KRCC’s Summer Youth Empowerment Camp
From July 14 to July 18, KRCC hosted its annual Summer Youth Empowerment Camp, an intensive one-week training for youth leaders to develop their organizing, advocacy, activism, art, and overall social justice-based skills. The training combined various learning approaches, including history lessons, community building activities and icebreakers, group discussions, physical activities, field trips, and more. The Summer Youth Empowerment Camp provided youth with the necessary foundation to start their own campaigns and projects to create positive social change in their communities and beyond!
KRCC new address: 6212 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60659
National AAPI Youth Civic Camp 2014
In late July, 14 diverse AAPI and African American youth from California, Illinois, Virginia, and North Carolina gathered in Los Angeles to participate in the National AAPI Youth Civic Camp, organized by NAKASEC, KRC, KRCC, and the Southeast Asian Coalition (SEAC). The AAPI Youth Civic Camp sought to build a national pipeline of civically engaged young leaders within the AAPI and allied communities.
During the four-day training, the youth explored their identities, learned about AAPI and civil rights history, engaged with immigration, gender, and LGBT issues, and developed their civic engagement skills. The youth then returned to their home communities to implement a local campaign with their respective organizations. To learn more and read their blogs, please visit: www.aapiyouthsummer.wordpress.com
“Children Over Politics” Youth-Led Fast
To draw attention to the humanitarian and moral crisis of detaining children and mothers at the border, youth from Southern California organized and participated in “Children Over Politics,” a five-day youth-led fast from July 21 to 25 in Los Angeles, California. Two KRC youth were among the core youth fasters. During each day of the fast, local and national leaders, community members, and fellow youth visited the fasters at the tent located in La Placita Olvera.
Simon Jun, a 19-year-old Korean American youth faster, said: “I’m fasting in solidarity for all the children who are risking their lives to come to America not only to escape poverty and violence, but also to be reunited with their families.”
On August 7 in Sacramento, the California State Legislature and California Governor recognized the youth fasters for their courageous efforts in bringing awareness to the humanitarian crisis. To learn more about the youth-led fast, please visit: fastingforchildren.org
National Poongmul Camp
Poongmul, or traditional Korean percussion ensemble, has been an integral component of grassroots social movements in Korea. From August 1 to 7, twenty-nine children and youth from across the country participated in the first national Poongmul Camp. Youth from Southern California, Chicago, and South Korea learned about Korean history and culture, practiced drumming to traditional Korean songs, and developed their teamwork skills during the six-day camp.
The youth then performed at NAKASEC’s 20th and KRC’s 31st annual fundraiser banquet on August 8. They helped raise $10,000 for next year’s Poongmul Camp.
National Postcard Campaign
On July 15, NAKASEC, KRC, and KRCC officially launched their national postcard campaign to urge President Barack Obama to take executive action on immigration reform after House leadership failed to take decisive action on immigration reform this year. NAKASEC and its affiliates seek to collect 5,000 signed postcards to deliver to President Obama in late August along with 5,000 online petition signatures.
KRC began its outreach on July 14 in front of the Hannam Chain supermarket in Los Angeles, California, and expanded to Korean churches throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
In Virginia, with the help of youth volunteers, NAKASEC collected 75 postcard signatures in front of the H-Mart supermarket in Centreville, Virginia.
On July 24, 40 KRCC youth and community members joined an interfaith vigil with over 300 participants near President Obama’s Chicago home while the First Lady was in town. The group urged President Obama to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for all. During the vigil, KRCC youth collected over 100 postcard signatures.
Take a moment to help us lift our Korean American voices by signing on to the online petition at: http://bit.ly/ActBoldObama.
