Youth & Community Leadership Development
Our Work
AARW’s Youth and Community Organizing programs cultivate leadership and political power among Asian American and Asian diaspora community members of all ages. We believe that everyone has the capacity to be a leader in our movement for collective liberation. From youth exploring their cultural and political identities to longtime residents deepening their organizing practice, these spaces nurture the skills, relationships, and analysis needed to build a more just and self-determined future.
Through training, mentorship, and shared learning, we create spaces that strengthen our collective capacity to fight displacement, resist deportations, and transform our communities with care and solidarity.
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The Camberville South Asian Leadership Training (C-SALT) is a co-learning space for South Asian youth and adults (ages 16+) from Cambridge and Somerville.
C-SALT participants explore identity, political education, and organizing strategy through a South Asian lens. Through dialogue, storytelling, and collective action, participants connect personal experiences to broader struggles for racial and economic justice.
Interested in joining? Contact info@aarw.org
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The Dorchester Organizing and Training Initiative (DOT-I) develops the leadership of Vietnamese-identified youth and young adults from Dorchester who are committed to creating change from the ground up.
DOT-I participants engage in political education, community building, and organizing around issues like civic engagement, housing justice, and deportation defense. This program centers healing, culture, and belonging as essential parts of leadership — fostering a strong, intergenerational network of Vietnamese Americans shaping Dorchester’s future.
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Since 2005, the Activist Training Institute (ATI) has provided a home for Asian Pacific American (APA) activists and organizers to deepen their political analysis and build organizing skills within a broader movement for justice.
Founded as a collaboration between API Movement and AARW, ATI has trained hundreds of community members who now lead change across the region. Today, AARW is re-envisioning ATI as a community-wide leadership space — open to all who seek to grow their organizing skills and strengthen the collective power of our Asian American movements.
Stay tuned for updates or contact info@aarw.org to learn more. -
Women Circle is a space for Vietnamese mothers and women who are long-term residents of Dorchester to convene to learn about AARW’s current campaigns, and share about their experiences living in Dorchester. We hope to help women build their leadership skills and become further leaders in their communities. The women's circle meets at least 1-2 times a month, and these meetings are usually hosted in the Vietnamese community center in Dorchester.
