This past September, APIAVote launched it’s 2019-2020 cohort of youth ambassadors consisting of student organizations all across the nation. Two weekends ago, we hosted a two and a half-day training summit with 60 student leaders representing 29 schools.
During the three day training, our ambassadors gained a fuller knowledge on what exactly it means to be an APIAVote Youth Ambassador and set goals and plans for the upcoming year. Led by APIAVote Programs Associate Julie Wu and Young Invincibles Partnership Manager Kathryn Quintin, the comprehensive training included voter registration tactics–how to recruit and train volunteers, how to spot mistakes on a voter registration form, the difference between online and in-person registration–as well as census education; specifically on the importance of the 2020 Census and how to best inform their families, communities, and their campus.
Most importantly, our Youth Summit gave ambassadors a physical space to connect with and build their community to include students from different regions and backgrounds as they come together to empower civic engagement, voter, and census initiatives.
New data shows that Asian American student voter turnout nearly tripled from 2014-2018. It is clear that students in our community are becoming more and more involved in civic engagement and are also the next generation of leaders within our community, schools, and perhaps even our government.
It was clear that our attendees understood what was at stake, and the importance of empowering their student communities. Attendees reaffirmed the power of their voices and we look forward to seeing how they mobilize and empower their communities.
For more information on our ambassadors, visit apiavote.org/ambassadors. Thank you to Verizon for sponsoring the summit, MasterCard for providing a training location, our Youth Advisory board for overseeing the activities, and Kathryn Quintin from Young Invincibles for all her work in leading and planning the training.
