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 The Norman Y. Mineta Leadership Institute was launched in October 2006 in honor of Secretary Mineta’s lifetime achievements in exemplifying and promoting civic participation and public service. The institute will initially focus on launching its series of weekend long leadership trainings for nonprofit staff, community leaders and volunteers in various cities across the country in 2008.
OVERVIEW
One of the overarching objectives of the APIAVote trainings is to increase the leadership and organizing capacity of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by equipping leaders with the tools necessary to engage Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in successful electoral campaigns. APIAVote’s model is to identify and encourage local nonprofits to incorporate voter engagement work within their current scope of organizing and bring together coalitions in a specific region on civic and voter engagement activities. The Norman Y. Mineta Institute trains participants on the foundations of non-partisan electoral campaigns as well as provides participants with strategies specific to working with AAPI communities, fulfilling an unmet need in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
To achieve this vision, the trainings will focus on three areas:
Provide a framework for civic engagement and political organizing
- To provide a political framework regarding the importance of electoral organizing for Asian American & Pacific Islander communities.
- To deepen our political analysis of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders voters in our political system.
Provide participants with organizing tools to effectively build civic engagement programs
- To provide tools that fosters our communities’ knowledge of outreach in order to create and implement effective voter registration, education and mobilization programs.
- To support and nurture the next generation of leaders and volunteers
Increase and encourage regional partnerships
- To provide a forum to share successful organizing models and lessons learned from local partners.
- To develop a strategic plan focused on building capacity for the organizations to contribute to this joint effort
 Through this training, participants will learn about national and regional voting trends, engage in interactive workshops, and contribute in local planning sessions. They will also receive the nuts and bolts of running an effective voter mobilization program and how to incorporate civic participation into an organization’s existing programs and structure. Components of the training include the development of voter registration, education and outreach plans, incorporating strong communications components, get-out-the-vote activities, and the rules and regulations surrounding this type of work for 501(c)3 organizations. A pre-assessment tool of local capacity will be used to help cater the training to the needs to this local community, and ultimately an initial plan will be developed by the end of the weekend.
Background:
According to the 2005 Census Bureau, there are 12.9 million Asian Americans in the United States, or 4.5 percent of the population. The broader Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) umbrella encompasses close to 50 countries and ethnic groups, and speaks over 100 different languages and dialects. Fortunately, there are countless community-based organizations that work to address the myriad concerns of our diverse community. These organizations include direct-service providers, advocates, base-builders, policy analysts, and to a lesser extent, organizations focused on voter mobilization. Some of these organizations also belong to a national entity, committed to connecting local, state and national efforts focusing on their specific issue area. APIAVote is the lone national institution focused on voter mobilization and civic participation efforts in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Building upon the accomplishments in prior election efforts, APIAVote will continue to work with its vast network of over 150 local APIA organizations from across the country. We will continue to seek partners and nurture organizing models that encourage collaboration on civic and voter engagement activities on the local level. These relationships, coupled with our strategic planning, have created the necessary framework to implement a comprehensive national voter engagement program, and the implementation of the Norman Y Mineta Leadership Institute is the first step.
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