September 2011Vol. 1 | Issue 2

Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

www.uvsamidwest.orgnews@uvsamidwest.org

DENVER, Colorado — The stage was set, the players in place and with a heated rivalry between UVSA Midwest and Mid-Atlantic UVSA at an all time high, Doan Trinh was ready to announce the top fundraising region for the 2010-2011 UNAVSA Collective Philanthropy Project.

For the past two years UVSA Midwest has been the front-runner in the CPP fundraising efforts with MAUVSA coming in second both

years. For the 2010-2011 campaign both regions were fighting for the top position both to help the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation and to have title and pride of being on top.

As the crowd quieted down for Doan Trinh, CPP Director, to make his announcement, both regions were at the edge of their seats. MAUVSA had raised a staggering $11,223.85, approximately $4,000 more than they did the year before. Things were looking bleak for the Midwest region having raised a little more than $8,000 the year before. However, not to be outdone, it was announced that UVSA Midwest raised a jaw dropping $12,062.32!

Congratulations to both regions for raising a combined total of $23,286.17, more than half of the grand total of the fundraising effort. ($35,546.15 being the grand total)

Congratulations and thank you to all of our Vietnamese Student Associations here in the Midwest. Without your support and hard work we could not have won a third year in a row and we would not be able to support the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in their fight against human trafficking.

Totals for Midwest VSAs:

Michigan State University > $2,017.32Purdue University > $300University of Illinois > $1,200University of Iowa > $360University of Minnesota > $1,500University of Wisconsin-Madison > $801The Ohio State University > $600VIA-1 Pho-reezing Race > $5,848

UVSA MIDWEST ON TOP OF CPPThe Midwest finishes first in the CPP fundraising efforts for BDCF

Dai Hoi 6

Tet Trung Thu

IVSU Ao Dai Drive

UW Madison VSA Spotlight

UVSA Midwest Press Release

Summer Camp Responses

In This Issue

Dai Hoi 6

The Sixth International Vietnamese Youth Conference, shortened as Dai Hoi 6, was held this year in Manila, Philippines from August 4th to 7th. The theme for the special occasion was “Access Now: Digital Activism for Social Change.” Vietnamese youths from Vietnam and 14 other various countries around the world came together for the conference. The attendees spent the weekend learning more about themselves and their country, and most importantly, about the growth of social activism

and the actions each individual may take in order to empower the people in Vietnam.

Although the weekend conference was intended to be an unforgettable getaway for Vietnamese youths to share and explore ideas freely, there were still obstacles within the path. Intelligence and secret police operatives from Vietnam took the situation to the extreme by discretely stationing at the Manila airport in an attempt to blend in with the attendees in hopes of registering for the conference. Fortunately, the Dai

Hoi 6 Organizing Committee was able to identify the operatives and take the necessary actions to remove the threat.

On another note, however, the conference continued successfully and everything went according to plan. The conference itself focused on primarily informing attendees about the power of the Internet and social media, and how one may use those tools to make a difference one step at a time. A variety of sessions were available for the attendees to choose. Some of the topics to

2 Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

choose ranged from ones such as, Art for Social Change, Heart-2-Heart Dialogue Between Vietnamese Youth to Charity 2.0: Going Beyond Giving, and Digital Activism for Social Change.

Other Sessions Included:• Case Studies from the

Arab Spring• Media Law, Media Freedom• Tweet-2-Speak• Social Media Tools: From

Chatting to Change• Get Effective! A Leadership

Crash-Course• Why Nonviolent Struggle?• The Freedom to Connect• Circumventing Firewalls

A variety of speakers from all across the world were present during Dai Hoi 6. There were speakers such as co-founder of Global Voices, Ethan Zuckerman, from Harvard University, to North Africa Bureau director for American Islamic Congress, Dalia Ziada. All of the speakers had unique stories to tell and greatly contributed to the conference by discussing ideas and topics such as social justice and democracy, nonviolent methods for making an impact, and various areas of digital media.

Throughout the weekend attendees had the opportunity to also explore the wonders of the Philippines.

Attendees could book tours and trips for island hopping, going on guided tours, visiting volcanoes, and many other various adventures. In closing, the goals of Dai Hoi 6 were simply expressed, by a humanitarian work guest speaker, in one meaningful phrase. Nguyen Thuy Duong, an alumnus of Dai Hoi 2 in Paris and Dai Hoi 4 in Sydney, believed the purpose of Dai Hoi 6 was to “Be educated. Be inspired. Be the voice. Be the Change.”

3September 2011 | Volume 1 | Issue 2

Tết Trung Thu em rước đèn đi chơi

Tet Trung Thu

Tết Trung Thu is a traditional Vietnamese festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. One of the most popular festivals in Vietnam, it is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month. Tết Trung Thu is dedicated to Vietnamese children, and is a festival that is always filled with bright lanterns of all shapes and sizes. The most popular is the star shaped lantern lit with a candle inside of it.

Tết Trung Thu festivities include arts and crafts, where children can make their own lanterns, traditional dragon dances and flower dances, music and poetry, and of course story telling.

Legend has it that long ago, parents worked so hard day and night to prepare for the harvest that they left their children playing alone. To make up for lost times, parents used Tết Trung Thu as an opportunity to show their children love and appreciation. Many families gather around with their children and tell folktales while eating moon cakes. Another significant aspect of Tết Trung Thu is the famous and delicious Moon Cakes (Banh Trung Thu). It is customary to give or receive boxes of moon cakes, especially this time of the year. Moon cakes are rich in taste, filled

with lotus seeds, ground beans, and orange peels, with a bright yoke in the center to symbolize the moon.

This year, Tết Trung Thu was on September 11th. There was an event in Chicago, Illinois at the Boys and Girls Club hosted by the Illinois

Vietnamese Student Union (IVSU). The program included traditional dances and performances, and they provided Vietnamese treats and candy along with beautifully decorated lanterns to indicate the festival. Many came and joined in on all the fun festivities!

4 Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

Do you have an áo dài that you no longer wear? Maybe it doesn’t it you anymore, and you don’t know what to do with it. Do you have multiple áo dài collecting dust in the back of your closet? Bring them to the áo dài Drive!

The Illinois Vietnamese Student Union hosted an áo dài drive on September 11 at the Tết Trung Thu event at the Boys and Girls Club in Chicago, Illinois. IVSU will make sure all the áo dài that were donated will go to great use.

IVSU Ao Dai Drive!

UW Madison VSA Spotlight

UW- Madison’s Vietnamese Student Association is full of energy and aspirations. This student organization, led by 7 board members, is dedicated to raising awareness and preserving Vietnamese culture, as well as volunteering and giving back to the community. UW VSA works in conjunction with other student organizations on campus, out of state, and throughout the Midwest. This organization has grown tremendously from its start, from many generations ago, and is now looking at a bright future.

Two years ago, the 8th annual VIA-1 Conference was hosted at UW-Madison, and organized with the

help of UW VSA members. The conference was a successful turnout and was the highlight of the year. Speakers like Lac Su, well established author of I Love Yous are for White People, and the well known spoken word artist, Beau Sia enlightened the conference with their presence. The UW VSA family hosts annual cultural and social events such as Halloween, Culture Night and Tet, amongst other various workshops, social events like Game Night and fundraising events like Spring Roll Night in order to foster Vietnamese Culture and allow members to bond on another level. Through the goals of this organization, UW VSA continues to empower youth and motivate members to step up

into leadership roles. Members gain experiences in leadership, planning, and organizing, and thus, UW VSA establishes a solid foundation of growth for its members.

2011-2012 BoardPresident: Jessica PhanVice President: Sandy NguyenSecretary: Jennifer NguyenTreasurer: Trung Nguyen Public Relations: Vanna NguyenEvents Coordinator: Tyler BanhHistorian: Kenneth Vivero

6 Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest

UVSA Midwest Press Release

Dear UVSA Midwest community, Summer has been coming to an end which means a brand new school year is starting up. There are already so many great events planned for the year from all the various VSAs in the Midwest. UVSA Midwest has also finalized dates for our upcoming events that we are excited to share with all of you. The Leadership Retreat has traditionally been held in January, on the weekend of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. However, with much thought and after reviewing  feedback from the retreat, we have decided to change the date to be in the fall, more towards the beginning of the school year in order to allow the various VSA leaders to take back what they learned from the retreat and apply it during the school year. With that said, it is our great pleasure to announce that the UVSA Midwest Leadership Retreat will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2011

at Purdue University located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The purpose of the retreat is to help bring together all the leaders of our respective VSAs across the Midwest and discuss a variety of topics. This includes current VSA board members, future and/or potential leaders. Not only do we want to foster and strengthen the lines of communication between our schools in the Midwest, but this is a great opportunity for leaders to come together and discuss issues, problems, ideas, etc. concerning VSA as an organization. With this retreat, we hope to help you grow as a leader and help to better your own VSA. As with other UVSA Midwest events, this is a great networking opportunity, especially since this is more on an intimate and formal level. Meet other leaders of VSAs from different schools, share your thoughts/ideas, and build both professional and personal relationships. (http://uvsamidwest.org/leadership) Ten years ago, the first ever VIA-1 Conference was held at the University of Cincinnati, and the theme was appropriately titled, “A Standing Start.” A decade later, not only has this conference grown from its number of attendees to the number of different schools that have been in attendance, but the creation of UVSA Midwest occurred at the 5th Annual VIA-1 Conference. Needless to say, this event has been a crucial part in giving the Vietnamese youth community a voice and a place to unite together. It

is with great honor that we are able to reach this momentous milestone of ten years and hope to continue on this successful path for years to come. It is with great pleasure to announce the 10th Annual Vietnamese Interacting as One (VIA-1) Conference will be held at the University of Cincinnati, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 16-18, 2012. 

UVSA Midwest would like to invite and encourage you to take part in the planning and execution of this great occasion that is the 10th Anniversary of the VIA-1 Conference. Not only would being on staff of this conference allow you to be a part of a historically documented event, but more importantly, it will provide a priceless leadership role, allow for team building experiences, help further professional development, create priceless memories, and many more valuable opportunities. We are extending this opportunity for you to take on this rewarding challenge of being on staff for the 2012 VIA-1 Conference. (http://uvsamidwest.o r g / 2 0 1 2 - v i a - 1 - c o m m i t t e e -directormember-application/)

UVSA Midwest Staffstaff@uvsamidwest.orghttp://www.uvsamidwest.org

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please email us at news@uvsamidwest.org.

2011 Summer Camp Feedback

BEST COAST ?NO COAST !

MIDWEST !

www.uvsamidwest.orgnews@uvsamidwest.org

Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest • Vol. 1 | Issue 2

Summer camp was definitely worth the trip! It was a great bonding trip to hang out with everyone from all over the Midwest. Everyone’s so caring, from helping pitching tents, to cooking all our meals eaten I absolutely love everyone. If anyone ever wants to go, definitely plan on bringing lots of bug repellent spray, “dau xanh”, fabric softener sheets and candles. For the next camping trip, I’d hope to see a larger turn out and can’t wait until then!

Nick NguyenUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

UVSA Midwest Summer Camp was a great trip! We shared fun times around the campfire and got to show some competitiveness through the football and volleyball tournament. I am sure that all attendees came out with new friends. If I had any advice

for next year’s camp, I would say bring more mosquito repellent!!

Tyler BanhUniversity of Wisconsin at Madison

This year was my first time at UVSA Summer Camp, and I had a blast. I was kind of shy at first, but everyone was so welcoming and friendly that it was almost hard to not make new friends. It was great getting to meet new people and bonding with them throughout the day activities and around the bonfire at night. The mosquitoes were crazy though, so if you ever go camping, bring a load of repellent! We were on a very tight schedule but the volleyball and football tournaments and cookouts were enough to make camp enjoyable. From camp, I became more connected with people of the Midwest, and more involved with upcoming events! Camp isn’t an experience that

I would want to miss out on. Looking forward to what UVSA has planned for next year!

Ymi LeUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

UVSA Midwest Summer Camp was definitely one of my summer highlights. Despite the bad weather, I had a lot of fun bonding with representatives from different VSAs. It was not just a chance to meet new friends, it was also a great opportunity for me to tighten the connection with my culture, experience a great sense of belonging, and learn from friendly competitions. I really hope this spirit and experience will permeate to next year’s Summer Camp, which I really look forward to!

Nadya NguyenUniversity of Minnesota