Vietnamese Student Union

Hi everyone! Boat People SOS based in Westminster, CA is looking for HS and college students to complete a survey that would help to find out what the needs are in the Vietnamese community. Please read below if you are interested to help! Thank you!

Greetings,

My name is Alex and I am a workforce development coordinator for Boat People SOS in Westminster, CA. I am hoping that you would assist me in helping our VN Asian community.

This Thurs. we will conduct a H.S. & college student focus group survey to find out what are the needs in our Vn community. What kind of services/resources are needed and currently offered and how can we make it better? This is the first of its kind of survey that focus on Vn Asian in OC. This will help us better understand our community as well as to offer those needed services and asking for additional grants/funds. So it is crucial that we get a good representation.

So if you are able to attend or knew of someone who is in the HS or college age group then please forward them the information. The focus group will be held here at BPSOS @ 4p to 5:30p. Please ask them to either email me or call me if they are able to attend.

Attached is our upcoming events and survey questions for the focus group. If you are not able to attend and would still like to do the survey, then please feel free to complete them and email it back to me. Thank you for all your help and I applaud you for your commitment and dedication in helping our VN community and our future.

Have a great week!

Warm Regards,

Alex Pham
Workforce Dev. Coord.
BPSOS
9191 Bolsa Ave Ste 110
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 897-2214

We are located across the street from Phuc Loc Tho and a few ste down from Vua Kho Bo.

Attachments:

http://www.vsubruins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Survey-in-English2.doc

http://www.vsubruins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Workforce-Flyer.doc

http://www.vsubruins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Mixer-Flyer-1.doc

Leitner Center Releases Removing Refugees: U.S. Deportation Policy and
the Cambodian-American Community

Washington, DC – The Walter Leitner International Human Rights Clinic
of the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law
School, the Returnee Integration Support Center (RISC) and Deported
Diaspora announce the release of a new report, Removing Refugees: U.S.
Deportation Policy and the Cambodian-American Community.  The report
highlights the human rights impact of our current immigration policies
through the lens of the Cambodian-American community and is based upon
interviews conducted in Cambodia with individuals who have been
deported. The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), a
Washington, DC based advocacy organization, has long called for the
restoration of fairness to immigration policies and values the
important contribution of this report to the comprehensive immigration
reform discussion. The report can be accessed at
http://tinyurl.com/Removing-Refugees

Two 1996 Immigration laws, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death
Penalty Act (AEDPA) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) expanded the categories for mandatory
deportation and eliminated judicial discretion from the removal
process for all “aggravated felons.”  The Cambodian American
community, largely refugees who arrived in the U.S. in the early
1980s, has been hit especially hard by these laws following the
signing of an expansive repatriation agreement between the countries
in 2002.

Chi Mgbako, director of the Walter Leitner International Human Rights
Clinic, states “The laws are currently inhumane, unjust, and in many
instances at odds with international human rights norms. Immigration
reform provides an opportunity to address these overly punitive
measures.”

“These important voices reveal grave acts of human rights violations
in our country’s broken immigration policies” states Dimple Rana,
Co-Founder and Director of Deported Diaspora. “Due process is a core
American value. This report demonstrates how essential it is to
restore due process to the people and families who seek asylum,
freedom and citizenship in the United States.”

Doua Thor, executive director of SEARAC, states,  ”As a country that
values justice and the human rights of individuals, we cannot put off
tackling some of the country’s most pressing issues such as
comprehensive immigration reform – and making sure that reform
includes the restoration of judicial discretion.”

###

The Leitner Clinic aims to train a new generation of human rights
lawyers and to inspire results-oriented, practical human rights work
throughout the world. We work in partnership with non-governmental
organizations and foreign law schools on international human rights
projects ranging from legal and policy analysis, fact-finding and
report writing, human rights training and capacity-building, and
public interest litigation. www.leitnercenter.org/programs/WLIHR/

SEARAC is a national organization that advances the interests of
Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans by empowering communities
through advocacy, leadership development and capacity building to
create a socially just and equitable society. www.searac.org

CONTACT:
Zaid Hydari

212-636-6862

Pang Houa Moua

202-667-4690

Attachment:

http://www.vsubruins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/062910-Release-of-Removing-Refugees-Report.pdf

My name is Katherine Tolentino and I’m with KQED Public Radio. We’re working on a story about the effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese American community. As you may know, many Vietnamese currently living in Vietnam, as well as US vets who served in Vietnam are coming down with diseases that are linked to dioxin/Agent Orange exposure in the years between 1962 and 1971. There’s a list of growing illnesses which qualify Vets for compensation and medical care by the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Many AO experts and medical practitioners believe Vietnamese Americans who were exposed in war time could be sick now, just as US vets are—but these Vietnamese Americans currently do not qualify for compensation or medical care from either the US or Vietnamese governments.

We are looking for Vietnamese American families who may have been affected by Agent Orange, and who may be willing to share their stories with us. We know it is a very sensitive issue within the community, and it’s exactly because of this that there’s often silence on the issue. We are hoping to change that.

I am attaching a health survey in both English and Vietnamese, as well as a flyer in Vietnamese and English that gives more information on Agent Orange and its effects. Send your completed surveys to either myself or Oanh Ha ()? Please contact us if you or your family members are willing to share your stories.

Thank you very much,
Katherine Tolentino
KQED
408 795 5428

Or

K. Oanh Ha
Reporter
KQED/The California Report

408 795 5428
VietnameseAmericanHealthSurvey_Engl
AOflyer_vietnamese
VietAmHealthSurvey_Vietnamese
agentorangeflyer_engl

Goodwin Liu (Sotomayor also served in the Appellate Court). This is incredibly important since the next step up would be the Supreme Court .

Goodwin Liu is Taiwanese-American and has a historic record of socially liberal stances on political issues. He was a Professor at Cal Berkeley’s Law School, Boalt and received his J.D. at Yale University. He has published numerous articles during his tenure in favor of Same-Sex Marriage and Affirmative Action. Currently, Republicans in the Senate are threatening to Filibuster since they fear his liberalism will interfere with his decision-making as a judge–we’ve all heard this argument before by right-wingers. They cry “judicial activism” when liberal people of color are up for nomination.

This will be a huge achievement for increasing representation by Asian Americans in the U.S. Government.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-liu-20100423,0,5722070.story

VietACT (Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking) welcomes a limited number of interns to work on behalf of VietACT in Taiwan (Taoyuan, Taiwan) throughout the summer (though preferably longer if possible). Students and professionals of various disciplines are encouraged to apply, particularly law, social work, psychology, public health, and general social science. Interns will work at TaiwanACT’s Vietnamese Migrant Workers and Brides Office (VMWBO) and will participate in research, case studies, case work, writing projects, teaching and advocacy. Potential interns are encouraged to find funding through their universities and/or private funding.

VietACT will make arrangements for basic room and board.   More Information can be found at our Official Site at www.VietACT.org  Join us on our Xanga Blogring, Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook Group (Keyword: VietACT).

Click here for a link to download the VietACT 2010 IIP Packet  (includes Intro letter, Application Form, FAQ, etc) Direct Link: http://V117H.fileave.com/VietACT 2010 IIP Packet.doc

Click here for a link to download the VietACT 2010 IIP Application Form (Form ONLY)

(Copy/Paste the ENTIRE URL) Direct Link: http://V117H.fileave.com/VietACT 2010 IIP Application.doc

Click here for a link to download the VietACT 2010 IIP Flyer (Copy/Paste the ENTIRE URL)

Direct Link: http://V117H.fileave.com/VietACT7.jpg

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me:

Please help VietACT spread the word about this opportunity by forwarding this email to those you know that might be interested. Thank you.

A graduate student who works in my office, Fanny Yeung, is conducting her dissertation research on the college experiences of Asian American students at UCLA.  She’s looking for UCLA students who meet the following two criteria: 1. Both parents are immigrants and 2.  Student was born in the US or came to the US before the age of 5.  Fanny is especially interested in interviewing students who are involved in family responsibilities.  She’s also seeking students from Cantonese-speaking families.

Study participants will be interviewed about their family responsibilities and college experiences.  Students will be paid $10 for the interview and may have the opportunity to participate in an additional phase of the study which involves a photography exercise (payment for participation – $40).

Please contact:Fanny Yeung, M.A.UCLA Graduate School of Education &Information Sciences (GSE&IS)