VAYA Official Newsletter: 12/03/09 (Volume V1: Issue 15)

Dear VAYA Members and Supporters,

Please find the latest updates from VAYA in the following categories:

I. VAYA General Updates
II: VAYA Tet 2010 Updates
III: Community Relations Updates
IV: VAYA & Other Organizations Updates
V: Vietnamese Americans for the Cure
VI: Other Announcements & Information

I. VAYA General Updates
A. Ways to get MORE involved with VAYA
At VAYA, we work to promote youth leadership, cultural awareness, social activism, and community development. Therefore, we make every effort to provide our members the opportunity to lead and make a difference. To get involved, please visit our web site for more information. Please direct any questions or concerns to VAYA Secretary, Anthony (Vinh) Nguyen, at secretary@vayasd.org.

*** Access Application(s) @ http://www.vayasd.org/downloads/

II: VAYA Tet 2010 Updates
A. VAYA's 2010 Golden Voice (Giong Ca Vang) Singing Contest Audition

Music is the melody of language, fashion, and talent. Golden Voice opens up the opportunity to carry out these important elements, and at the same time, helps preserve the essence of the Vietnamese culture through music. We are each a flower of talents, therefore, in this opportunity garden of Golden Voice, everyone blossoms.

Think you can sing? Interested in auditioning? Interested contestants can download the application @ http://www.sdtet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/VAYA_GoldenVoice10_Application.doc and email it to GoldenVoice@sdtet.com. For more information, please visit http://www.sdtet.com/program/golden-voice/.

Sunday December 6: VAYA's 2010 Golden Voice (Giong Ca Vang) Singing Contest Audition (Audition Choice #2) @ Tieng Nuoc Toi Radio Conference Room (4120 30th St # 104 San Diego, CA 92104). (2:00 - 5:00 PM). PLEASE RSVP TO: GoldenVoice@sdtet.com.

B. Mr. Vietnam Mixer Review
By: Nancy Truong, VAYA Historian

With the Miss Vietnam of San Diego pageant approaching its 5th year, the Vietnamese American Youth Alliance felt that it was time to break some new ground and introduce the first annual Mr. Vietnam of San Diego contest. This contest would serve as a platform for Vietnamese male youth to showcase their contributions to the community, break stereotypes, and highlight the positive images of males in San Diego’s Vietnamese community.

On October 23rd, 2009 the Mr. Vietnam 2010 Pageant Mixer took place in the Mission Valley area. The mixer served as a means for contestants to get to know each other as well as for the Tet staff to narrow down the contestants to those who would make it to the final 10 who will be competing in the 2010 Tet festival. Over a dozen Mr. Vietnam 2010 hopefuls attended the event which also had a strong showing of females. The hopefuls mingled amongst VAYA and Tet staff as they listened to music, played pool, and snacked of a variety of finger foods ranging from a vegetable platter, to pinwheel sandwiches, to carne asada chips, etc.

C. General Tet News & Information
Photos and Information on the Top 20 MVSD 2010 Contestants are up. Please check it out and Vote for Miss Photogenic 2010: http://www.sdtet.com/pageant/2010-contestants/.

For more information about the 2010 VAYA Vietnamese Lunar Year Tet Festival, please visit: www.sdtet.com.

III: Community Relations Updates
A. California Endowment /Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network) Updates
The California Endowment has selected City Heights as one of 14 communities to invest significant resources over the next 10 years as part of its state-wide initiative on Building Healthy Communities. For more information or if you want to get involved, please contact:

-Tri Nguyen: (619) 384-7602 Email: tringuyen11@gmail.com
-Huong Nguyen: (408) 207-5895 Email: huongnguyen01@gmail.com

For more information on the CA Endowment Initiatives, please visit www.calendow.org. For more information on the Mid-City CAN, please visit www.midcitycan.org.

IV: VAYA & other Organizations Updates
A. Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT)
VAYA's very own Community Relations Coordinator II (Non-Vietnamese Community), Calix Vu-Bui, is currently in Taiwan as the latest VietACT Intern (www.VietACT.org). Follow her experience in Taiwan @ http://vietactintern.blogspot.com/.

V: Vietnamese Americans for the Cure
By: Nancy Truong, VAYA Historian

Through his involvement with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Nick Tran learned about the affects of breast cancer on the Vietnamese Community. Vietnamese women tended to be diagnosed with breast cancer ten years earlier and at a later stage of cancer than their non-Vietnamese counterparts. This information inspired Nick to become more involved in the cause to help inform and educate Vietnamese Americans about the risks of breast cancer; he approached the Vietnamese American Youth Alliance with his ideas and eventually formed a team of caring individuals who later became known as “Vietnamese Americans for the Cure”. The group worked with other Vietnamese organizations within as well as outside of San Diego to help spread awareness.

On Saturday, November 1st, 2009 the Vietnamese Americans for the Cure gathered bright and early in Balboa Park to participate in the Race for the Cure. About 44 people trekked 3.1 miles and raised more than $1300 for the cause, however the participants in the race were not the only ones who showed up, many others also volunteered their time cheering on the team and manning the VAYA booth.

For more information about "Vietnamese Americans for the Cure" and the race, please go to www.viet4cure.org or contact: Nick Tran OR Tracey Nguyen @ info@viet4cure.org.

VI: Other Announcements & Information
In 2010, the U.S. Census will define who we are as a nation. Taken every 10 years, the census affects political representation and directs the allocation of billions of dollars in government funding. As a 2010 Census partner, you can educate your community about the importance of participating in this historic event and help ensure no one is left uncounted. You can help your community receive the fiscal and social benefits to which it is entitled. Achieving a complete and accurate 2010 Census is in our hands.

For more information about the U.S. Bureau of Census, please visit: www.census.gov.

For a complete listing of VAYA's upcoming events/meetings, please visit our official calendar at: http://www.vayasd.org/calendar/. Please direct any questions or concerns to VAYA Secretary, Anthony (Vinh) Nguyen, at secretary@vayasd.org.

On behalf of VAYA's Executive Board and Staff, thank you for your continual support.

About the Author: Anthony (Vinh) T. Nguyen serves as Secretary for VAYA.