AYEP is a Norcross program that wants to give young Asian Americans the opportunities they didn’t have, through diverse programs such as free GED preparation courses and homework help.

By Linda Ahn | The Norcross Patch

The Asian Youth Empowerment Project tackles a dilemma familiar for many people who grew up in American culture with first-generation immigrant parents: how to get ahead when language and study resources are a challenge. 

BPSOS began in San Diego as an outreach for Vietnamese refugees and has now grown to a 30-year-old non-profit for Asian Americans worldwide, with 22 office locations and 140 dedicated staff members. The BPSOS Atlanta office was first established in Norcross, Georgia in 2000. BPSOS’s mission is to help the Asian American via diverse programs and to provide advocacy and other direct services as required by the community at large.

Kim Nguyen, the Youth Program Coordinator, explained that main objective of Asian Youth Empowerment Program (AYEP) in Georgia is to help youth become competitive in the workforce through in-school tutoring, GED preparation, summer jobs program and workshop trainings. She currently cooperates with Norcross High School, Duluth High School and Brookwood High School to tutor youths on-site after school.

She went on to explain the many problems that besets the young immigrant. Many newcomers have limited English proficiency and youth age 18 to 19 years old end up re-entering school at the 9th grade level. Many more need basic educational support, such as homework help, that their parents are unable to give.

Nguyen coordinates and has direct involvement in the program, doing hands-on things like tutoring. She says that, currently, this program accepts “youths who are from low-income families and are facing barriers such as limited English proficiency, disability, youth drop-out, basic skills deficiency, homeless or runaway, pregnant or parenting, or in foster care.” 

Kim explained that she herself grew up as a Vietnamese American, unable to “find [herself,]” so she was able to identify with the youth in her program. She said she had no support like the AYEP back then to empower her but is grateful for her art teacher, Ms. Cook, who sat down with her to fill out forms and get her ready for college. She hopes to help the youth in the same way that she was once helped.

 AYEP is currently looking for local Norcross entrepreneurs who can provide paid or unpaid internships to high school students. There is also a need for volunteers who can tutor in various high-school level subjects. If you are interested, please contact Kim or Bee at 770-458-6700 or email Kim Nguyen ( Địa chỉ email này đã được bảo vệ từ spam bots, bạn cần kích hoạt Javascript để xem nó. ) or Bee Nguyen ( Địa chỉ email này đã được bảo vệ từ spam bots, bạn cần kích hoạt Javascript để xem nó. ).

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