The National Alliance for Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA) of Washington, D.C., has launched a call to the emerging generation of Vietnamese Americans to “be the change they wish to see” by joining its 2007 Dấn Thân Corps class.
Washington D.C. (PRWEB) October 8, 2006 -- The National Alliance for Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA) of Washington, D.C., has launched a call to the emerging generation of Vietnamese Americans to “be the change they wish to see” by joining its 2007 Dấn Thân Corps class. In Vietnamese, Dấn Thân, pronounced “zhun thun” means “be the change.” The Corps’s philosophy is founded on Mahathir Gandhi’s teaching that “one must be the change one wishes to see.” The Corps engages emerging generation of Vietnamese American to transform lives, strengthen communities, and prepare for life-long impact on social justice.
The Corps is funded by a CitiGroup, the Kellogg Foundation, American Dream Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Gulf Coast Ecological Health and Community Renewal Fund, the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Freddie Mac.
"In the upcoming years, the non-profit field will encounter a severe shortage of qualified leaders with a social change lens. The Dấn Thân Corps, designed as a result of a partnership between the younger and older Vietnamese generation, community leaders, residents and local organizations, addresses this need by fostering an emerging generation of Vietnamese leaders,” said Huy Bui, Executive Director of the NAVASA. “This is the first project of its kind in the country.”
Dấn Thân members are placed in local host community based organizations in Springfield, MA; Seattle, Washington; New Orleans, LA; Houston, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; and Biloxi, Mississippi, to provide critical services meeting the needs of the community. Engaging volunteers, developing programs, and building coalitions are activities members perform to transform lives and communities. Dấn Thân members also receive training, technical assistance, mentoring and support to develop non-profit leadership and management knowledge and skills.
During the Corps’ demonstration phase from 2004-2006, Dấn Thân members successfully redesigned youth program to increase parental involvement in the education of their children and foster civic engagement among youth; provided information and tools to help Katrina families participate in the rebuilding planning process; created drop-in centers to provide culturally and linguistically services and support to Vietnamese seniors; and increased community awareness of and support for social change work. To date, over 50 percent of Dấn Thân members are continuing their commitment to social justice by becoming staff, board, and volunteer members at non-profit organizations.
“The Dấn Thân Corps gave me an opportunity to put my passion, knowledge and skills into practice. With the training and support, I was able to engage the Board in redefining the organization’s strategy, created programs that are aligned with our mission, and mobilized resources from funders and our community to successfully implement and sustain our programs.” -- Yen Le, 2005 Dấn Thân Member, Executive Director of the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Assistance (MVMA).
Founded in 1995, NAVASA is a national membership agency currently comprised of 37 Mutual Assistance Associations and community organizations. NAVASA’s mission is to improve social and economic justice in Vietnamese communities nationwide by transforming Vietnamese social service agencies, developing future non-profit leaders and increasing public and private resources for the community.
NAVASA is a national agency currently comprised of 37 local nonprofit organizations serving Vietnamese Americans. Since its incorporation in 1995 as a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, NAVASA has promoted economic self-sufficiency and active citizenship for Vietnamese-Americans through full participation in the socio-political system. Located in metropolitan Washington DC, NAVASA is fully committed to assisting its affiliate organizations to address the civic, economic, linguistic, and social needs facing community members in their specific localities.
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