On April 20th, Saturday morning, the Asian American Youth Leadership (AAYL) hosted the demonstration and celebration of the Spring 2024 project: "Zines: The Cost of Belonging” at the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. Ten high school students from the Irvine Unified School District took turns showcasing their learning and research outcomes over the past period. The presentations were divided into electronic, magazine, and poster formats to ensure that the audience could experience the students' achievements through multimedia. The audience listened attentively to each high school student's presentation, understanding the cultural significance and growth stories behind the narratives as Asian Americans. Each story was gripping and unforgettable.
The event also included time for interaction between the students and the audiences, allowing people to see another perspective of the world through the eyes of these young Asian American high school students. Using their unique perspectives, the students authentically portrayed the challenges faced by Asian culture in contemporary American society. Through demonstrations and dialogues facilitated by AAYL, young Asian students have the opportunity to convey a unique and powerful voice, not only promoting understanding of Asian culture in mainstream society but also contributing to diversity in society.
Postscript:
AAYL is a youth organization established by the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center after the pandemic. Under the leadership of UCI Associate Dean, School of Humanities Dr. Judy Wu, Executive Director of the Office of Enrollment Management Dr. Tony Hwang, and doctoral student Mary Nguyen, the focus is on all Asian Americans. AAYL aims to cultivate a new generation of Asian American leaders who can engage in dialogue, study fair and just solutions to social challenges and needs in American society. Secondly, AAYL encourages Asian Americans to actively participate in civic activities and actively develop the leadership skills needed in social change. Moreover, AAYL has also raised awareness among the Asian American community of the extensive immigrant history of the overall Asian ethnic and cultural group. These efforts have subtly strengthened and promoted the contributions of Asian Americans to American society. At the same time, while conducting various interactions in the community, AAYL has gradually mitigated some acts of anti-Asian hatred and discrimination in American society through its influence.
4月20日，週六上午，南海岸中華文化中心的AAYL（Asian American Youth Leadership）組織舉辦了其2024年春季項目的閉幕演示與慶祝活動：《Zines：The Cost of Belonging》。來自爾灣學區的10名高中生依次上台向觀眾們展示這段時間以來她們的學習與研究成果。她們的展示分為電子版、雜誌版以及海報版，以確保觀眾在視覺、聽覺上都有最好的體驗。
南海岸中華文化中心執行長鍾女士、UCI的Executive Director Office of Enrollment Management Dr. Tony Hwang、AAYL組織的導師兼協調員Mary Nguyen以及眾多學生家長們同時出席了此次活動。觀眾們靜心聆聽每一位高中生的發表與展示，了解了她們背後的文化背景與作為亞裔美國人的成長故事。每一個故事都生動有趣、扣人心弦，令人難忘。
發表結束後，是短暫的觀眾交流時間。觀眾們都積極地翻閱在南海岸中華文化中心會場周邊擺放著的雜誌與海報，同時與其創作者進行愉快的交流與溝通。人們通過這些年輕的亞裔美國高中生的眼睛，看到了另一個精彩絕倫的世界。他們用自己獨特的視角，將亞裔文化與美國社會完美地結合在一起，將「融合」與「多樣性」體現得淋漓盡致。通過這樣的展示，AAYL的這些年輕的亞裔美國高中生將一種有力的聲音傳遞到美國社會，這不僅是促進文化交流，同時也是向這個多樣性的社會證明，傑出的亞裔美國人正在影響和改變這個世界，從而使這個社會變得更加公平和公正。
後記：
AAYL是南海岸華文化中心在疫情後建立起來的青年組織。在UCI Associate Dean, School of Humanities Dr. Judy Wu和Executive Director Office of Enrollment Management Dr. Tony Hwang以及博士生Mary Nguyen的的帶領下，他們將關注點放在全體亞裔美國人身上。AAYL旨在培養新一代的亞裔美國領袖，希望他們能夠在美國社會中參與對話，研究公平、公正解決社會挑戰和需求的方案。其次，AAYL鼓勵亞裔美國人積極參與公民活動並積極培養其在社會變革中所需的領導能力。不僅如此，AAYL還提高了亞裔美國社區對整體亞洲民族和文化群體的移民歷史的廣泛認識。這些都在潛移默化地加強和促進了亞裔美國人對美國社會所做的貢獻。同時，在社區中開展各種互動的同時，其利用自身的影響力逐步地化解了美國社會中一些對亞裔仇恨和歧視的行為。