORATION WITH THE CA HEALTHY NAIL SALON COLLABORATIVE FOR AN ART CONTEST AND DISCUSSION ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT-RELATED TOPICS AND ISSUES, AND DEMONSTRATED STUDENT SUCCESS AT A CULMINATING SHOWCASE THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER 40+ COMMUNITY MEMBERS TOGETHER AT THE VIET HISTORY MUSEUM. OUR STUDENTS WERE REPRESENTATIVE OF LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL, UNDERGRADUATE, AND GRADUATE STUDENTS WITH INTERESTS IN A VARIETY OF DISCIPLINES AND CAREER CHOICES.

SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | CATALYST GRANT | IN THE WAKE OF THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD AND RISE IN XENOPHOBIC HATE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS, VAR ORGANIZED OUR STAFF AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PRODUCE: A SERIES OF LIVE BI-WEEKLY PODCASTS THAT PROVIDED RELEVANT INFORMATION TO COMMUNITY ON PERTINENT ISSUES, REGULAR TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS THAT EQUIPPED COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH TOOLS NECESSARY TO UNPACK RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION, AND A PILOT COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT SYMPOSIUM THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER OVER 250 ATTENDEES IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF RACIAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. WE TOOK NECESSARY STEPS TOWARDS COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY ON LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL SCALES BY BILINGUALLY GALVANIZING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO TAKE ACTION.