The Young Leaders Network: ACDC’s Commitment to Youth

The Young Leaders Network (YLN) is a youth driven initiative of the Asian Community Development Corporation. It was launched out of the recognition that youths lack the opportunity to intervene and participate, from a community development standpoint, in the Asian community of greater Boston. Through the YLN, ACDC expect youth in the Chinatown community to gain a better sense of their power as young people, and give them an opportunity to make a change in their neighborhood.

The YLN seeks to provide an open forum for youth empowerment to create change in the Asian American community of greater Boston and to utilize the creativity and enthusiasm of young people to develop leadership skills while at the same time providing a network for social action and community development.  The YLN is composed of teenage youth either living in Chinatown or having strong connections to the community. The YLN seeks a diverse base of participants and is open to all youths interested in the development of the Asian community.

For over two years, the YLN has been holding meetings with youth to establish the foundation for the group. Some activities YLN has worked on since our start in the Fall of 2003 include:

• Chinatown Community Calendar Project - Monthly community calendar published in the local Chinatown newspaper informing residents about events pertinent to the Chinatown community.

• South Bay Youth Charrette - The YLN Collected information about what youth want to see develop in their community and created a model of their ideal South Bay area. 

• Development Tours of the Chinatown Neighborhood - The YLN created a tour of the Chinatown neighborhood focusing on how gentrification and the impacts of development have affected their community.

• Berkeley Community Garden - Working to bridge the Cultural and Language gap in the Garden through a documentary and Harvest Party.

• (617) 34-34-911 Campaign to encourage community residents to be more proactive about calling Boston Police Department when they witness a crime.

• Letters to the BRA – sent letters to the BRA asking they keep in mind the economic and cultural and repercussions of closing Ming’s Market.

• MACDC Conference Presenters – Participated and led workshops on Youth Charette making at the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations Annual Convention

Current Initiatives:

Safety: One of the major concerns that revolve around the Chinatown community is safety, which includes traffic, violence, and prostitution.  To resolve these safety issues the YLN proposes the installation of public safety phones in Chinatown, better lighting in Chinatown, and to create a forum around issues of safety. Some campaigns we have done around safety.

• Presentation on Youth Violence Prevention at Harvards Phillips Brookes House Association in March 2005.

• Chinatown Security Camera Project – We are working with a PhD student at M.I.T. on a technology based community development project. We are trying to find out if security cameras will be benefit the status of life in Chinatown.

• Chinatown Youth Safety Summit April 30, 2005 - Through our safety summit, we aim to engage, educate, and inspire youth leaders in the community to create a safer Chinatown. We want to present a model of sustainability and set the foundation for future collaborations among community agencies.

Plans for the future:

Chinatown Youth Radio Project (CYRP) – In reaction to the closing of SINOCAST, a Cantonese radio station previously broadcasted in Boston, the CYRP will serve as a sounding ground in which youth and community members alike can air their concerns, opinions, and grievances while at the same time showcasing their talents and skills over a low-power AM station based out of ACDC’s office in Chinatown.

If you are or know of any youths, ages 14 to 19, who would be interested in becoming part of the YLN please have them contact Daniel at daniel@asiancdc.org or call 617-482-2380 ext. 206.

888 Washington Street, Suite 102 | Boston, MA 02111-1426 | 617-482-2380 t | 617-482-3056 f | info@asiancdc.org