Youth Engagement
For us, developing youth leaders means building youth power, voice, and community.
Origins Youth Program
CBCAC’s mission is to work together with AAPI youth in Chicago to create positive change by learning about our identity, building leadership skills, and engaging in our communities.
The Origins Youth Program started in early 2010s as a group of youth doing voter engagement, who then realized youth have a HUGE stake in community/political change and that there’s more to our power than getting out the vote!
OUR WORK INCLUDES:
Engaging in intentional learning about the topics, issues, & skills relevant to us
Applying what we’ve learned to design & implement action projects
Building community with one another
Realizing & developing our youth power
Learning more about politics and civic education.
“I’ve always been a quiet person who was afraid of speaking up, but learning from the other Asian American youth and the facilitators in Origins gave me the confidence. Origins taught me so much about civic engagement, community organizing, national and state policies, and youth power. It’s the type of caring environment that younger me, who was confused about their identity as an Asian American in a predominately white city, would’ve loved.”
After School Matters Program
Each year, our ASM program, Chinese and Asian American Civic Engagement @ Chinatown, teaches about Asian American history as well as significant developments leading to current activism and issues. Applying the knowledge, skills, and experience they have gained, the teens are working together on final projects of their choice focusing on the topic of civic engagement in relation to the AAPI community
