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VISION
Bringing arts & culture into classrooms to cultivate the voices, leadership, and entrepreneurship within youths of all backgrounds to thrive within their intersecting identities and as individuals.
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MISSION
Creating inclusive and culturally relevant spaces for Asian youth to grow as individuals using arts & culture.
OUR VALUES
Arts, Culture, & Activism
Storytelling: we use storytelling to keep our culture and ancestors alive, and to create awareness, celebrate joy, and imagine freedom.
Collaboration: we understand the power of people coming together and the revolutionaries created through creative collaborations.
Community: we engage with and work in solidarity to create change in our communities using art.
Transformation: we use art to bring awareness and advocate systematic changes to existence.
Be Unapologetic we strive to encourage all youth to be the best version of themselves with confidence
HISTORY
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Center for Asian Minnesota Youth (CAMY) was curated in 2021 by Tou Saiko Lee, originally called SEA (Southeast Asian) Us Write where the initiative focused on creative writing, song writing, and performing arts (such as spoken word and hip hop) to uplift voices and creative expression for underserved Southeast Asian Youth.
In 2022, Npaus Baim Her continued the initiative and rebranded it to SEA Us Write and Design to include visual youth artists. SEA Us Write & Design continued to align with the original vision to uplift voices and creative expression, however to also cultivate leadership and entrepreneurship skills.
Through this rebranded initiative, the first ethnic youth group was launched in 2023 called, “Hmong Girls’ Write & Design Circle.” The Hmong Girls’ Write & Design Circle was a safe and supportive space to build sisterhood and develop creative writing and artistic skills through a series of eight creative workshops. With this space, the girls learned to navigate and express their personal experiences and voices as Hmong women.
Through this program, the girls grew as professional writers and artists. At the end of the program they:
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Curated an exhibition space at XIA’s gallery to showcase all of their creative works
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Developed their own creative products to sell at XIA's gift shop
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Together, designed a cover for the magazine
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Wrote beautiful pieces to showcase their creative writing skills in the magazine
In 2023, SEA Us Write & Design was an arts program housed at the Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA) to be branched off and incubated as its own upcoming organization, Center for Asian Minnesota Youth, supported by AEDA. In 2024, AEDA was awarded the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Cultural Heritage Grant to continue the SEA Us Write & Design program by leading six ethnic youth circles.
STAFF
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Chia Xiong
chee-iah sh-ong (she/her)
Strategic Planning Manager
Soon to come
Soon to come
Leanghout Prom
lane-hua-t pro-om (he/him)
Fundraising Manager
Soon to come
Soon to come
Npaus Baim Her
bao bye ha-uh (she/her)
Founder, Arts & Culture Program Manager
Npaus Baim Her, an educator and storyteller, is known for her work in chronicling the narratives of Asian Americans. In 2023, she spearheaded “A Reflection on Hmong Culture & Language” with Public Art St. Paul as part of the Sidewalk Poetry Workshop series. Her digital zine, “Hmong American Experiences during the Pandemic,” was published in 2022 in collaboration with the Hmong Museum.
Prior to these, she served as an instructor at the University of Minnesota Duluth where she taught College Writing and worked as a Writers Consultant for the Writing Workshops.
Currently, Her holds the position of arts & culture coordinator at XIA Gallery & Cafe, where she champions Asian and BIPOC artists. She also recently graduated with her Masters of Arts in Creative Writing & Publishing from the University of St. Thomas University.
Npaus Baim Her, an educator and storyteller, is known for her work in chronicling the narratives of Asian Americans. In 2023, she spearheaded “A Reflection on Hmong Culture & Language” with Public Art St. Paul as part of the Sidewalk Poetry Workshop series. Her digital zine, “Hmong American Experiences during the Pandemic,” was published in 2022 in collaboration with the Hmong Museum.
Prior to these, she served as an instructor at the University of Minnesota Duluth where she taught College Writing and worked as a Writers Consultant for the Writing Workshops.
Currently, Her holds the position of arts & culture coordinator at XIA Gallery & Cafe, where she champions Asian and BIPOC artists. She also recently graduated with her Masters of Arts in Creative Writing & Publishing from the University of St. Thomas University.