VietAID Youth Programs provide academic and enrichment activities for first through eighth graders and leadership development, college access/career exploration and employment opportunities for high school youth.

VietAID Scholarly Program for Youth (VSPY) is both an After School and Summer Program providing academic support, enrichment activities and community engagement opportunities for 1st-8th graders and leadership, volunteer and employment opportunities for high school aged youth. Our mission is to provide affordable, high-quality out-of-school time programming for local underserved youth—especially those from Boston’s Vietnamese American community—that fosters a sense of belonging and independence while encouraging them to pursue their dreams through a combination of experiential learning, family involvement, educational support and community engagement within a safe and caring environment.

For high school youth, we have a number of opportunities during the academic year and summer:

Leadership Development/Community Engagement: VALA is a youth leadership program for high school students focusing on leadership development and community engagement. Youth engage with a social justice education curriculum about their identities, family and community histories, issues of oppression and social movements. Then youth apply their knowledge in a community project that engages with the larger community. Past projects have included a production of a spoken video about Vietnamese American identity, a workshop series on Asian American topics for elementary and middle school, children books about Vietnamese woman leadership and community organizing and Vietnamese immigrant youth experiences and a story project about Vietnamese immigrant youth voices. Application for program runs from October to mid-November and program runs from end of November until end of May.

Volunteering: High school youth can volunteer at least twice a week with our After School Program providing academic support to 1st-8th graders and assisting during enrichment activities. Our After School Program runs from October through May.

College Access/Career Exploration Programming: High school youth looking for college support can reach out for college advising which includes workshops on the college application process, financial literacy, and college experiences. Youth will have support throughout their college application and preparation. In addition to college access, youth also have access to career workshops focusing on local businesses and professionals in hopes to support youth in dreaming of different future possibilities.

Employment and volunteering opportunities during the summer:Youth are employed to be either Teaching Assistants or Assistant Counselors in our Summer Program. Teaching assistants support with academic enrichment, co/lead-design lessons/activities, and provide one-on-one support to youth program participants. Assistant Counselors support enrichment activities, co/lead activities, etc. Volunteering via “Leaders in Training” program: High school can sign up to volunteer with our summer youth program through different projects and help summer programming be enriching to everyone in our community.

For more information about any of our programs, contact youthprogram@vietaid.org.