E-Paper
Achieving balance: Diaspora's refrain
10th anniv. of Growing Up Asian in America was held in Milpitas, writes Shalini Narang in California Diary.
First of the three community forums titled "Discovery and Achieving Balance" celebrating the 10th anniversary of Growing Up Asian in America, was held at the India Community Center in Milpitas on Saturday (April 23). The youth art and essay scholarship programme was organized by the Asian Pacific Fund, a Bay Area based community foundation.
Astute exhibits of art and poignant essays of winners and honourable mentions in the past competitions were on display. The abiding themes of the essays and art work by the Asian youth included tales of being teased by school mates due to different names, facial features or hair colours, accounts of parental pressure towards academic excellence, conflicts with parents over clothes, professions and friends, stories of special friendships, discovery and eventual pride in their dual heritage. The expressions depicted the everyday pressures of youth complemented with growing up in a different culture and seeking identity in duality and self-confidence despite environmental adversity.
The Asian Pacific Fund makes grants to community agencies and sponsors selected public education projects to raise awareness about community needs. To date, the foundation has distributed more than $2.3 million in grants and scholarship awards. Two programmes partially funded by the foundation directly aiding the South Asian community include Maitri and Narika - two bay area-based women organizations helping South Asian women impacted by domestic violence.
Growing up Asian in America is a signature programme of the organization and each year, the contest begins in January and is open for students of grades Kindergarten through 12th. Winners are honoured in May and awarded $27,000 in savings bond awards and merchandise prizes. Their entries are hosted in community exhibits that are displayed by Bay Area public libraries and are seen by over 1.2 million people. Over 15,000 Asian youth have participated in the contest and 350 of them of various age groups have won accolades for their art and written word.
The programme started with introduction by Raj Mathai, the sports director for NBC11 and a two-time Emmy award winner.
The panel discussion commenced with a reading of winning essays and introduction of the four student panelists. They discussed how it feels to be Asian and American while going through college or while beginning a first job.
Bhavya Mohan, a junior in Stanford had won the first place for her essay titled "Bindi" in 2001. She had written: "I speak like an American but look like an Indian. I am the final product of my parents efforts to keep me Indian in America."
