Page 3 – AASuccess

2022 Summer Mental Health Conference

The 2022 Summer Mental Health Conference is a one day 4 hour long event meant to bring both understanding and awareness to teen mental health. Organized by a senior high school student, Liem Nguyen, this event highlights the experiences and struggles of young adults with mental health through a student focused program, via which the community can gain a better understanding of mental health. In addition, it promotes mental health resources available for those who would like to be more informed on a sense of self.

Timeline: March – July 2022
Key Members: Liem Nguyen
Goal: This event is meant to bring both understanding and awareness to teen mental health. By highlighting the experiences and struggles of young adults with mental health through a student-focused program, the community can gain a better understanding of mental health. It will serve as a promotional event for the 2022 Gala and will promote mental health resources available for those who are struggling and those who want to help.
Result-To-Date: A proposal is being created and waiting for approval from the AASuccess Board of Directors.

Roversity Project

Creating programs to engage the future generation into STEM in underserved communities can have successful impacts and help grow these smaller communities into larger and more advanced developments. In this project, Nicole Ortuno intends to create a robotics introduction program that actively involves and excites underrepresented students within homeless shelters.

Via bi-weekly lessons, she hopes to introduce these students to the robotics kits and teach them different aspects of creating robots: programming, electrical, and mechanical. Using robotic kits from education equipment companies, we provide a hands-on approach to let the students try many different creative ideas on their own. On the final day of the program, we will hold a fun competition in which a team of students will create their own robots in order to truly showcase what they have learned.

Timeline: April – August 2022
Key Members: Nicole Ortuno, Nico Cardenas
Goal: Have a larger impact within the CornerStones club and local homeless shelters to create a solid group of competition kids who have passions in learning about robotic engineering and automation. By providing resources such as educational tools and free lessons, this committed group of children students will gain knowledge and leadership skills within STEM.
Result-To-Date: On July 31st, 2022, we hosted a fun competition, the “RoVersity Roboball” event, in which a team of students created their own robots to truly showcase what they have learned during the program. Nine children aged 7-11 participated in this competition with more than 60 parents, social service staff, college student club members, and young professionals cheering on their success.

Winter Mental Health Retreat

Since school started, a lot of problems have been arising within the student community. Some are dealing with a rigorous school curriculum while others are stressed about college applications. The Winter Mental Health Retreat was organized with the purpose of creating a chance for participants to bond with each other and refresh their minds from the mental health issues stemming from their past and daily lives.

Timeline: November 2021 – December 2021
Key Leads: Erica Shin, Liem Nguyen, and Nathan Le
Goal: This retreat empowers participants to focus more on the relationships they have with themselves and others, while also allowing opportunities for all the members to build new connections and reinforce current ones. It will also give the participants a chance to talk about their struggles and past experiences with obstacles.
How: Via activities such as group discussion, letter burning, spa/self-care session, positive affirmations notes, hiking, bonfire & s’mores, cooking contest, game night, and white elephant, participants will have a relaxed, fun time while bonding with others.
Result-To-Date: The 12 participants came back from the retreat with more understanding about their mental health status and what to do with it. They felt really happy for having the opportunities to listen and open up to each other at the retreat.

Student’s Blog: https://blog.aasuccess.org/erica-shin-and-the-winter-mental-health-retreat/

All Hands In Community Project

Di Linh town, Vietnam is a rural community in the mountainous area in Central Highland Vietnam. The community here was heavily affected by the Coronavirus pandemic that swept through Vietnam in mid-year 2021, leaving thousands of people jobless. Encouraged by the DELTA Success program, three Vietnamese students decided to do something to reach out to them. They planned to buy gifts and necessaries to give out to these people on a small charity trip.

Timeline: November 2021 – December 2021
Key Leads: Vy Tran, Tram Nguyen, and Thang Nguyen
Goal: Support the poor children by giving them small gifts and necessaries. Via the project, we want to spread joy and hope for these children, letting them know that there are still a lot of people who care about them.
Result-To-Date: 30 gift packages were distributed to neighbors and children in need. The kids were really happy when receiving the presents and so were their parents. They felt really thankful for organizing this project and helping the children.

Student’s Blog: https://blog.aasuccess.org/all-hands-in-community-project-by-delta-students/

2022 YouthCon Scholarship

The 2022 YouthCon Scholarship allows innovative high school students living in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area with ideas to be actively involved with philanthropic work to make a difference in neighborhoods, with the support of AASuccess. We award innovative and driven students with the mindsets of giving back, and those seeking to strengthen their skills such as writing, presentation, and leadership.

Timeline: November 2021 – September 2022
Key Leads: Colby Pham and Nathan Nguyen
Goal: Encourage high school students to create a unique project based on an issue that is important to them. We also want them to take physical actions to solve their desired issue along with bringing awareness.
How: Applicants will submit their essays for review by a panel of judges, and 25% of the applicants with the highest scores will move on to the oral presentation, planned to be hosted on February 20th, 2022. Chosen applicants will be allotted time slots throughout the day to present their proposals and topics. Once the top three winners are announced, the first prize winner will be given $3,000 and have access to AASuccess resources to ensure that their idea will create the greatest impact possible during their seven-week internship. They will receive $200 to begin their project when results are announced, and they will receive the $3,000 scholarship prize when they complete their internship. All three finalists will then be invited to the annual YouthCon Awards Ceremony, celebrating their accomplishments among AASuccess donors and supporters. There, the first prize winner will briefly present their project when they receive their award on stage.
Result-To-Date: The YouthCon Scholarship has been officially launched on November 7, 2021. We are currently accepting all applications until the end of January 9, 2022.

Help Bring Food & Medical Supplies to Vietnam

What is happening in Vietnam?
Vietnam has been battling with the fourth wave of COVID-19 since the end of April. The highly transmissible Delta variant spread rapidly throughout the city of Saigon due to the lack of vaccines available to the population; the city is now accounting for the majority of the rising cases in the country and has been put under a total lockdown since August 23.

Despite these strict measures, the number of infections continues to rise, with an average of 12,700 new daily cases and 300 daily deaths.

Additionally, residents are forbidden to leave their homes even to shop for food or necessities, causing a food shortage and overall scarcity of essential items for many. The severity of the situation is worsening with every passing day and there is an urgent need for critical life-saving supplies.

“Everyone is struggling to survive. If they don’t already have COVID , they struggle to have food.”

Our plan

AASuccess – a non-profit 501(c)3 organization – is joining forces with our trusted business partners and philanthropic stakeholders, in both the United States and Vietnam, to raise donations to help those affected by COVID-19 in Saigon. We are in need of your assistance to raise $50,000. Your contribution will be concentrated to the following areas of critical need:

– Priority 1: $35,000 raised will be dedicated for the purchase of food and basic necessities (including masks and feminine hygiene products). We are working with trusted local community groups and international charity organizations to acquire and distribute these much-needed supplies to the families and those most vulnerable who are unable to obtain these items due to the city’s lockdown.

– Priority 2: $15,000 will be used for the purchase of critical medical supplies. This will be done in close partnership with East West International Medical Company, who is dedicated to helping Saigon combat the spread and illness of the Delta variant.

100% of the proceeds will be donated by AASuccess non-profit and our affiliates.

What YOU can do:
Please donate and share across your network and social media. We are asking our supporters, backers, partners, alumni, donors, and all who are passionate about Vietnam to join us in this meaningful effort. Whether that be by donating to our cause or spreading the word, we are grateful for any support you can provide to help bring these necessities to families and those who are in the most severe of situations in Vietnam.

We can only accomplish this with YOUR support.

UPDATES:

As of the end of December, 2021, we have successfully raised $25,000! A big thank you to all the warm support from donors and supporters in the US. We are quickly transferring this amount to Vietnam via our trusted partner organizations, Com Am Long and Lasan Vietnam Organization, to disburse this money.

Our journey does not end here. We are half way through our goal and still need your help. Please continue to support this endeavor by donating via: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-AAS-to-bring-food-medical-supplies-to-vietnam. Thank you!

Afghan Refugee Aid Project

On August 15, 2021, Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell under Taliban control. Since then, Afghans have been attempting to flee the country in search of safety and a better life. Due to this, there has been a refugee crisis and supplies are in high demand. We want to give care packages in hopes to support them in this time of need. These care packages would have essential items such as toiletries, first aid supplies, and sustenance. This project is significant to us because as second generation immigrants, we empathize with the refugee’s search for a better life. In this time of isolation, it is crucial that we are there for each other.

Timeline: July – September 2021
Key Members: Nathan Nguyen. Supervising Mentor: Dave Nguyen & Jim Kelman. Team Members: Aashee Balani, Alice Cao-Dao, Kathleen Pham
Goal: Create 5 care packages to sponsor and aid 5 families. We contacted the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, an official organization that relocates families in the DMV area. The care packages provide essential house supplies for the refugees. In addition, we want to show awareness towards their mental health by providing thoughtful letters translated in Dari and Pashto and coloring books with art supplies for the kids. As for our quantitative result, we want the care packages to provide some necessities for the refugees and to create a sense of care and awareness by including thoughtful letters written by students. As for our team, we hope this project will increase our communication skills, teamwork, and time management.
How: We teamed up with Lutheran Social Services, a non-profit that also has the same idea to support the Afghani refugees. The baseline package contain a toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, socks, water, oatmeal, pads, bandages, granola bars, hand sanitizer, hand soap, comb, masks, plates, utensils, paper towels/napkins, masks coloring books, art supplies.
Result-To-Date: The care packages have been delivered to Lutheran Social Services on September 28,2021.

School Supplies to Vietnam

The School Supplies to Vietnam Project aims to raise in-kind and financial donations to provide school supplies to children in rural areas of Vietnam. There are 6 types of school supplies that students need the most: pens, pencils, scissors, erasers, rulers, and pencil sharpeners.

Timeline: July – September 2021
Key Members: An Nguyen
Goal: Donate unused or mildly-used school supplies to children in Vietnam, and raise money for education equipment and tools. Via this project, we want to empower these students to complete their education, and enhance access to education in rural areas of Vietnam.
How: We contact people in our network to support us with in-kind and monetary donations.
Result-To-Date: We were able collect quite a few school supplies, and $300 from our friends and colleagues! All the supplies and money were sent back to Vietnam to our coordinator in Lao Cai, a small town in north Vietnam. We bought shoes, mugs, socks, and facility materials for one kindergarten, one elementary school, and one middle school. 100% of recipients are ethnic minorities in northern Vietnam.

2021: AASuccess Student Colby Pham Organizes a Fundraiser to Support the Victims in Vietnam of Typhoon Molave

Starting from late 2020 to early 2021, Colby Pham, an AASuccess student in the US, organized a fundraiser to support the victims of Typhoon Molave in Vietnam. Since early October 2020, Vietnam has been battered by storms, heavy rains, and floods which have affected more than a million people. Typhoon Molave caused mass destruction in Vietnam, leaving millions of people without electricity, and 56,000 houses in damage. Many families in Quang Nam are living on roofs and struggling to survive as they have lost many things to this storm. Vietnam urgently needs financial support to recover.

Empowered by the partnership with LaSan Vietnam Organization, Colby Pham took the initiative to start a fundraiser to support the victims’ recovery and the rebuilding process. Below is an interview with him about the projects and the results:

Q: When did you start doing this project?
Colby: I began working on this project in January, and it has been a long road to go. A fundraiser for the victims’ recuperation and the country’s reconstruction in Viet Nam came to me as an idea. Although I was born in the United States, I am still Vietnamese. Therefore I have a strong desire to give back to my native land. And I’m not working on this project alone; I’m fortunate to have the LaSan Vietnam Organization on board as a valuable collaborator.

Q: What was the most memorable memory when you did the project?
Colby: The part that stands out the most to me is the kind and enthusiastic support I received while working on this project from those close to me, especially my parents. Their support helped me complete my assignments in a more timely manner.

Q: How did you raise funds for your project?
Colby: I was hoping to raise money for this project by making advertisements, and creating flyers but it didn’t work so well at first. I turned to my family and friends for help. Thanks to their support, I was able to meet my budget target after a few months. Although the fundraising process took a long time, it was well worth it.

Q: Did you encounter any difficulties doing this project?
Colby: Obviously, I say. To begin, I had no idea where to begin this project, and as a result, I kept running into roadblocks. As previously mentioned, it took me a few months to complete this budget for the project. However, this is something I continue to strive for. I built a to-do list and set deadlines for each item on the list to urge me on to enhance productivity. My parents as well as AASuccess also spread the news and offered advice whenever I needed it.

Q: What was your feeling after completing this project? What did you learn?
Colby: The fact that I had so much fun working on this project made it even better. I am glad to know that my efforts can help others who are going through tough times. Due to geographical distance, I was unable to work with my Vietnamese collaborators face-to-face, but seeing their cheerful faces in the photos they shared on social media while they were working on the project made up for it. This project was extremely beneficial to me, as well. I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my ability to communicate after learning how to be outgoing and honest about my thoughts and feelings with others. Another benefit is that I learn how to take responsibility for the duties I am given or whenever I am involved in any activities or tasks.

Q: Do you think the younger generation should focus more on social activities and how important are social activities?
Colby: Obviously, I say. Social activities, in my opinion, are crucial for young people like us. Getting out of your comfort zone early in life is extremely beneficial for you since it allows you to meet new people, learn how to deal with challenges, and develop your confidence and outgoing personality. In comparison to other youngsters who don’t participate in these activities, these social activities help you make significant progress.

The project brought about significant changes for at least 132 students in the affected areas by Typhoon Molave. In Quang Nam, 78 sets of textbooks were delivered to 3 places in Quang Nam provinces. Some books are still waiting to be picked up, as one of the locations is still locked down due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam at the moment.
In addition, LaSan has helped distribute 54 sets of textbooks to underserved children in various villages in Ha Tinh province. We appreciate the quick response and dedicated work of LaSan for helping AASuccess to reach out to more in-need students in Vietnam. AASuccess hopes to bring more resources and use our platform to support students both in Vietnam and the US in the future.

Quick Links

Life Skills Academy – Local Programs

DELTA Success – Global Programs

Student-Run Projects

YouthCon Scholarship

2020: AASuccess Student Ashley Rodriguez Raises Awareness and Advocates for Menstrual Poverty

Menstrual poverty is a stigmatized issue within society, and is not often addressed by the public. Ashley Rodriguez, started the Period Project in November 2020 with the purpose to advocate and bring attention towards menstrual poverty in her community. Ashley’s fundraiser raised money to purchase menstrual products for women’s shelters in Northern Virginia.

Ashley Rodriguez, a level 2 AASuccess student, raised $1,300 through social media campaigns and donation boxes. All proceeds went towards local women’s shelters that were in need of menstrual hygiene products. In January, the Period Project donated pads, tampons, and liners to many shelters and organizations including Homestretch, Thrive D.C., A-Span Ending Homelessness in Arlington, Bridges to Independence, Patrick Henry’s Family Shelter, and BRAWS. Ashley also intended to raise awareness towards menstrual poverty, by increasing other’s knowledge about it’s dehumanizing effects in society.

“The Period Project gave me the opportunity to not only express, but also act on my concern for menstrual poverty. The amount of love and support that I received from both students and mentors at AASuccess, as well as my family and friends, was unexpected and very humbling. I felt empowered by my conversations with individuals who began as mere strangers but became wholehearted supporters as I informed them of the growing issue of menstrual poverty in our community. Being able to turn what started as an idea into a tangible fundraiser showed me the power and importance of enacting change to realize my passions.” (Ashley Rodriguez, 12th Grade).

The Period Project was one of the first projects in AASuccess that strived to help women in Northern Virginia. Ashley was able to pass down her knowledge about menstrual poverty to AASuccess students and push them to be more open-minded towards women-related issues. Her project had a long lasting impact on her community through donating feminine menstrual products and enlightening those around her. Ashley Rodriguez’s strong passion to destigmatize menstrual poverty and help the women in her community also further expanded AASuccess’s motives to help the underserved.

Quick Links

Life Skills Academy – Local Programs

DELTA Success – Global Programs

Student-Run Projects

YouthCon Scholarship