Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
2022 is officially here! A new year is always an exciting thing, even if a certain COVID-19 variant that starts with an “o” and is three syllables has made the start of 2022 a little…interesting.
This year, like all years, will have its fair share of challenges, but also lots of joy and progress. To kick things off right, we’ve decided to shine a light on the folks who are at the center of AAOP’s work: amazing Asian youth! Youth inspire, lead, and enrich everything we do at AAOP. Here are a handful of youth heroes to bring us into the new year!
As a civic engagement organization, we at AAOP especially love youth who are activating, agitating, organizing, and revolutionizing. Youth who are stepping up in ways big and small to make their homes, schools, communities, and world a better place are our heroes!
Asian youth who proudly claim their heritage, and refuse to allow others to co-opt their narrative, are superheroes who are changing our society for the better: for current generations, and the generations to come.
It takes a lot of patience to help folks learn how to use Facebook! That’s true heroism. And so is standing up to ageist ideas that youth don’t have anything to teach elders. We all have so much to learn from each other.
Youth who call a friend to check in. Youth who lend a helping hand to a stranger. Youth who face hard truths and big problems head on. It’s daily acts of showing up like this that make our communities stronger.
It’s one thing to do your laundry, and quite another to put it away. Following through on small tasks and big endeavors is truly heroic!
Wellness is at the center of everything we do at AAOP. That’s why we honor youth who speak to themselves with generosity, who take (many!) breaks, who hold themselves accountable with kindness, and who refuse to let others shame them for necessary actions taken for wellness.
Youth are the future because youth refuse to accept the constraints of the past. Youth inspire us every day at AAOP by rejecting the status quo and forging new norms, norms that support the dignity, joy, wellness, and growth of all our communities.
All this is to say that heroic acts come in all shapes and sizes, and just because a choice seems small, doesn’t make it any less amazing.
That’s especially true during the times we’re living through. In a stressful world, all acts of generosity to yourself and others take some effort, and we should all give ourselves the credit we deserve for making it through, one step at a time.
As far as we’re concerned, all Asian youth are heroes, and in 2022, we at AAOP can’t wait to continue the work to empower all our amazing youth!