As we know, children are our country's future. Nourishing and leading the younger generation are two of the top priorities in any society. Unfortunately, in our daily life, we often fail to practice what we preach.
We say that our children need opportunities to learn and practice in order to be good at what they do. We demand our school teachers and government provide our children with those opportunities. Yet, oftentimes we do not give our children the opportunity to make mistakes so they can grow on their own. We often take for granted that with all the schooling they have (with all the instructions they receive) our youngsters will become good leaders.
But talented leadership and a bright future are only gained by trial and error. We learn to ride a bicycle by falling, by bloodying our knees. A person can become a good, solid and strong leader only after being tested and provided with opportunities to practice in the real world.
The Vietnamese American Community is one of the newer communities in the United States and New Orleans. The Vietnamese came unwillingly to the U.S. after the Vietname war in 1975. The older generation faced many problems due to language barriers, unfamiliar customs and living conditions. After 35 years, the Vietnamese Americans in the United States and New Orleans have assimilated. We realize that our second generation — the new generation — will become the pride of Vietnamese Americans everywhere. In order for the new generation to develop we need to nourish it. Today, the Vietnamese American Senior club in New Orleans is doing a fundraiser to help send 50 students to a national conference in Washington D.C. The conference is an annual event hosted by the Union of North American Vietnamese American Associations (uNAVSA).
The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (uNAVSA) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization founded in 2004. Grounded in the leadership and personal advancement of Vietnamese youth, we are dedicated to the development of tomorrow's leaders in the Vietnamese Community. We serve to represent the collective Vietnamese youth voice as the national umbrella organization for Vietnamese youth-based groups.
The fundraising dinner will be held at 6:00PM on Sunday July 18th, 2010, at Panda King buffet restaurant, located at 925 Behrman Hwy. Gretna, LA 70056. Contribution is deeply appreciated.
For further info, please contact John-Hoa Nguyen at 504-583-5294
John-Hoa Nguyen is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Ngoc Lan Thoi Bao (New Orleans Times). Ngoc Lan Thoi Bao is a unique voice in the Vietnamese American community of New Orleans.
Photograph courtesy of uNAVSA.
