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Dấn Thân Corps 2006-2007 Application will be available soon!

What Is Dấn Thân Corps?

Dấn Thân Corps Program

NAVASA seeks to engage emerging leaders from the Vietnamese American communities, who are between the ages of 21 and 35 and who have a strong interest in using community development strategy to build strong communities. Members will engage in a variety of programs to meet critical needs in their communities. Most importantly, members will foster a culture of civic engagement within the community they serve.

In addition to making an impact on the lives of community members across the country, members will participate in a leadership training program and receive support for personal and professional development. Members will learn different community organizing strategies, models and process to organize collective power to bring about social change, and leadership and management skills to manage projects and non-profit organizations in the long-run.

WHY?

Based on census data, the Vietnamese American population boomed during the decade between 1990 and 2000, doubled from 593,213 to 1,122,528 and Vietnamese community leaders estimate that there was a 25 to 50% undercounting of this ethnic group.

The 2000 census indicated that only 10% received public assistance, while 14.3% live below poverty levels. Educational deficiency remains a problem, with 38% of adults lacking high school diplomas.

Furthermore, with the aging of current community leaders, this is creating generational gaps in leadership and volunteerism. A study of NAVASA's 36 member organizations, which have served refugee communities since 1975, shows that 78% of all executive directors are over 55 years of age and 41% are over 60. Within middle management positions, only 9.3% are younger than 40 years old.

There remains a critical need to promote volunteerism by Vietnamese American youths that clearly is not active within the community now. Besides well-established organizations that function quite successfully, particularly stipulate a structure to promote and recruit youth, a few organizations are facing extinctions due to unhealthy preparations and transitions.

Given financial pressures as well linguistic and cultural barriers in education, only 2 to 5 % of Asian American college students major in social sciences according to several studies. Since Vietnamese American students come from refugee families, this situation exacerbates these low numbers.

Parents steer their children away from social sciences and into technical fields, such as engineering, medicine, computer sciences and traditional sciences. However, the high-tech industries have been experiencing the downward reduction since 2000, in turn, has forced many graduates to continue to stay in school and/or obtain odd jobs. The unemployment rate of Vietnamese Americans has skyrocketed in high tech areas such as Silicon Valley, Phoenix , and Dallas , reportedly nearly 20% among Vietnamese Americans according to some surveys. It would have not been a better time to re-induce the model of fellowship and internship that represents our strength and our spirit of volunteerism.

For 2006, the following locations are available:

Please note: NAVASA will try our best to place the appropriate fellow with a compatible organization, but NAVASA cannot not guarantee placement at the location of choice.

•  Seattle , Washington

•  Chicago , Illinois

•  Silver Spring , Maryland

•  Atlanta , Georgia

•  Springfield , Massachusetts

•  San Jose , California

•  Houston , Texas

•  Either Bayou LaBatre, AL or Baton Rouge, LA (for fellow interested in work on long term relief for Vietnamese American hurricane evacuees)