The APIAVote Internship Program strives to encourage and cultivate young AAPI student leaders to explore a career in the public sector or the political arena. This internship program will also provide hands on experience and training on how to organize and implement voter activities to increase the participation of AAPIs in the electoral process.
For more details and an application, click here.
OUR PARTNERS AND INITIATIVES:
The National Asian Pacific American Panhellenic Association (NAPA) began as the APIA Greek Alliance in the Summer of 2004 as a partnership in a "Get out the Vote" campaign with APIAVote. Seeing the successful collaboration's potential impact on the AAPI community and on its campuses, the group began to take on more projects and eventually evolved into what NAPA is today.
Through projects such as APIAVote, Tsunami Relief, Katrina Relief, and partnerships with other AAPI organizations, they have collaborated to address issues facing the Asian American fraternity and sorority community, as well as the Asian American/Pacific Islander community as a whole.
For the 2008 election cycle, NAPA has launched the 5% Campaign. Project 5% is made possible by a joint effort between the National APIA Panhellenic Association (NAPA), APIAVote and respective community organizations nationwide. The project is led by a group of volunteers made up of men and women from Asian American Fraternities and Sororities across the country. The goal of the project is the promote political awareness amougst 5% of the American population that is of Asian descent. The project along with supporters and affiliates, hope to register 10,000 new APIA voters by the October registration deadlines.
For updates on the campaign please visit the 5% Campaign Blog.
Where is the activity in your region? Check out the 5% Regional Map to find out!
For questions or to get involved, contact William Xu.
(All donations made to APIAVote can be designated for NAPA efforts and are tax-deductible.)
Over the years, the South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY) has developed a strong working relationship with APIAVote by serving as a 2004 National Coalition Partner and helping coordinate efforts of interest to South Asian American youth. In 2007, SAAVY will now become a special project of APIAVote. As APIAVote continues to grow, SAAVY will work within this prominent organization to ensure that South Asian American youth have a distinct voice within Asian American and minority voting coalitions, and the SAAVY board of directors will continue to provide guidance to the project as well.
The South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY) program will continue to seek to empower 18-24 yr. old South Asian Americans to be united in one voice, creating a powerful voting bloc that will allow South Asian American issues to be pushed to the forefront of American politics. As a result, this year through the SAAVY/APIAVote internship program, priority will be given to a South Asian American student with proven leadership skills and commitment to the South Asian and broader APIA community.
NAPA and SAAVY are an integral part of APIAVote's effort to mobilize APIA youth networks across the nation by integrating voter registration and mobilization into established student programs, recruiting APIA youth on college campuses to host coordinated voter registration drives on campus, and turning out the APIA Youth Vote.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Among minority youth groups, AAPI youth have the lowest rates of voter registration. Among young (18-24) Asian American voter turnout has declined during midterm election years. Among Asian American citizens, turnout has declined from 24% in 1994 to 19% in 1998.
In 2004, only 4 out of every 10 Asian-American young adults (18-24) registered to vote and only 3 out of 10 actually voted.
We invite you all to take on the challenge of outreaching to all AAPI organizations on your campus and holding joint events to host joint registration house parties and registration drives. Make the campus aware of your strides to make the AAPI voice known!
HOW CAN YOU TRAIN YOUR ORGANIZATION/UNIVERSITY?
NAPA along with other student groups, coalitions and Asian-interest greeks across te country are participating in the 5% Campaign to engage youth this 2008 election cycle.
If your student group or organizer would like to get involved, please contact Alvina Yeh
APIA Vote has developed a Campus Toolkit for your reference. This Campus Toolkit contains useful information such as:
NAPA has adopted this manual for our members in an Abbreviated Format. Please check back mid-August 2008 for both resources.
Did you know students can vote in either the state they are from or the state that they are attending school in? Check out http://www.countmore.org/ for more information about where you can vote.
