Mini Newspaper

The Mini Newspaper is a collection of monthly updates, project summaries, shout-outs, and insightful interviews of our key members. The ultimate goal is to inspire and share joy among AASuccess students.

Timeline: May 2020 – Present
Key Members: Mentor Nguyen Nguyen (staff member) and students Jenna Buffenbarger and Phillip Nguyen work together in curating this collection of updates and preparing them for release to our internal AASuccess community.
Goals:
- To keep AAS members up-to-date with one another, spread joy among our community during the quarantine period, provide insightful information about the activities of AASuccess, and present the caring and family culture of AASuccess.
- The Mini Newspaper is also used as a project training tool, which is designed to train AASuccess students in writing, practicing their interview skills, collecting and extracting information, as well as working as a team to deliver the result in a timely manner.
How: Students work with each other weekly to collect information, edit material, and design the newsletter in a fun, appealing format. It is sent to all members, including the board members, at the end of the month via email.
Result-To-Date: The Mini Newspaper is sent out each month to all AAS members. Articles currently consist of topics such as Highlights of the Month, Mentor-Mentee Interview, Articles Worth Checking Out, Fun Product Reviews, and Jokes of the Month.

Wellness Bingo Competition

During times of quarantine and social distancing due to COVID-19, it can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise. Therefore, the Wellness Bingo Competition was created as a fun, engaging way to get all AASuccess members to start exercising and taking care of their physical and mental health.

Timeline: May 2020 – June 2020
Key Members: A team of students consisting of Daniel Nguyen, McKenzie Tran, Jenna Buffenbarger, and Colby Pham led the project.
Goal: The goal of the fitness bingo board is to provide AASuccess students and mentors with a collection of different exercises and activities to boost their physical and mental health, while also engaging in a friendly competition with fellow peers during quarantine.
How: All participating AASuccess members and friends were split into different groups. For an entire month, a bingo board was released each week containing 25 different exercises and activities that emphasized a healthy lifestyle. Each team member worked individually to complete the bingo board, gaining points for their team along the way.
Result-To-Date: After four weeks of intense exercising and competition, the winning team emerged, consisting of AASuccess members Wendy, Nguyen, Cho Kiu, Vihanh, and Nam. From this project, everyone gained a large collection of new, exciting activities to try at home, motivated one another to practice healthy habits in their everyday lives, and pushed one another to exercise every week together.

Lasting Legacy Projects

“Lasting Legacy,” means leaving a community better than it is found through one’s own actions. In the wake of the horrific crimes committed against the black community nationwide, AASuccess is organizing service projects dedicated to raising awareness for racial equality in our communities. Students and mentors will work together to brainstorm creative projects that are designed to combat racial inequality, whether that be through social media campaigns or educational forums. We want to execute ideas that stretch beyond donations and help bridge the gap between minorities at our own capacities.

Key Member: This project is organized by Board Member, Wendy Yuan.
Goal: (1) To raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement, while also learning how to combat systemic racism in our communities and (2) To instill a sense of duty and activism among our younger members by giving our students the guidance, platform, and support to stand up for what they believe in.
How: All students and mentors of AASuccess have been split up into four groups to brainstorm a creative project idea that will help raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Result-To-Date: Currently, all four groups have submitted their project proposals and have transitioned into the planning phase for their Lasting Legacy projects.
Group 1’s project: Heath Fair to provide free basic health services such as blood test, HIV testing, and hepatitis screenings in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement and strengthen the bond within sectors of the BIPOC community.
- Provide complimentary basic health services to underserved communities, low-income families, and those who do not have health insurance. We hope to bring awareness to health disparities affecting minorities, specifically the black community.
Group 2’s project: Collaboration with Little Lights Urban Ministries
- Our team of mentors and mentees would reach out to this organization for a potential collaboration/partnership (preferably in mentoring) during this summer 2020.
- Provide support to Little Lights Urban Ministries to further their mission in building a community of racial and class reconciliation via academic support and character development.
Group 3’s project: Create infographic to bridge knowledge gaps about racial issues
- - Collect information and create graphics to increase knowledge on the BLM related matters. We will focus on showcasing youth-led movements and possible solutions in education.
Group 4’s project: Book Club and Art Gallery
- Create a newspaper portfolio that contains different pieces of art that express our feelings for the BLM movement. After reading a book that highlights the importance of the dismantling of systemic racism, we will be able to display our understanding through different mediums.

AASuccess Podcast Program

The AASuccess podcast program is a series of ongoing podcasts centered around various different topics. The podcasts are a way for AASuccess to better interact with the community while having fun at the same time. Subjects for the podcasts can be both serious and lighthearted.

Key Members: AASuccess mentors Dave Nguyen, Khue Bui, Vihanh Tham, and student Ashley Rodriguez work together in brainstorming topics and organizing podcasts for our general community.
Goal: The goal of the Podcast Program is to create a new, exciting way to share news with the AASuccess community, while also giving them a glimpse into the lives of the students and mentors who make up our organization.
How: Podcasts are hosted every few weeks by a new panel of members. The topic of the podcasts are pre-determined.
Timeline: May 2020 – Present
Result-To-Date: Thus far, five podcasts have been recorded and three have been published on the AASuccess website and blog:
- Podcast #1: New normal – Host: Khue Bui. Guests: Dave Nguyen and Wendy Yuan
- Podcast #2: Explain LSA – Host: Khue Bui. Guests: Dave Nguyen, Ashley Rodriguez, Jennifer Hoang
- Podcast #3: Delta program with LaSan Tan Hung – Host: Nguyen Nguyen. Guests: The Anh (LaSan principal) and Nhi Nguyen (student)
- Podcast #4: YouthCon 2020’s Lasting Legacy Theme – Host: Lani Nguyen. Guests: Daniel Nguyen, Ashley Rodriguez, Jennifer Hoang

The Period Project

Prepared by Ashley Rodriguez

Overview

Nationwide, menstrual poverty is a stigmatized issue that is traditionally discussed behind closed doors. In order to help raise awareness and end the stigma in my community, I started the Period Project, a fundraiser to increase knowledge about the dehumanizing effects of menstrual poverty. With support from family, friends, and community members, I collected a grand total of $1,300 funds. All donations are being used to fund the purchase of menstrual products in high demand at local community and women’s shelters.

Team

My team was comprised of young professionals and AASuccess mentors. I led the fundraiser by contacting local women’s shelters and potential donors to allocate money for the Period Project. My mentor Dave Nguyen contributed his management expertise to help me lay out the goals and next steps for my project. I received help from Wendy Yuan, who led marketing efforts to create a flier for the Period Project. Another AASuccess student, Daniel Nguyen, helped create donation boxes for the promotion of the Period Project. By means of the AASuccess Facebook friends, I was able to touch many people with my message virtually, garnering $625 donations.

Goals

Raise awareness for Menstrual Poverty: The taboo on menstruation is thoroughly surrounded by shame, secrecy, and stigma. The average woman spends about $200 on menstrual products including pads, tampons, and liners. For homeless women who cannot afford this financial burden, makeshift cloths supplant modern menstrual products. Improvised sanitary products such as newspapers, socks, and old clothes are used in public facilities without sanitary disposals, clean water, or private areas.
Collect at least $1,000 donations: Although there is an increasing demand for products in women shelters, some shelters do not receive enough government funding for menstrual products. Even though women’s shelters are the main suppliers of menstrual products for homeless women, most provide minimal pads or tampons.

Specifications (How)

I created a GoFundMe page and a Facebook campaign . Through promotion of the Period Project on the AASuccess Facebook page and on my personal social media account, I established a grassroots movement against period poverty in my community. I also created donation boxes that were put out in the AASuccess office, the main office of Falls Church High School, and at the entrance of KCS Landscaping’s headquarters at the Marriott Hotel in Fairview Park.

Expected Outcome

The overarching expected outcome of the Period Project is to increase general knowledge about menstrual poverty nationwide. In speaking with neighbors and potential donors, I had the chance to not only tell my story, but also garner support for my cause. I hope to destigmatize menstrual poverty in my community, even if by a small margin. I also hope to leave a lasting impact of change in the women’s shelters that I will provide with menstrual products.

Result-to-date

To date, I have contacted 12 women’s shelters in the local community that have demonstrated the need for menstrual hygiene products. With the generous donations that I’ve collected, I will be donating $1,300 worth of feminine hygiene products next January to the following shelters and organizations: Homestretch, Thrive DC, A-Span Ending Homelessness in Arlington, Bridges to Independence, Patrick Henry’s Family Shelter, and BRAWS. Most have provided me with wish lists of products that are of highest priority at their shelters. Each has indicated a specific need for travel-size or full-size toiletries and sanitary pads.

To support or volunteer for this project, please contact Ashley at Ashley.Rodriguez@aasuccess.org.

Fundraising for the Koalas

To support Australia’s 2020 bush fire relief efforts, AASuccess students and mentors worked together to create a fundraising campaign in the form of bingo boards. All proceeds from the fundraising campaign went towards the adoption of koalas whose homes were destroyed by the fires.

Key Members: AASuccess students worked together to come up with a fundraising goal, bingo board idea, and action items to share the campaign with friends and family. AASuccess matched the student’s donations 1-1.
Goal: The goal of this project was to adopt as many Koalas as we could in support of the WWF Australia Bushfire Emergency Fund.
How: On various social media platforms, all participants posted pictures of a bingo board that had donation values on each square. They then collected the donations from their audience, while attempting to fill out as much of the board as they could. After collecting the generous donations from friends of the AASuccess community, the money was used to both adopt displaced koala bears, as well as to donate to the WWF Australia Bushfire Emergency Fund.
Result-To-Date: After a month of fundraising via social media, the AASuccess family was able to adopt five koala bears, as well as donate $360 to the WWF Australia Bushfire Emergency Fund. Check out their adoption certificates!

2020 Youthcon Scholarship Program

The YouthCon Scholarship contest aims to encourage high school students living in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area to be actively involved with philanthropic work to make a difference in their local communities. The first place scholarship award totals $4,000 and is given to an innovative and driven student that shows a strong giving-back spirit and is in pursuit of strengthening his/her presentation skills, writing, and leadership.

Key Members: The 2020 YouthCon Scholarship Team consisted of the lead, Daniel Nguyen, as well as members Ashley Rodriguez and Jennifer Hoang. The team of senior high school students was supported by mentor, and AASuccess Board Member, Wendy Yuan.
Goal: The goal of this year’s scholarship competition was to give high school students the platform to brainstorm creative solutions to pressing community issues. The YouthCon team wanted to attract a small group of students who had a passion that they wanted to realize. Furthermore, the team wanted to inspire other students to give back to their communities as much as they could.
Prompt: Submit a 500-600 word essay based on the following prompt: Here at AASuccess, the cycle of giving back is an integral part of our mission. We believe that every act of generosity ripples throughout its community and inspires change. Share with us a local or community issue you are passionate about. Given a budget of $200, how would you use your skillset to create a project that would leave a lasting legacy of giving back in your community?
Timeline: September 2019 – July 2020
Result to date: The project was successfully launched and marketed through AASuccess’ various social media platforms. After passing through the Essay and Oral Presentation rounds, the winner of the scholarship, Elizabeth Nguyen, 18, was chosen. She is currently working with the YouthCon team during her 6-week Leadership Development Summer Internship to carry out her winning project idea. For more information about Elizabeth and her winning idea, click here.
Learn more: http://youthcon.aasuccess.org

Winter Giving Back Project

Toy Drive for Children in Need and Basket of Goodies for Mail Carriers

Timeline: December 2019
Key team members: Group of students Level 1 & 2
Results:
- Assembled 7 baskets of goodies to be given to mail carriers at each student’s house
- Bought, wrapped, and delivered over 25 gifts to Patrick Henry’s Homeless Shelter and to 5 underserved, new immigrant families in Takoma, Maryland

5k Run to Support CASA DC

Cause: To support CASA DC (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of DC)
Timeline: December 15, 2019
Key team member: Phillip Nguyen
Total Practice & Running Time: 6 hours
Result: 11 Participants (mentors, mentees, and relatives of AASuccess members) on the day of

PenPal Project

Project PenPal brings a modern twist to the traditional penpal arrangement by creating friendships that bridge the gap between country borders! Students as young as 13 years old in the U.S. are now connecting with students in Vietnam via handwriting letters and virtual meetings to learn about each other’s stories, cultural differences, interests, favorite hometown places, etc. The goal of this project was to bridge the gap between cultures, as well as to create new friendships between students in Vietnam and the U.S.

Key team members: Jenna Buffenbarger & Linh Le & Colby Pham
Timeline: November 2019-Present
How: Students from both the U.S. and Vietnam are staying connected by both traditional and modern methods of communication. The participants would exchange handwritten letters as well as meet up to chat during online meetings.
Result to date:
- Total number of participating students: 8 (3 from the U.S. and 5 from Vietnam).
- Students would exchange letters and meet virtually once per month in order to learn from one another via cross-cultural exchange, strengthen friendships around the world, and improve their communication skills.
Interested in participate or support: contact Khue Bui at khue.bui@aasuccess.org