Youth Programs
ACDC’s Youth Programs empowers youth to be advocates and community organizers to shape their neighborhoods for and by the community!
Through ACDC’s youth leadership program, A-VOYCE, and youth-led placekeeping initiatives (SaturPLAY and Films at the Gate), ACDC youth have the opportunity to:
Learn more about their identities with their peers
Develop their leadership skills
Provide service to the community
Gain public-speaking skills and experience
Earn money through internships and other programs
Learn how to use their voices and organize with community to bring about change in their neighborhood
What have our youth been up to?
Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment (A-VOYCE)
A-VOYCE, Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment, is the ACDC’s youth leadership program for high school students in the Greater Boston area. There are currently two A-VOYCE programs:
The School Year program runs in Chinatown & Malden: October - May/June
Summer Leadership Academy (6 weeks): July-August
“[A-VOYCE] helped me grow more as a person. I was able to vocally express my ideas and what I wanted, fit in with a group, and allowed me to navigate through finding my own identity and leadership style.”
Youth-Led Placekeeping Initiatives
SATURPLAY
ACDC youth worked with college students to revitalize otherwise unused spaces in Chinatown. The pictured activity involved our high school students engaging with community members to fill out cards capturing why they come to Chinatown and where nonresidents commute from. Through this project, youth discovered how Chinatown serves as a social, economic and cultural hub for many people of all different backgrounds.
FILMS AT THE GATE
Every summer, ACDC hosts a free film festival to bring community members of all ages together at the historic Chinatown Gate. Events such as this cultivate a sense of community and promotes increased accountability for visitors and residents to keep public spaces safe, clean and enjoyable for all.
Join us today!
Are you a high school-aged youth, interested in A-VOYCE? Fill out our interest form!
If you would like to support Youth Programs:
Support youth leadership development with a donation.
Email Celina, our Youth Programs Manager at Celina.Fernando@asiancdc.org for more information.
