NEW YORK (June 23, 2022) -- New York, New York (June 23, 2022): The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and its Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP) will welcome over 60 high school and college students from across New York and New Jersey on June 28 for the launch of AAPI-LEAD, an innovative, four-day conference that aims to develop AAPI youth's understanding of and relationship to their own identities while also equipping participants with the tools to advocate for themselves, their families, and the wider AAPI community as a whole.

Held at FWPA’s headquarters on 40 Broad Street, AAPI-LEAD (or Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders - Learn. Engage. Advocate. Dream) will guide over 60 high school and college students through a series of workshops designed by our current ASAP Youth Leaders that will cover topics including the history of the AAPI community, the harms of the model minority myth and a discussion of the tools today’s youth need to advocate for themselves. A second conference with the same curriculum will be also held later this summer from August 16-19.

“Since 2004, ASAP has been educating, training, and equipping its Youth Leaders to be self-aware and informed advocates for their communities. With AAPI-LEAD, we have the chance to bring together even more young people for these important conversations just when they are most needed,” said CACF’s co-executive directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “The overwhelming response to this conference shows that our young people are looking for opportunities to build connections and community with other AAPI youth across the city and come away with the knowledge that their stories and experiences are important.”

Sessions will be led by the current cohort of ASAP Youth Leaders, making AAPI-LEAD a conference designed by AAPI young people for their AAPI peers. “AAPI youth often do not have many opportunities to engage in a space where they feel safe to fully express themselves and talk about the issues that impact them the most. With AAPI-LEAD, the conference is just as important for AAPI youth across the city as for current ASAP Youth Leaders to engage in these important discussions together and possibly even discover something new within their AAPI identity,” said Donald Liang, an ASAP Youth Leader and student at Tottenville High School. “I am thrilled to take part in this conference as I am excited to see more AAPI young people also come out inspired to become youth leaders and advocates for their communities!”

Other Youth Leaders said they were eager to find common ground and inspiration from others in the AAPI community. “This conference provides AAPI youth with an opportunity to recognize that our experiences and perspectives can be shaped by systematic issues,” said Danielle Zhong, a longtime ASAP Youth Leader and student at Fordham University. “We often grow up unaware of this fact. Shedding light on this and equipping youth with the tools and language can help many AAPI youth turn anger, frustration, or numbness into positive change. I'm excited to participate in AAPI-LEAD to help get the conversation going.”