Apply by March 10

Applications are open for SEARAC’s 2017 Leadership and Advocacy Training (LAT), to be held in Washington, DC, June 26-28, 2017. The LAT program is intended for members of Southeast Asian American communities and allies who want to learn how to translate their own experiences in their families, schools, and communities into powerful advocacy to fight for policy change. 

Our 2017 LAT training will focus specifically on immigration and deportation policy, with a special emphasis on the deportation consequences of old criminal convictions. Cambodian, Hmong, Lao, and Vietnamese immigrants and refugees are 3-4 times more likely than other immigrants to be deported because of old criminal convictions.  

Deportation touches the lives of so many of our Southeast Asian American families, but stigma, fear, and shame keep many families from speaking out. 

The 2017 LAT cohort will change that. The group will include people directly impacted by deportation, their friends and family, students, activists, formerly-incarcerated community members, and staff of community-based organizations. 

Curriculum

The training will focus on the policies behind deportation in the Southeast Asian American community, as well as the intersecting issues that contribute to high rates of criminalization, including:

• History of the SEAA refugee and resettlement experience
• Mental health and intergenerational trauma
• School discipline policies, high school push-out, and bullying

The third day of the LAT program will culminate in Congressional advocacy visits.

How to apply

SEARAC will cover the majority of travel and lodging expenses for accepted applicants living outside of the Washington, DC area, but participants may be responsible for a portion of their travel costs.

We welcome individuals from all 50 states to apply. Because of key opportunities in the Senate, we especially encourage applications from community members in Minnesota, California, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Texas.

Applicants should expect final decisions and invitations by early April.

Training dates: June 26 – 28, 2017

Applications due: March 10, 2017