On May 11th, the third annual Empowerment Summit for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI Empowerment Summit), hosted by California State Senator Dave Min, took place at the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. Held during the AAPI Heritage Month in May each year, the event aims to recognize outstanding Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders in the nonprofit, education, charity, and business sectors for their valuable contributions to the vibrant AAPI community in Orange County, with elected officials from various levels in Orange County attending to bear witness.
Of particular note, the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center's AAYL (Asian American Youth Leadership) organization was also honored with an award. 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, they focus on the entire Asian American population. AAYL aims to cultivate a new generation of Asian American leaders, hoping they will engage in dialogue in American society, study solutions to social challenges and needs, and develop leadership skills necessary for social change. Furthermore, AAYL encourages Asian Americans to actively participate in civic activities and actively cultivate the leadership needed for social change. Moreover, AAYL has also increased the broad understanding of the immigration history of the entire Asian ethnic and cultural community in Asian American communities. These efforts have quietly strengthened and promoted the contributions of Asian Americans to American society. At the same time, while engaging in various interactions in the community, they have gradually mitigated some acts of anti-Asian hatred and discrimination in American society through their influence.
The South Coast Chinese Cultural Center's AAYL organization previously hosted the "Zines: The Cost of Belonging" event on April 20th, where people were able to see another world from the perspective of young Asian American high school students. Through their unique perspectives, students portrayed the real-life situations faced by Asian cultures in contemporary American society. Through AAYL's activities, demonstrations, and dialogue exchanges, young Asian students have the opportunity to convey a unique and powerful voice, not only promoting mainstream society's understanding of Asian culture but also contributing to a diverse society.
5月11日，由加州參議員 Dave Min 主辦的第三屆「賦權亞太裔峰會」（AAPI Empowerment Summit）在南海岸中華文化中心舉行。該活動在每年5月的AAPI Heritage Month期間舉行，旨在表彰非盈利、教育、慈善界以及商界的傑出亞太育領袖為橙郡充滿活力的亞太裔社區做出的寶貴貢獻，橙郡各級民選官員到場見證。
非常值得一提的是，南海岸中華文化中心AAYL（Asian American Youth Leadership）組織也被授予獎項。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。
南海岸中華文化中心AAYL組織在4月20日曾舉辦過《Zines：The Cost of Belonging》活動，人們得以通過這些年輕的亞裔美國高中生的視角，看到了另一個不同解釋的世界。學生們用自己獨特的視角，將亞裔文化在當代美國社會所遭遇到的處境真實呈現出來。通過AAYL的活動示與對話交流，年輕的亞裔學員有機會將一種獨特且有力的聲音傳遞出來，這不僅促進主流社會對亞裔文化的理解，同時也對多樣性的社會做出了貢獻。