Programming

Leadership Opportunities

 

The Organizing Fellowship Program

The Organizing Fellowship program at AAOP is a 3-6 month paid internship program that invites emerging Asian American leaders to learn, develop, and apply their skills in real-world situations. The program integrates civic engagement, community and cultural organizing, and participatory action research. Through the program, Fellows connect with organizing nonprofits from across the state and even throughout the U.S., learn how to engage as active community members in their government, and more. To learn more about what past Fellows have done, click here.

 

Seeding Change Fellowship

 

Beginning in 2017, AAOP hosts Seeding Change Fellows, at our site in Minneapolis to actively become involved in our civic engagement process.

 

The Seeding Change National Fellowship is an intensive 7-10-week full-time volunteer program that supports the development of young people towards a deep commitment to organizing in our communities for racial, economic, and gender justice. The program combines substantial investment in political development and organizing training through placement at host sites with intentional community-building, personal reflection and community-centered leadership development to prepare a new generation of organizers to confront the challenges facing our communities and the world. 

 

Fellows come from across the U.S. and focus on developing their leadership and organizing skills within the organizing community. To learn more about the program, click here.

The Youth Organizing Program

The Youth Organizing Program at AAOP is geared towards high school aged youth interested in learning more about the civic engagement process. The Youth Program is part of the Pathway Program at AAOP, leading to the Organizing Fellowship, and to the Organizer role. This is a two-year paid learning experience focused on social justice, civic & community engagement, and grassroots organizing. Youth are engaged year-round, spending two months in the summer for intensive work.

 

Internships

 

AAOP also offers internships to growing leaders in the Twin Cities as a way to develop leadership skills and also gain practical skills in the field of organizing.

 

Programs

 

Civic Engagement

AAOP connects with Asian Americans in the Twin Cities, focusing on creating voter accessibility as well as providing gateways towards civic engagement. Programs focused on civic engagement include daily evening phone banking, door knocking, and community outreach events.

 

To volunteer as a phone banker or door knock canvasser, click here.

 

Asian Language Organizing

The Asian Language Organizing Program focuses on creating accessibility and bridges between generations. It hopes to use language as a tool, equipping bilingual speaks with the language skills needed to community with monolingual speakers and help provide a path towards civic engagement.

 

Door Knock Host Program

The Door Knock Host Program provides guidance for community members to facilitate a door knock event in their neighborhood, allowing them to develop their own leadership skills and a voice in their own community. Door Knock Hosts create door-knocking surveys and reports, outreach to other community members, and attend leadership trainings.

 

This program helps build unity within the community, allowing community members to speak with each other about issues they care about.

 

To learn more about becoming a Door Knock Host, click here.

 

Grantees

AAOP provides small grants to nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations in the Twin Cities area as well. Some of the organizations we have provided funding for include: Church of St. Columba, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice in Minnesota (FIRM), and Release MN8.

 

Volunteer Opportunities

 

Phone Bank Canvasser

AAOP hosts daily evening phone banks to connect with constituents in the Twin Cities area and its surrounding suburbs. These phone banks allow us to gain a better perspective of what our community members care about and how we can advocate for them. All phone bank canvassers will be trained. Click here to volunteer!

 

Door Knock Canvasser

AAOP also offers Door Knock Canvassing opportunities. These canvassing events, often held over the weekend morning and afternoons, seek to connect with constituents in the Twin Cities area on a face-to-face level and allow us to gain a better understanding of what our community members care about. All door knock canvassers will be trained. Click here to volunteer!

 

Informational Tabling

Throughout the summer and early fall, AAOP often joins in at various festivals, celebrations, events, and campus programming to table and advocate for our organization. Volunteers will have a good understanding of what AAOP's work and mission are and will be able to provide information to anyone interested in our organization. Volunteers will also be trained to register people to vote. Click here to volunteer!