Northwest Asian weekly - Summer Youth Leadership Program

The NW Asian Weekly Foundation

The Beginning of the Foundation
The dream of a non-profit foundation for young people came about in 1992, when the Seattle Chinese Post and NW Asian Weekly celebrated their 10th anniversary. Assunta Ng, the publisher, organized the NW Asian Weekly Foundation with the support of friends. “To show my appreciation to the community for their support all these years, I made a commitment to give back to young people,” she said. The Foundation was legally incorporated in 1994 when Benson Wong, an attorney with Keller Rohrback, volunteered to do the legal work needed to incorporate the organization. The Foundation was formed and received approval from the IRS as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, making all donations tax deductible.

NW Asian Weekly Foundation Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation is to provide leadership training to a culturally diverse population of young people and adults. This will be accomplished through communication training, practical experience, and accessible and personalized programs designed to increase self-esteem, practical skills, cross-cultural awareness and understanding.

Programs of the Foundation

Special Young People’s Issue of the Northwest Asian Weekly, a special newspaper dedicated to Asian American youth. All of the articles were written by young Asian Americans, regarding topics that are important to them.
Art contest for young people
Essay contest for young people
Diversity Makes a Difference, which invites school counselors, parents, teachers and principals to nominate 10- to 17-year-olds for scholarships and prizes. The winners are chosen from the variety of cultural and ethnic groups. Each winner receives $1000 in cash, while each finalist receives $200. All nominees are invited to an award banquet held in their honor.
Summer Youth Leadership Program
Living Asian American Pioneer Dinner and Auction, an event in which Asian American pioneers are recognized and honored. Young volunteers organize this event, which includes a dinner and live auction. They serve as hosts to the VIPs, honorees and community leaders. They also help plan the program and auction displays.

Structure of the Foundation
There are three units to the Foundation: The board, advisory board and Friends of the Foundation. Board members must be graduates of the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation’s Summer Youth Leadership Program. The board meets every month – except for March and September when it meets twice a month. The board is made up of college graduates, undergraduates and high school students. The advisory board consists of community leaders – from the mainstream community as well as communities of color. It meets twice a year to provide resources and input to the Foundation. Friends of the Foundation is made up of past members, past advisory board and anyone who wants to volunteer for the Foundation.