“Your vision of the future inspires us all to be better and to do better to change our world.” - Frances Hesselbein, Former CEO of Girl Scouts of America and President of Leader to Leader Institute
"We support BPSOS’s efforts to develop leaders who are dedicated to helping their communities at home and the disadvantaged in Vietnam." - East Meets West Foundation
“From disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast to leadership development at the national level, BPSOS is making a positive and long-lasting impact on our community." - Kim Delevett, Southwest Airlines
To foster the development of leaders for the Vietnamese American community, BPSOS launched the "500 in 5 Years: Developing Compassionate, Ethical, Effective Vietnamese Leaders of the Future" at the Inaugural National Summit of Vietnamese American Leaders in Washington, DC on July 2, 2011.
The "500 in 5 Years" project aims to cultivate one hundred new leaders per year, who will hone their skills on community projects. These leaders will be the seeds of change in Vietnamese American communities across the country.
Project participants, highly selected, will go through a year-long leadership development curriculum combined with exclusive networking opportunities and hands-on projects. They will develop the mind of a strategist and acquire leadership competencies and skills.
Each community will select their candidates and raise funds to finance the year-long training. As part of the training, each candidate will work on a community-focused project for the entire year and will report achievements to their sponsors and community members.
Program graduates will be better equipped to engage and respond to the various development and empowerment needs of the community, focusing on community organizing, political engagement, and economic development.
Currently piloted in the Gulf Coast, the initiative will be officially deployed in multiple locations in early 2012. Joining BPSOS in this initiative are Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP), the East Meets West Foundation, and most recently the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (uNAVSA).
Learn more about and support Project "500 in 5 Years". .