Mission Statement
The Asian American Youth Spectrum endeavors to provide young Asian Americans an outlet to write about issues that concern them.
About Us
Our main focus is a collaboration to be published annually consisting of articles written by local youth. In large part, this is a youth-led endeavor, with sponsors/advisors helping out in small capacity. We hope to discuss a variety of issues to increase discourse amongst the youth populace in an effort to further explore the Asian American identity, and the Asian American youth identity.
The second focus of the Asian American Youth Spectrum is to serve as a group that allows youth in the suburban Maryland area to meet, discuss, and learn from each other. Our meetings are a part process and a part learning experience. The hope is also to establish a mentor relationship between the older students and the younger students. We hope to enrich youth through community events and to motivate them to become involved in the community.
Our own motivation for this pursuit is the belief in the importance of discussing the Asian American identity with youth. Young Asian Americans rarely deal with the issue of identity, and when they do, it is often one or the other. As they mature, embracing such an issue becomes more difficult. In the end, some may prosper, but many more often end up conflicted.
We believe in the importance of assimilating into society without severing the ties to our heritage and cultural background. We wish that young Asian Americans will learn about the issues facing them and to deal with them at an early age. Dealing with identity issues, we believe, will help instill greater self-confidence and security in the Asian-American identity.