Virtual AAYLC program
2020 AAYLC Conference Magazine
Welcome: Oregon Governor Kate Brown
Kate Brown, Oregon’s 38th Governor, has over 25 years of experience in standing up for working families and making government more accountable. As Governor, she’s signed legislation to improve the state’s education system, to add jobs by passing Oregon’s largest transportation package, to contain costs by improving government efficiency and accountability, and to ensure that 95 percent of adults and all children have access to health care.
Going forward, Governor Brown will continue to advocate for policies that give Oregonians the tools they need to reach their full potential.
Governor Brown came to Oregon to attend Lewis and Clark’s Northwestern School of Law, where she received her law degree and Certificate in Environmental Law. With her husband Dan, Brown raised Dan’s son and daughter, who are now grown, in Portland. In February of 2015, Brown and her husband moved into the official residence, Mahonia Hall. When Governor Brown is not busy at the capitol in Salem, you will find her out enjoying nature throughout Oregon.
Keynote: Alex Dang
Alex Dang is an internationally performing poet, TEDx speaker, and slam poetry champion. Featured on HuffingtonPost, UpWorthy, and EverydayFeminism, his work has been viewed on YouTube over 2 million times. Dang has performed in over 50 cities, 30 states, 6 countries, and wants to know what your favorite food is.
COVID-19 Workshop
Student Choice Workshop Round 1: 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Workshop Title: Voting is Habit-Forming; Let’s Identify Deterrents
• Workshop Description: It is a fact that voting can be habit-forming. Accessible voting and reliable information are clear factors that promote this positive behavior. But what are factors that deter voting? Let’s have a mindful discussion about promoters and deterrents to voting. Topics to consider for this dialogue: social media, Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, cyber security, generational attitudes.
• Workshop Presenter: Greg Benavides – Voter Education and Outreach; Multnomah County Elections Division
• Presenter Bio: Greg Benavides heads the Voter Education and Outreach (VEO) Program at Multnomah County Elections. Greg uses he, him, his pronouns. Greg has worked in science research (marine biology, population genetics), education (public schools, universities), nonprofits (housing, arts), and in local government. His motivations are: increasing accessibility through mindful and engaging dialogue. Greg likes maps, wants to understand patterns in time and space, and uses data, history, art, and people’s narratives as a starting point towards developing a successful program.
Workshop title: Poems Are Easy! Feelings Are Hard
• Workshop description: This workshop will guide participants through a series of writing exercises and prompts that will open up the participants’ emotional vulnerability while still maintaining full control over their individual and personal narrative.
• Workshop Presenter: Alex Dang – Poet
• Presenter Bio: Alex Dang is an internationally performing poet, TEDx speaker, and slam poetry champion. Featured on Huffington Post, UpWorthy, and Everyday Feminism, his work has been viewed on YouTube over 2 million times. Dang has performed in over 50 cities, 30 states, 6 countries, and wants to know what your favorite food is.”
Student Choice Workshop Round 2: 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
Workshop Title: What Does Census Mean for API Communities?
• Workshop Description: By April 24th, the first digital census will be in full implementation. This session will focus on history and timeline of the census, what it means in funding to our communities and how district apportionment works and when will it happen beginning in December 2020
• Workshop Presenter: Gloria Lee – Board Member; Chinese American Citizens Alliance Portland Lodge
• Presenter Bio: Gloria Lee joined The Giving Tree as Executive Director in 2014. She brings 15 years of experience in growing non-profits and 25+ years in senior management with SYSCO. In 2000, Gloria transitioned from VP Merchandising at SYSCO to Executive Director of Portland’s newly opened Classical Chinese Garden. She fell in love with mission driven organizations and thrives on growing successful non-profits. At The Giving Tree, Gloria combines her passion for building community using arts and culture as foundational cornerstones in connecting diverse populations to each other. Besides gardening, cooking and reading, Gloria believes in giving back. She has served on the boards of Cedar Mill Library, Travel Portland and Northwest China Council and Old Town Chinatown Community Association. Currently, she serves on the board of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Portland where she leads the civic engagement program.
Workshop Title: The PIs in AAPI Spaces
• Workshop Description: This workshop will be covering where the term AAPI comes from to talking about the challenges that this classification has for Pacific Islanders especially to get access to needed resources. With Pacific Islanders being one the fastest growing minority in America, we will strategizing on how we can raise awareness for the general population as well decision makers to increase access to opportunities. This workshop is also open to students who do not identify as Pacific Islander.
• Workshop Presenter: Simeon Jacob – Environmental Justice Coordinator; APANO
• Presenter Bio: Pronouns: They/Them or He/Him Micronesian/Vietnamese American. Simeon is a Portland local community organizer working with uniting youth Asians and Pacific Islanders to achieve social justice for the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) as their Environmental Justice Coordinator and volunteers as Pacific Climate Warrior. In the moonlight, he also organizes within the Portland freestyle dance community hosting and DJing Open Sessions, a weekly dance session open to all bodies and all styles of movement. In all spaces they are committed to holding space for Pacific Islanders to lean into their own power.