Rooted Leadership: Asian/PI Youth Preventing Violence

Community Safety

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Youth in LA County Asian/PI communities face numerous barriers to building safe communities and a future protected from violence, including dating, domestic, and sexual violence. Preventing these forms of violence requires proactive conversations about sexuality and intimate relationships, but these are often taboo topics within Asian/PI families. A recent study of LA County Asian/PI youth confirmed they are uncomfortable speaking to their parents about intimate relationships and are more likely to turn to their peers or adult allies for information or help. When intimate relationships start to become unhealthy, the cultural stigma around avoiding shame ("losing face") can further inhibit the open discussions which help prevent harm from relationship violence. Moreover, anti-immigrant rhetoric and polices, coupled with rising anti-Asian hate, is making public engagement an increasingly unsafe endeavor for their communities, further inhibiting the work to prevent and end violence.

CPAF's "Rooted Leadership" Youth program equips Asian/PI youth to lead courageous conversations in their communities. In solidarity with other BIPOC youth, the program equips them for grassroots-level action for social change toward preventing violence. The program includes the following activities: A) Educate youth on issues of healthy relationships, relationship violence, and peer counseling/advocacy. CPAF provides weekly educational workshops to youth during the school year through partnerships with local high schools and community partner organizations. B) Engage youth as key change agents to break the silence through a youth leadership development process called "Rooted Leadership Project." Youth advocates aged 13-18 spend 3-6 months to learn about root causes of violence in their communities. Youth conduct community assessments and develop proposals to identify strategies for ending violence in their communities with the support of adult mentors. C) Support youth to progressively take greater engagement responsibility within their communities. Youth leadership team members will create and organize 2 major awareness campaigns to reach over 1,500 youth. D) Host an Annual Youth Forum, co-organized by youth and adult allies. The Forum will provide a space for youth to share ideas and resources to prevent relationship violence and promote healthy relationships and communities by exploring various tools and techniques used to engage youth in the practice of social change.

CPAF's vision for Los Angeles County is one where the County's diverse cultural communities are free of all forms of violence, including intimate partner violence and gender-based violence. This project empowers Asian/PI youth to take the lead in fulfilling that vision for their communities alongside other BIPOC youth. CPAF supports youth to take increasing levels of responsibility for planning and conducting awareness-raising campaigns/events around the unspeakable issues of domestic and sexual violence. CPAF works to recruit, train, and mentor youth to amplify youth voices and ensure they continue to inform the project. With such a powerful impact on youth aged 13-18, CPAF anticipates that these empowered young people will go on to thrive in colleges and careers empowered as active agents of change, making a lasting impact on their households, their cultural communities, and the County they call home.

CPAF, with external consultant support, has been developing meaningful, culturally grounded and community-centered evaluation methods, with a specific focus on the "Rooted Leadership" program, where desired outcomes include: 1) Leadership development 2) Recognition of what participants learned 3) Enhanced peer connectedness 4) Increased community connection 5) Strengthened adult/youth relationships 6) Increased conflict resolution (communication, boundary setting, principles of non-violence) 7) Signs of self-empowerment/agency Over 240 youth engaged with CPAF's prevention program over the past 3 years. CPAF's work in equipping/mobilizing youth leaders (https://nurturingchange.org/rooted-leaders-digital-portfolios) has been publicly acknowledged as a valuable model (https://cpaf.me/CalHealthReport; https://cpaf.me/YouthLeadPodcast). Youth planning the Youth Forum have developed skills in the areas of facilitating discussions, interpersonal communication, and problem-solving.