Thank you for your interest in ACT!

The Asian American Community Training (ACT), founded by students in 2005*, is a unique year-long training program to support Asian and Pacific Islander young adults’ commitment to movement building and progressive social change. ACT supports students to become leaders on campuses and in their communities by challenging students to analyze and study our world in new ways, developing skills in grassroots organizing and connecting students with each other as well as to community organizers and movement elders! In the last three years, ACT has trained over 70 students from ten different colleges. Many of these students continue on to work in social justice organizations throughout California, such as the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Asian Health Services, Chinese Progressive Association, US Students Association and labor unions like SEIU and UNITE HERE.

This year, roughly 15 ACT participants will take part in our 3-session student training program on November 7-9, February 21, and May 22-24. ACT is 3 sessions because we believe that learning takes time and building relationships with other students is part of building a social justice movement, so attendance at all three is required.

 The trainings will be led by experienced community, labor and student organizers who are eager to work with dedicated students like you! There is no cost to attend ACT, though a donation is appreciated. We will provide food and housing (during overnight sessions). All trainings take place in the Bay Area.

We are looking for ACT participants who

• are committed to and excited about progressive social change
• are motivated API college students or recent students
• are involved in community organizing, labor organizing, or student organizing and want to improve his or her organizing skills and work
• want to organize for social change/justice after college
• want to meet and work with students doing similar work
• can commit to all 3 sessions

Applications are currently closed for 2008-09, but please check back for information about next year's program.

*ACT started when a multigenerational group of API activists from Boston, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area came together in 2004 to discuss rebuilding the API Movement. They started to build a structure and generate the momentum for an API Movement that focuses on the regional areas the activists came from. Recognizing that young adults have played an important role in grassroots social change, ACT is a project of the Bay Area API Movement Building that seeks to cultivate future community organizers and potential leaders for the API Movement.