In 2012, New Moon Foundation (NMF) partners with The Vietnamese Culture and Science Association (VCSA) to implement a project designed to demonstrate a clear and effective method of supporting the mission of New Moon Foundation (NMF) by educating and promoting the core ideology of the organization: Gratitude, Respect, Accountability, Courage, and Engagement through a values-based staff training program to ensure successful delivery of these values through Camp Lên Đường and seed grants for distinguished campers to further spread these values.
VCSA is a non-profit 501(c) (3) Vietnamese American organization founded in 1990. The organization’s mission is to promote excellence in education, leadership and skills development through culture and science. VCSA encourages multi-generational and cross-cultural collaborations and fosters civic participation in the mainstream and Vietnamese America.
Starting with fourteen members in 1990, VCSA membership has grown to more than 600 by 2012, with local chapters established in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Diego, Washington D.C., Dayton, Ohio; Twin Cities, Minnesota and Toronto, Ontario, Canada along with many remote members across the US and Canada. In 2000, VCSA established its first community center in Houston to deliver year-round programs and services benefiting the local Vietnamese-American community in Houston, Texas.
In the last twenty years, VCSA has had an excellent track record of continuing support for community leadership development and promoting volunteerism among young people. We have developed several special programs whereby young people are recognized and encouraged for making significant contributions and providing countless volunteer hours to the betterment of the community. In October 2002, VCSA was recognized as the Runner-up of the National Independent Sector Leadership Award (offered by Independent Sectors Inc.) for its commitment to leadership development in the younger generations of Vietnamese-Americans. In July 2007, VCSA won the Golden Wave Award and received recognition from Little Saigon Radio 1520AM and Viet-Tide Magazine as the most outstanding community organization in Texas. The Golden Wave Award and was selected based on people’s choice from listeners of the radio station and readers of the magazine.
VCSA is a true volunteer-based organization relying on the strength of hundreds of volunteers to help deliver numerous community service projects across North America throughout the year. The board is organizes quarterly general membership meetings to obtain direct feedback, suggestions, and ideas from members regarding programs and activities.
Imagine a community where adults and youth make personal and social responsibility a priority, where people use their unique skills and talents to make their community a better place, where creative solutions, positive actions and kind words are the catalyst for change. VCSA would like to invite you to share in a special vision for our community development.
With the rising of Vietnamese-North American population and the emerging of many youth-led community organizations, there exists a growing demand to create a positive environment where young community activists can sharpen their leadership skills, network with their peers, and share their experiences with community involvement. To address this need, since 1998, VCSA has organized the annual Youth Leadership Development Camp, namely Lên Đường Camp (Lên Đường) or “Embark on a Journey.”
In the past fourteen years, our staff training and Camp Lên Đường program has served over 3,300 young community activist, young professionals, and students. The program is carefully designed to empower young Vietnamese-North Americans to become effective leaders in their respective organizations through values-based education, leadership training and hands-on experience. Each year, Lên Đường offers approximately 250 young adults with a desire to “Make a Difference” with the opportunity to reflect on their values, culture, and develop their leadership skills in a camp setting. Participants are exposed to a variety of modalities to support balanced development, concepts, elements, and process of leadership.
The sustainability of the staff, campers, and program is evidenced in the return of staff and campers each year more motivated, more equipped for and committed to community involvement. Based on the feedback we have received from campers and from tracking actual campers’ community involvement, the impact of these camps has been one of the greatest success stories in the Vietnamese-North American community.