Brush Lam, Victor Lam and Jason Khuu at the lunch program. | Photo courtesy of Vietnamese Youth Development

Vancouver shows its appreciation for the contributions of its diverse communities by dedicating parts of the city to the celebration of their heritage. This is evidenced by the recent renaming of the Kingsway area as Little Saigon, in recognition of Vancouver’s sizeable Vietnamese community.

For community leaders like Yen Nguyen, head coordinator of the Vietnamese Youth Development Program (VYDP), having your contributions acknowledged in the sphere of a city also requires meaningful engagement with other communities. By engaging Vancouver’s Vietnamese youth through cultural celebration and workshops, the VYPD’s overall goal is to facilitate the integration process for many immigrants and refugees.

“In this community program, I define success by how the youth take ownership of the program and treat the program’s successes as their own,” explains Nguyen.

Building community spirit

With the support of the Social Development Department of the City of Vancouver and Children Aid Foundation, the VYDP wishes to not only better Vietnamese youth through workshops and close mentorship, but to in turn instill that community ethic within its members.

Sach, 17, is one such member who admits that she is above all else grateful to the VYDP for introducing her to others who share her interest in photography.

“It’s a pastime that I have a growing interest for. It might be a career avenue,” says Sach.

And while the VYDP is a place where the youth become inspired to take on long-term pursuits, or form important connections that will carry them into an interesting and rewarding career, the development program is equally committed to simply providing a positive space for youth to meet others and connect with their culture.

“I had just moved to Vancouver, and I didn’t know anyone before our first youth meeting,” 19-year-old Victor Lam says.

Five years later, Lam is now an active member in the program, serving as a mentor to those who are in similar circumstances to those he once faced.

“It can be difficult to form meaningful relationships for newcomers without the right backing. My goal is give back through my lived experiences,” says Lam.

Relevant for youth

Nguyen is aware that youth have diverse goals at the start of the program and evolve differently through collaborative work or projects they themselves initiate. For that reason, each application is handled with discretion and is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

This ultimately ensures that activities Nguyen proposes are organized in conjunction with those who participate in them, and also address concerns that are relevant to them. Nguyen stresses that above all, she seeks to identify youths’ interests and be responsive to their concerns to prevent their involvement in illegal activities.

To this end, the program and its coordinators aim to grow a generation that can carry on this sort of community development and outreach at large. In line with their commitment to inclusivity and broad community outreach, Nguyen explains that the program is not limited to Vietnamese youth. The VYDP has in the past formed ties with other community groups also situated at the Pacific Community Resource Centre.

“Any youth who is interested in learning about Vietnamese culture is welcome to be a part of our events,” says Nguyen.