TIẾNG VIỆT Resources - Act To Change

Nguồn Tài Liệu

Nếu quý vị muốn hành động để chấm dứt nạn bắt nạt, dưới đây là một số thông tin và nguồn tài liệu hữu ích bằng ngôn ngữ của quý vị để hướng dẫn cho quý vị cách hành động.

Bullying (bắt nạt) là gì?

Bullying (bắt nạt) là sự gây hấn hay hành vi làm hại nhằm vào một người với mục đích tạo ra cảm giác bị cô lập. Việc bắt nạt có thể xảy ra dưới nhiều hình thức và quý vị có thể nhận ra việc đó bằng cách để ý các loại hành vi phổ biến sau.

Bắt nạt bằng lời nói là việc nói hay viết những điều độc địa. Những việc này bao gồm:

• Trêu chọc, chửi bới, hay chế nhạo
• Bình luận về tình dục không thích hợp
• Ðe dọa gây hại

Bắt nạt về mặt xã hội là làm tổn hại đến danh dự hay các mối quan hệ của ai đó. Những việc này bao gồm:

• Chủ ý gạt một người ra ngoài
• Bảo người khác không chơi với một người nào đó
• Truyền tin đồn về một người nào ðó
• Chủ ý làm một người nào đó phải xấu hổ trước đám đông

Bắt nạt bằng vũ lực là gây đau đớn lên cơ thể một người hay giật đồ của người đó. Bao gồm:

• Ðấm, đá hay cấu véo
• Nhổ nước bọt
• Ngáng chân cho ngã hay xô đẩy
• Lấy hay làm hỏng đồ của người khác

Cyberbullying (bắt nạt trực tuyến trên mạng) là việc bắt nạt được thực hiện trực tuyến thông qua các phương tiện truyền thông xã hội, tin nhắn, trò chuyện, và các trang web. Những việc này bao gồm:

• Các tin nhắn hay email không mong muốn hay có nội dung độc địa
• Những lời đồn gửi qua email hay đăng trên các trang mạng xã hội
• Đăng các hình ảnh, video, trang web phản cảm, hay các trang hồ sơ giả
• Cyberbullying (bắt nạt trực tuyến) rất khác biệt vì các tin nhắn và hình ảnh có thể được đăng nặc danh và được phát tán rất nhanh chóng đến một số lượng lớn người xem

Có nhiều nguồn tài liệu về cách ngăn ngừa và báo cáo cyberbullying (bắt nạt trực tuyến). Để biết thêm thông tin, hãy vào xem các trang web của StopBullying.gov về “What is Bullying” (“Bắt nạt là gì”)” và “Cyberbullying” (“Bắt nạt trực tuyến”)“.

Làm sao để biết nếu có ai đó đang bị bắt nạt?

Không phải người nào bị bắt nạt cũng sẽ yêu cầu được giúp đỡ. Tuy nhiên, có nhiều dấu hiệu mà một vài người có thể thể hiện qua hành vi và tâm trạng của họ có thể giúp quý vị nhận ra việc họ đang bị bắt nạt.

• Các vết thương không thể giải thích được
• Quần áo, sách vở, đồ điện tử, hay trang sức bị mất hoặc bị làm hỏng
• Các cơn đau đầu hay đau bụng thường xuyên, cảm thấy không khỏe hay giả vờ ốm
• Các thay đổi về thói quen ăn uống, như đột ngột bỏ ăn hay ăn uống vô độ
• Khó ngủ hay thường xuyên gặp ác mộng
• Ðiểm số tại trường giảm sút, không còn hứng thú với việc học tập, hay không muốn đến trường
• Ðột ngột mất bạn bè hay né tránh các tình huống có liên quan đến quan hệ xã hội
• Cảm giác tuyệt vọng bất lực hay giảm lòng tự trọng
• Các hành vi tự hủy hoại bản thân như bỏ nhà ra đi, tự làm tổn thương, hay nói về ý định tự tử

Nếu quý vị biết một người đang đau khổ hay đang gặp nguy hiểm, không nên phớt lờ vấn đề. Yêu cầu trợ giúp ngay lập tức. Để biết thêm thông tin, hãy vào xem trang web của StopBullying.gov về “Who is at Risk?” (“Ai có Nguy Cơ?”).

Tôi nên làm gì nếu tôi bị bắt nạt?

Có nhiều cách mà quý vị có thể yêu cầu được giúp đỡ.

• Kể với một người lớn mà quý vị tin tưởng. Nếu quý vị đang bị bắt nạt, quý vị nên chia sẻ việc đó với cha mẹ, giáo viên, cố vấn học đường, hiệu trưởng, hay một người lớn khác mà quý vị tin tưởng.
• Viết lại những gì đã xảy ra, về những cá nhân nào tham gia vào vụ việc và thời gian, địa điểm mà quý vị bị bắt nạt. Nếu quý vị bị bắt nạt trực tuyến, hãy chụp lại màn hình và lưu lại hình ảnh (ghi mốc thời gian bất cứ khi nào có thể) về những gì đã xảy ra.
• Ðừng ngại nói lên ý kiến của quý vị. Tìm kiếm trợ giúp trong lớp, tại nhà và cộng đồng bằng cách nói cho mọi người nghe về trải nghiệm của quý vị.
• Xem xét khả năng gửi khiếu nại chính thức.
  • Nếu trường của quý vị biết rằng quý vị đang bị bắt nạt vì lý do chủng tộc, nguồn gốc quốc gia, giới tính, tình trạng khuyết tật hay tôn giáo của quý vị, nhà trường phải thực hiện điều tra vụ việc ngay lập tức.
  • Nhà trường phải cho quý vị biết các bước mà họ sẽ thực hiện để kết thúc việc quấy rối, và họ phải tiếp tục theo dõi và liên lạc với quý vị để đảm bảo chấm dứt việc bắt nạt.
  • Nếu trường của quý vị không thực hiện những bước này, quý vị nên xem xét khả năng gửi khiếu nại chính thức tới:
    • Giám đốc học khu
    • State Department of Education (Bộ Giáo Dục Tiểu Bang)
    • U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (Bộ Giáo Dục Hoa Kỳ, Văn Phòng Dân Quyền)
    • U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (Bộ Giáo Dục Hoa Kỳ, Văn Phòng Dân Quyền)

Để biết thêm thông tin, hãy xem trang web của StopBullying.gov về “Get Help Now” (“Yêu Cầu Trợ Giúp Ngay”).

Tôi phải làm gì nếu tôi thấy một người đang bị bắt nạt?

Có nhiều cách quý vị có thể giúp đỡ nếu quý vị thấy một người đang bị bắt nạt:

Làm bạn với người đó:

• Nói chuyện với người bị bắt nạt
• Tỏ ra thân thiện và ủng hộ người đó
• Cho họ biết rằng những gì xảy ra với họ không phải trò đùa và quý vị có mặt tại đây để sẵn sàng giúp họ
• Hỏi họ xem quý vị có thể làm gì để giúp

Giúp họ lánh đi:

• Nếu quý vị cảm thấy việc can thiệp là an toàn, hãy giúp người bị bắt nạt lánh khỏi tình huống này bằng cách đánh lạc hướng hay cho họ lý do để rời khỏi hiện trường
• Ví dụ, quý vị có thể nói một câu như “Cô Lee muốn bạn đến gặp cô ấy ngay,” hay “Đi thôi, chúng ta đến (lớp, câu lạc bộ, hay trận đấu) muộn mất.”

Không làm khán giả xem bắt nạt:

• Thay vì đứng xem, cười, hay ủng hộ hành vi bắt nạt, hãy cho kẻ bắt nạt biết rằng những gì người đó đang làm không phải trò đùa và không chấp nhận được
• Quý vị có thể rời đi hay lờ hành động đó đi và vì thế kẻ bắt nạt sẽ không có khán giả

Hãy làm gương tốt:

• Giúp chống lại nạn bắt nạt tại trường của quý vị bằng cách tham gia vào các hoạt động và dự án chống việc bắt nạt
• Xây dựng nhận thức và hỗ trợ việc chống bắt nạt thông qua các câu lạc bộ và các tổ chức của trường
• Khởi xướng một chiến dịch làm áp phích (poster) chống bắt nạt, chia sẻ các câu chuyện hay các bài thuyết trình đề cao sự tôn trọng và tính đa dạng
• Làm cố vấn cho các học sinh ít tuổi hơn để giúp ngăn ngừa nạn bắt nạt

Kể với những người lớn mà quý vị tin tưởng:

• Báo cáo việc bắt nạt cho những người lớn mà quý vị tin tưởng hay để lại lời nhắn về những gì quý vị nhìn thấy hoặc nghe được
• Chia sẻ câu chuyện với cha mẹ, thầy cô của quý vị, nhân viên tư vấn, hiệu trưởnng trường học và những người lớn khác mà bạn tin cậy.

Ðể biết thêm thông tin, vui lòng vào trang web của StopBullying.gov về “Be more than a Bystander” (“Hãy hành động chứ không chỉ đứng xem”).

Tôi có thể làm gì đối với nạn bắt nạt ở trường của tôi?

Tôi nghĩ rằng tôi đang bị bắt nạt

• NÓI LÊN SUY NGHĨ CỦA MÌNH: Nếu quý vị không cảm thấy thoải mái với những lời nhận xét hay hành động của một vài người–hãy cho một vài người nào đó biết! Việc kể với một người lớn mà quý vị tin tưởng là tốt hơn so với việc cứ để sự việc tiếp tục leo thang.
• Làm quen với những dấu hiệu cấu thành bắt nạt và không cấu thành bắt nạt. Nếu quý vị nhận ra bất kỳ dấu hiệu nào, quý vị nên giữ bình tĩnh, tôn trọng, và kể cho một người lớn biết chuyện càng sớm càng tốt.
• Nếu quý vị cảm thấy quý vị có nguy cơ tự làm tổn hại bản thân hay làm hại người khác, hãy yêu cầu trợ giúp ngay!

Một vài người đang bắt nạt tôi trên mạng hay qua tin nhắn

• Bởi vì cyberbullying (bắt nạt trực tuyến) có thể được đăng nặc danh và được phân tán nhanh chóng, việc nói lên suy nghĩ của quý vị và nói chuyện với một người lớn mà quý vị tin tưởng là rất quan trọng, cho dù quý vị cảm thấy xấu hổ khi phải làm như vậy.
• Chụp lại màn hình và lưu lại hình ảnh (cùng với mốc thời gian bất cứ khi nào có thể) về những gì đã xảy ra.

Tôi không bị bắt nạt, nhưng bạn tôi hay bạn cùng lớp của tôi bị bắt nạt

• Đừng làm khán giả cho kẻ bắt nạt. Tìm hiểu về cách quý vị có thể hành động chứ không chỉ đứng xem.

Tôi muốn giúp ngăn chặn nạn bắt nạt trong trường hay cộng đồng của tôi

Xem Act to Change Toolkit (Bộ Công Cụ Hãy Hành Động Để Thay Đổi) và cam kết cùng đứng vững chống lại nạn bắt nạt.

Các nguồn tài liệu khác gồm có:

• Tải về Youth Engagement Toolkit (Bộ Công Cụ Dành Cho Thanh Thiếu Niên Tham Gia) dành cho thiếu niên.
• Sử dụng các công cụ như youth leaders toolkit (bộ công cụ dành cho các lãnh đạo thanh thiếu niên) nếu như quý vị là thiếu niên và muốn làm việc cùng các em nhỏ tuổi hơn.
• Đọc về cách những thiếu niên khác đã tham gia ra sao.
• Làm việc với trường của quý vị để đóng góp quan điểm của quý vị về vấn đề bắt nạt.

Để biết thêm thông tin, xem trang web của StopBullying.gov về “What You Can Do” (“Quý vị Có Thể Làm Gì”).

Ai có thể là mục tiêu của bullying (bắt nạt)?

Bắt nạt có thể xảy ra ở bất kỳ đâu—các thành phố, ngoại ô, hay các thị trấn nông thôn. Tùy thuộc vào môi trường, một số nhóm—như thanh thiếu niên đồng tính nữ, đồng tính nam, lưỡng giới, hay chuyển giới (LGBT), thanh thiếu niên khuyết tật, thanh thiếu niên có trình độ tiếng Anh hạn chế, và thanh thiếu niên có thiên hướng cô lập xã hội bao gồm các em đến từ các cộng đồng người nhập cư gần đây—có thể sẽ là đối tượng để bắt nạt.

Nói chung, những kẻ bắt nạt tập trung vào những cá nhân:

• Bị coi là khác biệt so với bạn bè đồng trang lứa, như người bị thừa cân hay thiếu cân, đeo kính hay mặc quần áo khác biệt bao gồm cả những biểu tượng tôn giáo và văn hóa, mới đến nhập học, hay không có khả năng mua được những gì mà các em cho là “sành điệu”
• Được coi là có thể trạng yếu hay không thể tự bảo vệ được bản thân
• Bị trầm cảm, lo âu, hay có ý thức tự tôn về bản thân thấp
• Ít được quan tâm hơn những em khác và có ít bạn bè
• Không hòa nhập tốt với những người khác, bị coi là dễ khiến người khác bực bội hay nổi cáu, hay gây hấn với người khác để được chú ý

Ngay cả khi một vài người nằm trong những nhóm này, điều này cũng không có nghĩa là họ sẽ bị bắt nạt. Đó là lý do cần phải nói về nạn bắt nạt ở trường.

Để biết thêm thông tin, vào xem trang web của StopBullying.gov về “Who is at Risk?” (“Ai có Nguy Cơ?”)

Bắt nạt có thể ảnh hưởng đến một người ra sao?

Bắt nạt có thể ảnh hưởng đến tất cả mọi người, bao gồm cả những người bị bắt nạt, kẻ bắt nạt, và những người chứng kiến bắt nạt. Bắt nạt có liên quan đến các vấn đề sức khỏe tâm thần, lạm dụng chất gây nghiện, và tự tử.

Những người bị bắt nạt dễ có khả năng trải qua:

• Trầm cảm và lo âu, tăng cảm giác buồn bã và cô đơn, thay đổi thói quen ăn và ngủ, và mất hứng thú với các hoạt động mà họ thích trước đây – những vấn đề này có thể còn tiếp diễn đến tuổi trưởng thành
• Than phiền về sức khỏe
• Giảm thành tích học tập—điểm số và điểm kiểm tra chuẩn hóa—và giảm tỷ lệ đến lớp
• Các học sinh bị bắt nạt có khả năng bỏ tiết, trốn học, hay bỏ học cao hơn

Để biết thêm thông tin, xem trang web của StopBullying.gov về “Effects of Bullying” (“Các Ảnh Hưởng Của Bắt Nạt”).

Tôi là một phụ huynh hay một người lớn muốn giúp. Tôi cần nói về bullying (bắt nạt) ra sao và tôi có thể làm gì?

Cha mẹ, các thành viên gia đình, và những người lớn có quan tâm khác đóng vai trò then chốt để ngăn ngừa và ứng phó với nạn bắt nạt. Sau đây là một số gợi ý để nói chuyện với những trẻ em và thanh thiếu niên về nạn bắt nạt:

• Giúp các em hiểu bullying (bắt nạt). Nói cho các em biết bắt nạt là gì và cách chống lại nạn bắt nạt một cách an toàn ra sao.
• Cyberbullying (bắt nạt trực tuyến) thường cần phải có các chiến lược khác so với bắt nạt trực tiếp. Hãy học cách làm việc chung với các em để ngăn ngừa bắt nạt trực tuyến và cách ứng phó khi bắt nạt trực tuyến xảy ra.
• Khuyến khích các em nói với một người lớn được tin tưởng tại trường nếu các em bị bắt nạt hay nhìn thấy các bạn khác bị bắt nạt. Những người lớn có thể an ủi, hỗ trợ, và khuyên các em, ngay cả khi họ không thể trực tiếp giải quyết vấn đề. Khuyến khích các em báo cáo bắt nạt nếu bắt nạt xảy ra.
• Luôn mở các kênh giao tiếp với trẻ. Hãy nói chuyện với các em thường xuyên. Lắng nghe các em. Biết về bạn bè các em, hỏi các em về trường học, và hiểu các mối lo lắng của các em.
• Sử dụng các gợi ý và công cụ sẵn có để giúp quý vị định hướng chủ đề cuộc hội thoại khi nói chuyện với trẻ về vấn đề bắt nạt. Mở các kênh giao tiếp với trẻ trước khi trẻ bị liên quan đến nạn bắt nạt sẽ giúp trẻ dễ nói chuyện với quý vị hơn khi có vấn đề xảy ra.
• Nếu quý vị đã làm việc với trẻ cũng như với nhà trường và cần được giúp đỡ thêm, hãy tìm các nguồn trợ giúp giải quyết tình huống.

Để biết thêm thông tin, xem trang web của StopBullying.gov về “How to Talk About Bullying?” (“Nói Về Nạn Bắt Nạt Như Thế Nào?”)

#ActToChange (Hãy Hành Động Để Thay Đổi) là gì?

#ActToChange (Hãy Hành Động Để Thay Đổi) là một chiến dịch nâng cao nhận thức với mục đích giải quyết nạn bắt nạt, đặc biệt là trong cộng đồng Người Mỹ Gốc Á và Người Dân Đảo Thái Bình Dương (AAPI).

Trẻ em và thanh thiếu niên bị bắt nạt tại trường ở khắp nơi trên cả nước. Đáng tiếc là nhiều thanh thiếu niên thuộc cộng đồng AAPI bị bắt nạt còn phải đối mặt với nhiều rào cản về văn hóa, tôn giáo, và/hoặc ngôn ngữ ngăn các em yêu cầu giúp đỡ khi bị bắt nạt.

Nhưng điều quan trọng mà quý vị cần biết là:

• Quý vị không chỉ có một mình.
• Bắt nạt là không thể chấp nhận.
• Quý vị – với tư cách một học sinh, bạn bè, cha mẹ, giáo viên – có thể làm một điều gì đó để ngăn chặn nạn bắt nạt trong cộng đồng của quý vị.

Tìm hiểu về bắt nạt. Nói về bắt nạt. Ngăn chặn bắt nạt. #ActToChange (Hãy Hành Động Để Thay Đổi).

2025 Youth Ambassadors

Amy Paradis, Board Member (she/her)

Amy Paradis is a small business owner of a tutoring company and a college prep company. She started these businesses as a “passion project” and was fortunate enough to turn into her career. Her passion is fueled by wanting to help her community, especially children. She believes that children are our future.

Amy previously worked in both small business and big four accounting firms before pursuing her passion project. Her experience in a wide variety of business types gave her the courage to become a small business owner. In many of these previous roles, Amy experienced biases against her as a minority in race and gender. She experienced real life examples on how her gender and race impacted and slowed her career. In order to make change, she decided to become a small business owner in order to help others feel included and valued.

Amy was adopted from South Korea when she was 3 months old and has lived in Oregon most of her life. She has never visited Korea since she was adopted, but is hoping to plan a trip one day. Amy brings a unique perspective in that she felt like she doesn’t fit in with the white community, nor has she felt like she fits in with the Asian community. Being adopted by white parents did not give her much exposure to Korean culture even though her parents were very supportive in exploring Korean culture. It just wasn’t available and she didn’t know where to look. It wasn’t until moving back to Oregon did she meet another Korean adoptee who felt the same way she did. It reminded Amy that she is not alone in this world, we just need to find each other. With the support of a friend, Amy got the courage to join an organization to help bring awareness and inclusion to her identity.

Amy has a husband and two daughters who support her in this journey. A big motivation for Amy is to represent what she believes in so that her daughters have a good example to look up to.

Dr. Vanessa de Guia, Board Member (she/her/siya)

Dr. Vanessa de Guia is faculty at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Instructional Rounds Institute for Professional Development and the Co-Founder of High School Sports Lab, a multi-year intergenerational hybrid learning approach to protect student athletes against hate speech and harassment before, during, and after athletic competitions.

As a daughter of Filipino immigrants and a student of Chicago Public Schools, Vanessa believes education is a key driver for collective care towards collective liberation. She has dedicated nearly 25 years to the field of education as a teacher, literacy specialist, school director, and education consultant.

Vanessa holds a Doctorate of Education in K-12 Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University, an Ed.M. in School Leadership from Harvard University, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University, and a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Vanessa is currently learning how to be a House DJ with Celeste Alexander through the “Butterflies, Beats, and Blends” program through Rebuild Foundation at Stony Island Arts Bank and is training for her first sprint triathlon in August 2025.

Arij Mikati, Board Member (she/her)

Arij Mikati is the Vice President of Programs at Pillars Fund, where she designs and leads programming that uplifts the leadership, narratives, and talents of Muslims in the U.S. and U.K. and amplifies Muslim voices in artistic spaces. Her storytelling work seeks to change the lens through which Muslim stories are told to one that is dignified, complex, and honest.

She has more than ten years of experience as a storyteller, nonprofit executive, educator, and creative consultant. Prior to joining Pillars, she led the persistence team at OneGoal, an organization whose mission is to close the degree divide by establishing a world where all children have an equal opportunity to attain their highest educational aspirations. Arij is also a devoted anti-racism educator, who, as a Social Impact Advisor and Coach for Inspire Justice and leadership team member of Chicago Regional Organizers for Anti-Racism, works to foster radically inclusive, just, intersectional spaces. She has trained with the Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation Program, in Values Based Leadership Development, and Social Impact Empowerment Coaching and Advising. She has coached leaders across the nonprofit, education, and entertainment industries, including Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winning talent.

An experienced facilitator, Arij is frequently invited to speak in conversations on anti-racism, storytelling and narrative change, equity in entertainment, and Muslim representation in media. Her experiences and expert insight have been featured by Variety, Teen Vogue, NPR, Tiny Spark, Al Jazeera, Time Magazine, and many other outlets.

Arij earned her BA in theatre and political science at the University of Minnesota and holds an MA in education from the University of North Carolina.

2024 Youth Ambassadors

Jonathan Dacula, Operations & Development Lead (he/him)

Jonathan Dacula (he/him) is a people-centered operations and talent leader with over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. He has dedicated his skills and expertise to supporting, affirming, and empowering others in the areas of operational management, talent acquisition, performance development, finance and compliance, and business strategy.

Prior to Act To Change, Jonathan served as head of Talent Acquisition at OneGoal, where he worked to evolve hiring best practices for the organization to industry standard, increasing efficiency, clarity, and accountability while also ensuring that these practices were equitable, consistent, legally sound, and inclusive. Prior to that, Jonathan served as Managing Director of Talent and Operations for Teach For America (TFA) in Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana, working alongside a 7-person leadership team to oversee staff culture, talent management, and finance and compliance-related work streams. In his decade at TFA, Jonathan served multiple years as Operations Lead and later Co-Chair for the organization’s annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Educator Summit, where he created and implemented the overall vision and operations for over 200 AANHPI-identifying early career teachers. In his spare time, Jonathan also serves as a consultant to clients in the for- and nonprofit sectors, providing expertise to organizations seeking to make equitable, human-centered decisions related to organizational policies, talent acquisition and management, succession planning, and DEI-centered practices.

Jonathan earned his B.A. in English Writing from Loyola University New Orleans with a focus on rhetorical theory and composition. He successfully completed the Human Resources Certificate Program from DePaul University, and earned his Professional in Human Resources (PHR) credential from the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) in 2021. He currently lives in Chicago, IL with his husband Ahrend and their three fur babies: two rat terriers named Dichter and Dova, and a tortie cat named Purl. Outside of work, Jonathan is an aspiring foodie and loves exploring the neverending list of diverse restaurant options in the Greater Chicago area. He also enjoys singing, having been a part of various mixed and men’s ensemble choirs throughout his life. He is proud to be part of Act To Change as a gay, second-generation Filipino American with a deeply personal connection to its mission.

Act To Change: Job Description for Manager, Operations & Development

Position Title: Manager, Operations & Development

Location: Remote (Preference for candidates based in Chicago, IL)

Reports to: Executive Director

Base Salary Range: $70,000 – $80,000 annually

Benefits Package: Remote/flexible work environment, flexible benefits plan with medical, dental and vision benefits, retirement savings plan with employer match, 25 days paid vacation and sick days each year and paid federal holidays, and professional development opportunities and paid work-related travel.

This is a full time, exempt position.

Position Overview:

Act To Change is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to end bullying for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. We are the only national nonprofit with this focus.

We envision a world where all youth, including within the AAPI community, have the opportunity to grow up feeling proud and supported in the development of their identity and sharing of their stories. Act To Change continues to empower students by advocating for systemic change and providing resources to promote healthy communities.

We are excited to be expanding our team and are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Manager, Operations and Development to oversee the organization’s administrative functions, support financial and fundraising management, and lead communication efforts. This role is crucial for maintaining operational efficiency, fostering community engagement, and amplifying the organization’s impact in ending bullying and promoting safe, inclusive environments for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth.

The Manager, Operations and Development will work closely with the Executive Director and other team members to ensure smooth operations, effective communication strategies, and strategic engagement with stakeholders. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a start-up-like environment and is looking to grow their career in nonprofit management while making a significant impact through people-centered operational excellence, development, and outreach.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations Management (50%):

• Administrative Oversight:
  • Oversee day-to-day administrative functions, ensuring operational efficiency and compliance with organizational policies.
  • Manage operations, including procurement, knowledge management, vendor relationships, and equipment (digital and physical) maintenance.
  • Manage, schedule, and coordinate the executive director’s calendar. Support the coordination of meetings between staff and board of directors, when needed. 
  • Support the logistics and management of Board and Advisory Council meetings and gatherings, including preparing agendas, taking minutes, and following up on action items.
  • Participate in strategic planning, contributing to the development and implementation of organizational goals.
• Financial Management:
  • Support the bookkeeper and accountant in financial management tasks, including tracking budget actuals and managing financial records.
  • Assist in the design and compilation of the Form 990 and other financial documents to ensure compliance and good standing as a 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Monitor cash flow and assist in financial planning and analysis to support organizational sustainability.
• People Operations and Support:
  • Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of new staff members and interns.
  • Maintain HR records, including payroll, benefits administration, and performance evaluations.
  • Foster a positive and inclusive work environment, promoting team engagement and professional development.
• Knowledge Management:
  • Develop systems to manage and maintain institutional knowledge.
  • Document and capture organizational learnings, resources, and plans.
  • Maintain an up-to-date knowledge management system, such as Google Drive. 

Development and Fundraising Support (30%):

• Fundraising Strategy Support:
  • Assist the Executive Director in developing and implementing fundraising strategies to support Act To Change’s programs and initiatives.
  • Identify and cultivate relationships with potential donors, including individuals, corporations, foundations, and grantmakers.
  • In lock-step with the Fundraising Committee and Executive Director, support in the preparation of grant proposals and fundraising materials to support funding and sponsorship efforts.
  • Assist with operational support around organizing fundraising events and campaigns, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and effective stakeholder engagement.
  • Engage in prospect research of potential donors, grants, and funding opportunities aligned to the organization’s mission and programmatic goals.
  • Develop sponsorship and partnership materials as needed for donor meetings, pitches, events, grants, and RFPs.
• Donor Relations and Database Management:
  • Maintain and expand the donor database, ensuring accurate records of contributions and donor interactions.
  • Support donor stewardship plans, ensuring consistent and meaningful engagement with supporters.
  • Prepare regular reports on fundraising activities and outcomes, providing insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Grants Reporting and Administration:
  • Create and maintain organizational funding maps to support the team in delivering reports that adhere to the grant report requirements and deadlines. 
  • Collaborate with program staff to ensure alignment between program activities, funding and grant restrictions or requirements, and organizational goals.
  • Assist with program monitoring and evaluation, ensuring timely and accurate reporting.

Communications and Marketing (20%):

• Communications Strategy:
  • Develop and implement communication strategies to raise awareness about Act To Change’s mission and programs.
  • Lead the management of the organization’s website, social media accounts, and email marketing campaigns.
  • Create engaging content, including newsletters, press releases, and promotional materials for Act To Change platforms (website, social media, events).
  • Liaise with website management vendors and ensure timely updates to the website for events, programs, and activations. 
  • Manage the info@ inbox and triage messages to the appropriate team member.
• Media and Public Relations:
  • Build and maintain relationships with media outlets and journalists to secure coverage and amplification for Act To Change’s initiatives.
  • Coordinate and manage public relations efforts, including press conferences and media events.
  • Monitor and analyze media coverage, providing reports on PR activities and outcomes.

Baseline Competencies:

• People-Centered Operational Systems-Thinker: Experience developing foundational systems, structures, and processes that help people leaders do their work more efficiently and joyfully.
• Highly Organized, Motivated Planner-Executor: Loves the details. Notices and fixes errors that others might overlook. Acknowledges mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities. 
• Finance, Admin and Operations Leader: Proven experience in providing high-level administrative support, including calendar management and board coordination. Ability to manage budgets, track expenses, and ensure financial accountability. Proficiency in managing donor databases and tracking development activities.
• Produces compelling written and digital materials: Can learn, internalize, and incorporate Act To Change’s “voice” across platforms, audiences, and mediums. Track record of developing mission-driven collateral/assets to reach target audiences. 
• Commitment to social justice and inclusion: Recognizes the role of race, gender, and other identities in bullying within AAPI communities, continuously learns about equity issues, and passionately advocates for ending bullying and hate for all AAPI youth.

Aspirational Competencies:

• Familiarity with the Issue: Experience and knowledge around anti-bullying and bullying prevention, understands and implements best practices in raising awareness of the problem. 
• Learning Orientation: Entrepreneurial and resourceful, works well within ambiguous environments or with little direction, and able to adapt and pivot quickly with new information. 
• Community and External Affairs Engagement: Deep understanding of AAPI community dynamics and the ability to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment among supporters and stakeholders.
• Human Resources (HR) Management: Experience in HR functions, including recruitment, onboarding, and staff support with a bias toward people-centered systems. 

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Find satisfaction in supporting a mission-driven organization through behind-the-scenes systems and operational excellence and impactful communication strategies. 
• Are comfortable with financial management and have a keen eye for detail in budgeting and reporting.
• Find ease in shifting to support multiple audience segments (from internal staff to external partners and donors).
• Are passionate about social justice and have a deep understanding of AAPI youth issues.
• Get joy from building new tools and resources that help connect external audiences to the org’s mission and vision.
• Are energized by working collaboratively in a startup-like environment.

Job Requirements:

• University degree (B.A.) and/or equivalent, relevant experience; degree in nonprofit management, fundraising, business administration, communications, or a related field preferred, but not required.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in nonprofit operations, development, and/or communications management.
• Strong understanding of AAPI youth issues and a commitment to Act To Change’s mission.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to demonstrate judgment when making decisions.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience in grant writing, reporting, and compliance.

Working Environment:

• Remote position with a preference for candidates based in Chicago, IL (or locations where Act To Change hosts programming).
• Flexible working hours with occasional evening and weekend commitments.
• Occasional travel required for events, team retreats, and in-person programming.
• Comfortability with Google or Microsoft Productivity Suite.
• Stable Wi-Fi and the ability to work in a hybrid model.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter detailing your interest in the role and relevant experience. You may address the letter to Soukprida Phetmisy and submit your application as one combined PDF to [email protected]. Preference to applications submitted by July 14, 2024, after which all applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Act To Change is committed to diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Act To Change: Job Description for Manager, Programs & Strategic Initiatives

Position Title: Manager, Programs & Strategic Initiatives

Location: Remote (Preference for candidates based in Chicago, IL, New York, D.C., and/or Los Angeles, CA)

Reports to: Soukprida Phetmisy, Executive Director

Base Salary Range: $70,000 – $80,000 annually

Benefits Package: Remote/flexible work environment, flexible benefits plan with medical, dental and vision benefits, retirement savings plan with employer match, 25 days paid vacation and sick days each year and paid federal holidays, professional development opportunities and paid work-related travel.

This is a full time, exempt position.

Position Overview:

Act To Change is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to end bullying for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. We are the only national nonprofit with this focus.

We envision a world where all youth, including within the AAPI community, have the opportunity to grow up feeling proud and supported in the development of their identity and sharing of their stories. Act To Change continues to empower students by advocating for systemic change and providing resources to promote healthy communities.

We are excited to be expanding our team and are seeking a dynamic and passionate Manager, Programs & Strategic Initiatives to oversee the implementation and growth of our key initiatives, including the Youth Ambassadors Program (YAP), Homeroom Series, October’s Bullying Prevention Month activations, and the Day Against Bullying and Hate. This role is central to our mission of ending bullying and creating safe, inclusive environments for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth.

The Manager, Programs & Strategic Initiatives will work closely with the Executive Director and the Co-Vice Chairs of Programming to ensure these initiatives are impactful, engaging, and aligned with our goals. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a start-up-like environment and is looking to grow their career in youth advocacy and program management.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Management (60%):

• Strategic Oversight:
  • Lead the strategic planning, development, and execution of all flagship programmatic initiatives, including but not limited to Youth Ambassadors Program, the Homeroom Series, May 18th’s annual Day Against Bullying + Hate, and October Bullying Prevention Month activations, in lock-step with the Executive Director.
  • Ensure programs align with Act To Change’s mission and goals, fostering a culture of inclusivity and empowerment for AAPI youth.
  • Monitor relevant modes of programming strategies to expand program offerings and impact through program design, facilitation, evaluation, and iteration.
  • Supervise and support program team contractors and/or volunteers/interns (when needed), including recruitment, training, and performance evaluations.
  • Ensure seamless program operations and production with the creation of a clear, annual operational program roadmap.
• Youth Ambassadors Program (YAP):
  • Manage all aspects of YAP from recruitment, implementation, evaluation, and reporting, empowering AAPI youth to combat bullying through community action projects and mentorship.
  • Coordinate mentorship pairings between participants and influential AAPI leaders, ensuring effective guidance and support.
  • Organize and facilitate regular cohort sessions and panel discussions, promoting collaborative learning.
  • Monitor and evaluate the impact of community action projects, ensuring positive, lasting effects.
  • Establish and maintain partnerships with values-aligned organizations through the Community Action Project. 
• Homeroom Series:
  • Plan and execute workshops led by AAPI influencers, aimed at creating safer, more inclusive school environments.
  • Coordinate with selected schools to ensure successful implementation and follow-up on anti-bullying resources and recommendations.
• Other activations and events:
  • Support in the implementation of other programmatic activations such as AAPI Day Against Bullying + Hate, October Bullying Prevention Month activations, and Pride activations.

Program Development and Evaluation (20%):

• Develop and manage robust systems for monitoring, tracking and evaluating program efficiency and outcomes, using surveys and other evaluation tools to determine measures of success.
• Regularly review and improve program offerings and quality to ensure compliance with donor requirements and organizational standards.
• Source grant opportunities and build comprehensive reports to support program funding and sustainability.
• Update program logistics and operational learnings each quarter.

Community Engagement and Partnerships (10%):

• Foster and maintain strategic partnerships with community organizations, educational institutions, and AAPI leaders to enhance program impact.
• Conduct outreach to potential speakers, panelists, and community partners to engage in Act To Change programming, developing partnerships year-over-year.
• Represent Act To Change in public, professional, and governmental forums, advocating for anti-bullying initiatives and AAPI youth empowerment.
• Build and maintain relationships with community partners, mentors, program donors, and program participants (youth recruits and representatives).
• Establish a youth leadership development pipeline by cultivating a portfolio of mission-aligned youth leaders, mentors, and community partners.

Operations & Administration (10%):

• Maintain an org-wide programmatic calendar.
• Manage program budgets and expenses, ensuring financial accountability and adherence to allocated budgets.
• Facilitate interdepartmental communication and information sharing for newsletters, reports, and other organizational communications, including reporting progress to the Board and Advisory Councils.
• Participate in strategic planning, contributing to the development and implementation of organizational goals.
• Participates in program team meetings, staff training, and provides community presentations, when appropriate.

Baseline Competencies:

• Youth-Centered Program Facilitator: Experience developing and delivering/facilitating programs for youth, understanding of AAPI youth issues within the context of bullying and hate, successful track record of taking a concept from idea to implementation, and track record of achievement and producing results.
• Relationship Builder: Able to put people at ease, networked within AAPI grassroots and grasstops communities, builds authentic relationships, acknowledges mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities, and follows through on commitments.
• Project Management: Joyed by tracking and organization systems, adapts and pivots quickly with new information, adept at handling competing demands and prioritizes without sacrificing quality, anticipates obstacles, identifies and involves stakeholders appropriately, uses resources wisely, and asks for help.
• Learning and Storytelling Orientation: Values continuous learning and able to adapt, has strong ability to develop comprehensive program reports and impact narratives that are accessible to a wide range of audiences, a strong communicator who prides themselves on sharing clear, helpful information across a variety of mediums.
• Commitment to social justice and inclusion: Recognizes the role of race, gender, and other identities in bullying within AAPI communities, continuously learns about equity issues, and passionately advocates for ending bullying and hate for all AAPI youth.

Aspirational Competencies:

• Familiarity with Bullying Prevention: Experience and knowledge around anti-bullying as an issue, understands and implements best practices in approach to building programs aimed at bullying prevention. 
• Strong Sense of Ownership and Resilience: Entrepreneurial and resourceful, overcomes challenges and leverages resources to creatively solve problems, proposes solutions to issues without much guidance (but isn’t afraid to ask questions).
• Formal Youth Development or Nonprofit Training: Degree in youth development, social work, nonprofits, or equivalent experience will be a huge benefit, but not required.

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Get energized by building something new and taking an idea through to implementation.
• Get joy from designing, delivering, and iterating on impactful youth programs, particularly those addressing AAPI youth issues like bullying and hate.
• Are passionate about social justice and committed to improving conditions for AAPI youth both personally and systemically.
• Genuinely enjoy and excel in building strong, genuine relationships across diverse groups, especially intergenerationally.
• Geek out on creating highly organized and detail-oriented plans that keep track of tasks and deadlines effectively without letting things fall through the cracks.
• Are an info-seeker, who is adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity, enjoy working in collaborative environments, and thrive in a start-up-like setting.

Job Requirements:

• University degree (B.A.) and/or equivalent, relevant experience; Degree in social work, education, youth development, or related field preferred, but not required.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in leadership program management, with a focus on youth, AAPI youth, and/or bullying prevention and community engagement preferred.
• Strong understanding of AAPI youth issues and a commitment to Act To Change’s mission.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders. 

Working Environment:

• Remote position with a preference for candidates based in Chicago, IL (or locations where Act To Change hosts programming).
• Flexible working hours with occasional evening and weekend commitments.
• Occasional travel required for events, team retreats, and in-person programming.
• Comfortability with Google or Microsoft Productivity Suite.
• Stable Wi-Fi and the ability to work in a hybrid model.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter detailing your interest in the role and relevant experience. You may address the letter to Soukprida Phetmisy and submit your application as one combined PDF to [email protected]. Preference to applications submitted by July 14, 2024, after which all applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Act To Change is committed to diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Thank you to all our Partner Organizations for joining us in commemorating the 6th Annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate.

1000 Cranes for Recovery AAPI Youth Rising (AYR) Alliance for a Healthier Generation Asia Society Southern California (ASSC) Asian American / Asian Research Institute – CUNY (AAARI-CUNY) Asian American LEAD Asian American Progressive Student Union (AAPSU) Asian Leadership Collective CIC (ALC) Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) — AFL-CIO Asian Pacific Community Fund Asian Pacific Fund Asian Texans for Justice Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) Better Make Room (BMR) Beyond Differences CACF – Coalition for Asian American Children + Families Central American Resource Center Central American Resource Center – CARECEN Changing Tides (CT), A Program of Little Tokyo Service Center Chinatown YMCA Chinese Mutual Aid Association Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) DanceATL Incorporated (DanceATL) Diversify Our Narrative (DON) East West Players (EWP) Family Equality Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego (FALSD) GLAAD Gold House Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Japanese American National Museum (JANM)/Democracy Center Jeremy Lin Foundation Korean American Coalition – Los Angeles (KAC-LA) Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) Lexington Pride Center Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network (MoCoPAAN) National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) National Association of Asian American Professionals San Jose (NAAAP San Jose) National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) National LGBTQ+ Bar Association National Pacific Islander Education Network (NPIEN) New American Leaders Not In Our Town OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates OCA Greater Chicago OCA Greater Cleveland (OCAGC) Project Voice Fund Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) REALSOUL Right To Be Santa Clara County Asian Law Alliance (ALA) SF Hep B Free – Bay Area Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) Sikh Coalition South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) Southeast Asia Resource Action Center Stop AAPI Hate The Asian American Foundation Theater Mu (Mu) Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) UPRISERS Visual Communications (VC) Westfield High School Whatcom Family & Community Network Wichita Asian Association Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (WLM or Wing Luke Museum)

Soukprida Phetmisy, Executive Director (she/they)

Soukprida Phetmisy (she/they) is a queer Lao American educator and activist. Inspired by a decade immersed in organizing and advocacy within the arts and education sectors, Soukprida’s passion for community empowerment, impactful storytelling, and disrupting the status quo has driven her journey. Her mission centers on amplifying the stories, innate strengths, and leadership of underrepresented and systemically marginalized voices, especially Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth, and reshaping societal paradigms through storytelling and community-driven initiatives.

Prior to joining Act To Change, Soukprida served as the head of the national AAPI Alliances at Teach For America, spearheading national campaigns that fostered collaborations with influential figures, organizations, and media to fortify the Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) educational landscape for students and educators. Recognized as a dedicated anti-racism educator and Lead Organizer on Chicago Regional Organizing for Anti-Racism’s leadership team, she is committed to cultivating radically inclusive spaces. She has delivered workshops and thought-leadership to grassroots and grass-tops institutions, including Chicago Public Schools, City Year, Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, SXSW EDU, and Teach For America, leveraging her training as a values-based leadership development facilitator. Her voice has been featured on NPR, One Day, Working Nation, WBEZ, and was recently included in Teaching the Invisible Race: Embodying a Pro-Asian Asian American Lens in Schools.

Soukprida’s commitment extends beyond her professional endeavors, as she actively contributes to various nonprofit boards and advisory councils. Presently, she serves as a Governance Board of Director for the Laotian American National Alliance (LANA).

She received her B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she was a 2008 NPR Next Generation Radio fellow. Soukprida presently resides in Chicago, IL with her partner and their rescue pup, Wilbur. When she is not working she dabbles in the textile arts (where her craft was featured in The Long Thread), experimenting with making her own clothes, and exploring capsule wardrobes.

2023 Youth Ambassadors

2022 Youth Ambassadors

Satjeet Kaur, Board Member (she/her)

Satjeet is a non-profit executive focused on civil and human rights issues, community mobilization and organizing as well as fundraising and operations.

She most recently served as the Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, the largest and most prominent Sikh civil rights organization in the United States. Though she became Executive Director in 2018, she has worked in nearly every core facet of the organization’s work throughout her 12 years on the team. During that time, Satjeet has served as a leading organizer and activist providing direct support to Sikh communities across the country, including the rapid response after the Oak Creek Gurdwara shooting. Under her leadership as executive director, the Sikh Coalition has passed hate crime laws at the state and federal levels, successfully fought back against attempts to roll back federal policies that protected Sikhs from discrimination, improved how Sikhism is taught in six new states, oversaw the development of classroom-ready resources, mobilized grassroots voter registration drives, and successfully litigated cases to set strong precedence against religious discrimination. Recently, the organization led a U.S.-based response to the farmers’ protest in India, and provided crisis response support after the mass shooting in Indianapolis.

She currently serves as a Spiritual Life Advisor at New York University. She was named as one of 15 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress and has appeared on New York City and State list of leading Asian Americans. Satjeet has also served on interfaith advisory councils for Netflix, Facebook, and New York State. Previous to her tenure at the Sikh Coalition, Satjeet worked at SAMAR to increase the number of minorities registered on the National Bone Marrow Registry.

Satjeet was born and raised in New Jersey and currently lives in Connecticut. She is a graduate of New York University with degrees in Religious Studies and Psychology.

Sumi Parekh, Board Member (she/her)

Sumi Parekh is the Executive Director for the Group Effort Initiative (GEI), an organization launched and financed by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively that exists to create a pipeline for members of underrepresented communities to get real experience towards lasting careers within the entertainment industry.

Prior to her role at GEI, Sumi held several positions in the office of Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti, including the Executive Officer to the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development, where she served as a thought partner to the Deputy Mayor and as the Mayor’s Business Team Director and entertainment liaison, focusing on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion within Hollywood. While in Mayor Garcetti’s office, she started the Evolve Entertainment Fund, an alliance between the City of Los Angeles, industry leaders in entertainment and digital media, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions, dedicated to building career pathways into film, television, and music for women, people of color, and low-income Angelenos through paid internships, focused mentoring, and an ongoing series of workshops and panels. She also helped to launch LA Collab, an unprecedented effort to connect Latinx talent, executives, and creators to opportunities in the entertainment industry — and double Latino representation in Hollywood by 2030.

Sumi was also a Program Manager at the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving life for all Angelenos, and prior to that she was the Director of Legislative Affairs and Programs at the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC).

Sumi currently serves as a Commissioner to the City of Los Angeles and serves on the LA Collab Board.

She graduated in 2013 from the University of Southern California with a Master’s in Public Policy and has a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Krizia Medenilla, Board Member (she/her)

Krizia Medenilla is Head of Brand Partnerships for Jubilee Media, an AAPI-owned digital media company with the purpose of provoking understanding and creating human connection for its millions of Gen Z and Millennial audiences globally. Her support for the Act to Change mission is fueled by a long-standing passion to represent the underrepresented, as is evidenced by 13+ years of experience within the AAPI and multicultural marketing/advertising landscape.

In a previous role leading brand partnerships with TDW+Co, a purpose-driven multicultural and AAPI-focused ad agency, Krizia worked relentlessly to cultivate meaningful campaigns with the AAPI consumer top of mind. In managing strategic multicultural marketing efforts for household brands like Disney, Procter & Gamble, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and more, her passion for multicultural representation skyrocketed.

As a daughter of Filipino immigrants, she was exposed to disgraceful first-hand experiences of racial and ethnic bullying. With raising awareness for Filipino-related issues as a focal point, Krizia led passion projects with organizations like NextDayBetter, Gawad Kalinga, and the Apl.de.ap Foundation. In 2015, she launched a Los Angeles-based grassroots Filipino Food for Thought speaker series, in partnership with a small and mighty volunteer team, which has been credited for kickstarting a Filipino cuisine boom in Los Angeles and beyond.

While Krizia resides in Los Angeles leading integrated brand campaigns for Jubilee Media, she will continue to ask, “How can I help?” for value-aligned initiatives in her spare time.

Gang Fong, Board Member (he/him)

Gang Fong is a director at Copia Power, an energy transition company in the U.S. committed to accelerating decarbonization in all areas of our economy. Prior to Copia Power, Gang was a management and technology consultant for 15 years, leading and supporting public, private, and government organizations to implement transformational programs, process improvements, and optimize their operations. Gang received his Executive Master of Business Administration (Valedictorian) from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Oregon State University.

As a first-generation Chinese American immigrant, Gang is familiar with the impacts of bullying in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and is passionate to support and amplify Act To Change’s mission and initiatives. Gang resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children.

Adam Collins, Board Member (he/him)

Dr. Adam Collins is the founder of Envision Zero Bullying and co-author of Effective Bullying Prevention: A Comprehensive Schoolwide Approach and Untangling Data-Based Decision Making: A Problem-Solving Model to Enhance MTSS. He has researched and implemented bullying prevention best practices for over 15 years at the state, national, and international level. His approach to ending bullying is focused on supporting the children involved and improving the systems around those children to prevent further incidents of bullying. His work has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, Teen Vogue, and Time.

Currently serving in state government, Dr. Collins leads the largest state-funded bullying prevention program in the nation which has shown an over 32 percent drop in student-reported bullying. Additionally, he led the creation of his state’s first model bullying prevention policy and its subsequent revisions which included the collaboration of families with students targeted for bullying, education leaders, and community members.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Collins was a school psychologist at an elementary school in the Denver metro area for several years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Kansas and his Doctorate of Philosophy in school psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Collins is a third-generation Japanese American, a husband, and father to two young children.

Act To Change is proud to have the support of nearly 100 organizations on the 5th Annual National Day Against Bullying and Hate.

AAPI Amplified AAPI Youth Rising (AYR) ACE NextGen DC Alliance for a Healthier Generation Always Be Creating American Sikh Council AsAmNews Asia Society Southern California Asian American / Asian Research Institute – City University of New York Asian American Progressive Student Union (AAPSU) Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) Asian Law Alliance (ALA) Asian Leadership Collective (ALC) Asian Mental Health Collective Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) Asian Pacific Fund (APF) Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ) Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) Beyond Differences Campus Pride Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) Changing Tides (CT), a Program of Little Tokyo Service Center Chinatown YMCA Chinese American Parent Association of Montgomery County (CAPA-MC) Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, Inc. Chinese-American Planning Council Chuckanut Health Foundation Coalition for Asian American Children + Families (CACF) Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) CSUSB DanceATL Dear Asian Americans Define American (DA) East West Players (EWP) Empowering Pacific Islander Communities Family Equality Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego (FALSD) Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) Foundation 649 (F649) Friends of Children with Special Needs GLAAD Gold House Harlem Pride, Incorporated Howard County Chinese School Human Rights Initiative iMentor It Gets Better Project Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Japanese American National Museum (JANM) Jeremy Lin Foundation Korean American Coalition – Los Angeles (KAC) Micronesian Islander Community (MIC) Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network (MoCoPAAN) Muslim Advocates NAAAP San Jose National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) National Council of Jewish Women National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) National Immigration Law Center National LGBTQ+ Bar Association National Pacific Islander Education Network (NPIEN) New American Leaders (NAL) NextShark Inc. Not In Our Town (NIOT) NYCFilipinos, LLC OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates OCA Greater Chicago – Asian Pacific American Advocates OCA Greater Cleveland – Asian Pacific American Advocates Reach Higher (RH) and Better Make Room (BMR) REALSOUL RepresentASIAN Project Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!) Seattle’s LGBTQ Center SeekHer Foundation Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) STOMP Out Bullying Stop AAPI Hate (SAH) Teach For America (TFA) Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) The Conscious Kid (TCK) The Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco (KACF-SF) The Sikh Coalition Theater Mu UpstanderKids Anti-Bullying Camp VAYLA New Orleans Vietnamese American Organization | VAO Visual Communications Media (VC) Westfield High School Wing Luke Museum (WLM)

Supporting Organizations

Thank you to the nearly 200 organizations across the country that are supporting AAPI Day Against Bullying+Hate.

• 18 Million Rising
• AAAFund
• AACI
• AAPI Data
• AAPI Progressive Action
• ACE NextGen
• Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
• Adventure Theatre MTC
• Against The Grain Productions
• Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE)
• Alpha Phi Gamma
• Amazin LeThi Foundation
• Artists at Play
• AsAmNews
• Ascend – Greater Washington Chapter
• Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
• Asian American Arts Alliance
• Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago
• Asian American Bar Association of Houston
• Asian American Coalition of Chicago
• Asian American Executive Network
• Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of Alaska
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago
• Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
• Asian Counseling and Referral Service
• Asian Law Alliance
• Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
• Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
• Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon
• Asian Pacific Community Fund
• Asian Pacific Community in Action
• Asian Pacific Fund
• Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
• Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Spokane
• Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
• Asian Services in Action
• Asian/Asian Pacific American Students’ Coalition (AAPASC)
• Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project
• Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance
• AZ AANHPI for Equity
• BRAVE Communities

• Brady
• Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
• CAIR- Massachusetts
• CAIR-Chicago
• California Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment)
• Center for Asian American Media
• Center for Southeast Asians
• Central American Resource Center – CARECEN
• Chinese American Bar Association of Greater Chicago
• Chinese American Citizens Alliance (Los Angeles Lodge)
• Chinese for Affirmative Action
• Chinese Health Initiative
• City of Buena Park
• CIRCA Pintig
• Coalition of Asian American Leaders
• Communities In Schools Of Los Angeles (CISLA)
• Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL)
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)
• Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• Conservation Lands Foundation
• Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists
• Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
• Council of Korean Americans
• CUB Foundation
• Cupertino Poet Laureate
• Daily Kos Liberation League
• Daniel K Inouye Institute
• DC Korean Community (DCKC)
• DC Latino Leadership Council
• Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc
• Donaldina Cameron House
• Dream Big Nevada
• EARLY MO
• East Coast Asian American Student Union
• East West Players
• Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
• Equality Labs
• Eth-Noh-Tec
• Faith and Community Empowerment
• Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago (FALA Chicago)
• Filipino American Lawyers Association of Washington, DC
• Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego (FALSD)
• Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)
• Filipino Young Professionals of DC
• Filipino Bar Association of Northern California

• Full Life Church
• Girls Inc.
• GLAAD
• GLSEN
• GOLD HOUSE
• Hamilton-Madison House
• Hanul Family Alliance
• Hawaii International Film Festival
• Hispanic Federation
• Hollaback!
• Houston Coalition Against Hate
• Human Rights Campaign
• Interfaith Alliance
• Iowa Asian Alliance
• Island Liaison
• Japanese American Bar Association
• Japanese American Citizens League
• Japanese American Citizens League, Arizona Chapter
• Japanese American National Museum
• Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii
• Justice for Muslims Collective
• Kappa Phi Gamma Sorority, Inc.
• KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress
• Khmer Girls in Action
• Kollaboration
• Korean American Coalition – Los Angeles
• Korean American Community Foundation (KACF)
• KOREAN AMERICAN FAMILY SERVICES, INC., (KFAM)
• Lambda Phi Epsilon
• Leaders Forum
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• League of Women Voters
• LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)
• Leviathan Lab
• Michigan APALA
• Mid-America Asian Cultural Association
• Millbrae Cultural Committee
• MinKwon Center for Community Action
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
• National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum DC Chapter
• National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)
• National Japanese American Historical Society
• National LGBT Bar Association
• National Tongan American Society
• New American Economy
• New American Leaders
• Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
• North East Medical Services
• Novelly

• NYC Anti-Violence Project
• Obama Latinos Alumni Association
• OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
• OCA San Francisco Chapter
• OCA Greater Chicago
• OCA Las Vegas
• OCA South Florida Chapter
• OCA-Greater Houston
• OCA-Greater Los Angeles
• OneAmerica
• OutRight Action International
• Pacific Arts Movement
• Pan Asian Community Alliance Inc
• Pork Filled Productions
• Philippine American Foundation for Charities, Inc
• Pi Alpha Phi National Fraternity
• PIVOT – The Progressive Vietnamese American Network Organization
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America
• Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
• SABA Foundation
• Sakhi for South Asian Women
• SEARAC
• Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA)
• SF Hep B Free – Bay Area
• South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
• South Asian Bar Association Chicago
• Stop Racism Against Asian Americans
• Teach For America
• Texas Freedom Network
• THE 2020 PROJECT
• The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• The Music in Me Foundation International
• The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
• The Richmond Neighborhood Center
• The Sikh Coalition
• The Trevor Project
• Theater Mu
• Tucson Chinese Senior Citizens Association
• Tyler Clementi Foundation
• VAYLA New Orleans
• Vietnamese American Organization
• Visual Communications Media
• Washington Census Alliance
• YOMYOMF
• You Belong Here Foundation

Joie Cabrera, TikTok Manager, Former Youth Ambassador (she/her)

Joie Cabrera is currently studying at Loyola University Chicago where she is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Asian Studies. She was a part of Act to Change’s first Youth Ambassador Cohort in 2022, and from there grew a great love for the organization. Joie is currently serving as the co-founder of AAPI Amplified an organization with a focus on the representation of AAPI people. Through her work within AAPI Amplified, she has been able to provide resources, educational presentations, and a national teach-in for youth. Joie also works within the Greater Chicago Area focusing on community gathering and support. She is involved with a local organization KAN-WIN, with them, Joie has carried out public speeches and teach-ins about sexual violence and current AAPI issues. Within her university, Joie works at the Department of Student Development as a student assistant, providing support to the student body along with faculty. Joie is also active within AAPI clubs as she is involved in a Filipino Club in her school called KAPWA, where Joie is a part of their mentor and mentee program along with their cultural dance team.

Dikshant Rajbhandari, Communications Manager (he/him)

Dikshant Rajbhandari is a digital marketing consultant for AAPI organizations. Originally from Nepal, he attended Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. After completing his Bachelors in Business Administration, he worked as a Community Manager for ACE NextGen, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing together Asian American entrepreneurs to share ideas and help each other in growing their businesses. Dikshant is passionate about amplifying marginalized voices and helping AAPI organizations reach their audience. He enjoys exploring the world, and learning and teaching languages.

Deborah Yeh, Chief Marketing Officer for Sephora Americas and Sephora’s Global Chief Purpose Officer, Advisory Council Member (she/her)

Deborah Yeh is the Chief Marketing Officer for Sephora Americas and Sephora’s Global Chief Purpose Officer. In her Americas role, Deborah is responsible for cultivating the brand experience at Sephora and ensuring it is differentiated and compelling across all marketing touchpoints — from communications and creative, to loyalty and personalization. In her Purpose role, Deborah is focused on driving Sephora’s global mission to expand the way the world sees beauty. Prior to Sephora, Deborah held various marketing and digital leadership roles at brands including Target and Old Navy.

Deborah has been recognized as one of the 25 most innovative CMOs in the world by Business Insider, Forbes CMO Next, Adweek 50, Campaign 50, The Influence 100 by PRovoke, and Women Worth Watching by Diversity Journal. She is passionate about driving more inclusion in marketing and serves on several advisory boards aligned to this mission, including the ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing as well as BRIDGE.

Hudson Yang, Actor (Fresh Off the Boat), Former Advisory Council Member (he/him)

Hudson Yang, named by Variety, The Wrap and other publications as a rising star to watch in young Hollywood, spent six years as irrepressible protagonist Eddie on ABC’s historic Asian American family sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. His performance garnered him multiple NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Youth, and Teen Choice Awards nominations as Choice Scene Stealer in 2016 and Outstanding TV Comedy Actor in 2017 and 2018. Yang has also appeared on Family Guy, Disney’s Sophia the First, Liv and Maddie and The Lion Guard and PBS’s Cyberchase. He starred in indie rapper Jason Chu’s acclaimed music video Marvels as Chu’s younger self and was cast in Orange Is the New Black co-executive producer Lauren Morelli’s directorial debut, Hum, opposite Samira Wiley (“Poussey” on OITNB). Born and bred in Brooklyn, Yang now lives in Ladera Heights, California.

Michelle Lee, VP of Global Editorial & Publishing at Netflix, Advisory Council Member (she/her)

Michelle Lee is the VP of Global Editorial & Publishing at Netflix. Prior to joining Netflix in 2020, she was Editor in Chief of Allure. Since taking the helm of Allure in 2015, Lee has been committed to championing diversity and expanding the definition of beauty.

She was named Adweek’s 2017 Editor of the Year while Allure won Magazine of the Year for their groundbreaking covers, such as the July 2017 This Is American Beauty cover featuring model Halima Aden in her hijab. Lee and her staff declared the “End of Anti-Aging” in their September 2017 issue and took an oath to remove the term “anti-aging” from their own lexicon. It was a bold statement that challenged readers and brands to look at and speak about aging in a more positive way — and it has made ripples in the beauty industry and beyond.

Throughout her time at Allure, Lee has been uniquely committed to Asian-American issues and representation, featuring stars like Gemma Chan, Naomi Osaka, Priyanka Chopra, Fei Fei Sun, Fernanda Ly, Soo Joo Park, and K-pop stars Jihyo and JB on the cover of Allure; and she’s highlighted notable Asian-American voices on The Allure Podcast, including Awkwafina, Prabal Gurung, and Phillip Lim.

Lee was previously the Editor in Chief and Chief Marketing Officer at NYLON, Co-Founder and Chief Content and Strategy Officer at branded content agency Magnified Media, and held senior positions at Mademoiselle, Glamour, and more.

She is a Board member at ColorComm, a member of Adweek’s Advisory Council and Twitter’s Content Council, and she was named to the Gold House A100 of most influential Asians in 2018, 2019, and 2020, as well as Digiday’s Glossy 50, and Create & Cultivate’s Creative 100 in 2017. She was a recipient of a 2019 ColorComm Circle Award, and Allure was nominated for a National Magazine Award for its March 2018 issue The Culture of Hair featuring Lupita Nyong’o.

Sarah Ha, Senior Director of Strategy, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) (she/her)

Sarah Ha is the Senior Director of Strategy at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), where she spearheads the organization’s comprehensive strategy to drive impactful change for marginalized Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across New York. She oversees policy advocacy, membership and coalition-building, and leadership development programs, ensuring they align with CACF’s mission to enhance the health, well-being, and safety of marginalized AAPI children and families.

With over 20 years of experience driving strategic transformations in the racial and social justice, nonprofit, education, and social impact sectors, Sarah specializes in strategic partnerships, cross-racial coalition building, organizational strategy, leadership development, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) capacity building. A Professional Diversity Coach and trained Intergroup Dialogue Facilitator, she leverages her narrative as the daughter of working-class immigrants, caregiver, and satellite child to her professional practice, fostering environments of growth, healing, and transformation.

Before joining CACF, Sarah founded Jayu Consulting, LLC, a strategy coaching and consulting firm dedicated to empowering social impact leaders and organizations to deepen their connections and amplify their transformative impact. As Vice President of National Community Alliances at Teach For America (TFA), she led external engagement strategies with national civil rights and mission-aligned organizations, building intersectional partnerships across Black, Native, AAPI, Latinx, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities. Her leadership at TFA included founding the AAPI Community Alliances, which mobilized and developed AAPI leaders to drive systemic change in education, earning her team national recognition, including the 2018 Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) Community Award and acknowledgment by the California delegation.

Sarah’s career also includes leading programs for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMSP) and APIA Scholars, where she supported over 16,000 scholarship recipients and contributed to national research on educational equity for underserved AAPI communities. Her strategic expertise and dedication to community engagement and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives have consistently empowered communities to achieve transformative change. Prior to serving at APIA Scholars and GMSP, Sarah worked in the Office of the Dean of Students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, and served as an Intergroup Dialogue Facilitator dedicated to creating inclusive, affirming, and diverse campus environments.

She holds a Master of Education in Student Affairs, Higher Education & Organizational Change from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Faith, Peace & Justice from Boston College. She has completed certifications and fellowships with the Coach Diversity Institute, Pahara Institute, Aspen Institute, LEAP’s Emerging Leaders Program, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) National Leadership Academy, and TFA’s New Executive Director Fellowship.

Living on the unceded land of the Lenapehoking (Queens, NY), Sarah is committed to creating equitable opportunities for historically underserved communities, grounding in her core value of collective liberation. She serves on the Advisory Council for Act To Change and volunteers with community organizations dedicated to promoting equity, belonging, and justice.

Tan France, TV Personality, Former Advisory Council Member (he/him)

Tan France has been a successful fashion designer behind-the-scenes for over 15 years and became a breakout star following the launch of the Emmy-winning reboot of the reality makeover series “Queer Eye” in 2018. Surrounded by an all-new cast, France is the witty wardrobe wiz leading the charge in the fashion department, ready to make America fabulous again one makeover at a time. But the series is about so much more than just new clothes to the British-born fashion advisor; it’s about real-life issues, representation, and acceptance on all sides.

Tan can currently be seen starring as the co-host of Netflix’s new global design competition series, “Next in Fashion” alongside Alexa Chung. Tan also released his NY Times best-selling memoir “Naturally Tan” as well as the first season of his viral YouTube series “Dressing Funny,” which features him making over his celebrity friends including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Nick Kroll, Miranda Sings, Pete Davidson, and John Mulaney.

Prior to his media career, Tan was the creative mind behind successful brands including the popular women’s clothing lines Kingdom & State and Rachel Parcell, Inc. In Tan’s early years, he spent his summers working in his grandfather’s denim factory while he secretly enrolled in fashion college in preparation to start a new chapter as a fabulous design star.

Philip W. Chung, Creative Director, YOMYOMF, Advisory Council Member (he/him)

Philip W. Chung oversees the creative content for YOMYOMF, director Justin Lin’s (STAR TREK BEYOND, FAST & FURIOUS franchise) Asian American-centric digital company, and has worked in various capacities in film, TV, theater and digital. Previously, he was the co-founder/co-Artistic Director of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, an Asian American theater company, for ten years. Chung has developed projects for Google, Machinima, Comcast/NBCUniversal, Ovation TV, IFC, Legendary Pictures, ABC and others. Upcoming projects include FAMILY STYLE (an Asian food series for Warner Bros/Stage 13), MOONSHADOW (a LGBTQ-centric horror feature for Gunpowder & Sky), a Christmas musical for Disney Channel, and a theatrical adaptation of the beloved children’s book, EVERYONE POOPS.

Bing Chen, Chairman, Gold House & General Partner, AUM Group, Advisory Council Member (he/him)

Bing Chen is an impact founder, investor, and new world builder. He is Executive Chairman and Founder of AU Holdings: a family of companies that incubate and invest in multicultural creators, companies, and communities to rebalance socioeconomic equity. He is also Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-founder of Gold House that powers cultural change by uniting, investing in, and championing Asian Pacific communities. He is also General Partner and Co-founder of Aum Group, a premier multicultural film fund; and serves as a Board Director and Advisor to several leading digital media companies. Previously, he was YouTube’s Global Head of Creator Development and Management, where he was one of the original and principal architects of the multi-billion dollar creator and influencer ecosystem that supports 300 million creators worldwide. He is a Hollywood Reporter Next Gen Leader and Most Influential Agent of Change; Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree; American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement and Jack Averett honoree; ABC News History Maker; Fast Company Brand That Matters; Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle Member; PTTOW! Member; ADCOLOR Catalyst Honoree; Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader; and Asian Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year. Bing is a third culture kid across North America and Asia, finally graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, which becomes obvious at $11.99 buffets.

Nancy Tien, Board Member (she/her)

Nancy Tiên (she/her) is an education consultant, community organizer, advocate and former educator from Dallas, Texas. Nancy served as a teacher for nearly a decade, with a majority of her time in her hometown teaching bilingual English and Spanish fifth grade math and science classes. During her time teaching, she also developed her advocacy and policy skills as a Racial Justice Fellow with Teach for America Dallas-Ft.Worth, Campaign Activities and Management Program (CAMP) Fellow, Leadership ISD Dallas Campus Voices Fellow, and Urban Leaders Fellow in education policy.

As a child of Vietnamese immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Nancy is passionate in pursuing equitable outcomes and developing safe and inclusive spaces and systems for communities of color. After seeing the crucial connection between policy and students’ success in the classroom, she left teaching to pursue policy and advocacy roles to further improve educational systems. While a Board Member focused on education programming and policy with Act to Change, she is also a lead organizer and founding member of Dallas Communities Organizing to Reach Equity (CORE), an organizing alliance pursuing the creation of equitable systems for Dallas youth. With Dallas CORE, Nancy led efforts to amend local district policy to advance racial equity through improving transparency and accountability.

An Asian American and woman of color, Nancy is passionate about social justice and breaking the cycle of bullying and hate. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her partner and two dogs, cooking and trying new food, and playing video games. She is expecting her first child in July 2023. Nancy received her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin.

Anthony Reyes, Board Member (he/him)

Originally from Miami, Florida, Anthony Reyes currently works as a staff member in the United States Senate. In addition to his day job, Anthony also serves as co-Senate Vice President of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association, or CAPASA. Prior to his current role, Anthony led programming at a national non-profit organization in DC focused on filling the political pipeline of Asian Pacific Americans across the country. Before moving to DC full-time, he gained experience organizing the AAPI community in the 2016 election and intern at various think tanks, trade associations, and on Capitol Hill. He is excited to support the important mission of Act to Change and empower our youth.

Jamie K. Lok, Board Member (she/her)

Jamie is committed to advancing health equity and social justice, particularly for women and children. Her public health career spans academia, county government, and federal government. In 2015, Jamie served as an Advisor at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She worked on initiatives including the historic White House Summit on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and efforts to improve federal agency engagement with AAPI communities around grants. Prior to federal service, Jamie worked for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Health and Human Services’ Asian American Health Initiative managing capacity building and community outreach programs. Her research at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland focused on international health and the socio-cultural influences of substance abuse.

Jamie holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Maryland College Park, where she was active with the Asian American Student Union and received the President’s Ethnic Minority Achievement Award recognizing outstanding contributions to the University’s equity efforts for her campus activism. She is a founding member of the University’s Asian Pacific American Alumni Network and is a former board member of the American Public Health Association’s Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health. Jamie is a second-generation Cambodian American and a mom to three young children. Her family fled to the D.C. area after escaping war and genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Josef Canaria, Manager, Programs & Strategic Initiatives (he/him)

Josef Canaria is currently the Manager of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at Act To Change, where he’s served on the Board for four years, championing efforts to end bullying and foster inclusivity and belongingness for AANHPI youth. Before this, Josef was a Program Manager at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence (MCEDSV), where he spent four years working to prevent sexual and domestic violence across the state with a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and intersectional approach. His passion for advocacy also took him to Louisiana, where he spent six years as the Campus Coordinator at the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA), working closely with colleges and universities to improve their sexual violence response and prevention policies.

Raised in Colorado, Josef spent his 20s in the vibrant city of New Orleans and now calls Michigan home. As an outspoken fat, femme, Filipino immigrant, he’s all about creating more feminist, inclusive spaces wherever he goes. Josef loves connecting with communities and finding ways to amplify voices that often go unheard.

Belinda Lei, Founding Board Member (she/her)

Belinda is a product manager at Microsoft Azure and a former product manager and software engineer at Citibank in their Global Consumer Technology division. She received her MBA from the Yale School of Management and previously served as a Strategy Consultant Associate at Tyton Partners, an advisory and investment banking firm that specializes in the global knowledge sector where her duties included working with companies, investors, and organizations in the private and public sectors to drive insights for capitalizing on education-related opportunities.

Prior to joining Tyton Partners in June 2018, Belinda held multiple internships in the public and private sector, including the White House Initiative on AAPIs and FiscalNote. While at the White House Initiative, Belinda worked as a Senior Intern to spearhead the launch of the AAPI Bullying Prevention Task Force, a coordinated cross-agency effort to address community concerns about bullying across the country.

During her time at Act To Change, Belinda has held positions including Interim Co-Executive Director and Managing Director. She spearheaded the creation of the 2021 Asian American Data Report, Homeroom Anti-Bullying Workshops, and the Youth Ambassador Program. Her workstreams cover programs, operations, fundraising, partnerships, and communications/marketing.

Her debut novel, Not THAT Rich, was the #1 New Release across Immigration fiction & Asian American Fiction while also achieving bestseller status for Asian American Young Adult fiction.

Jill Yu, Co-Founder (she/her)

Jill Yu’s own experiences with bullying have profoundly shaped her commitment to creating a world where every young person feels safe, valued, and proud of who they are. As a new mom, her motivation has grown even stronger—knowing that the work she does today will help shape a brighter, kinder future for her child and all children yet to come.

Currently, Jill serves as a senior official overseeing field operations in Washington, DC, where she works tirelessly to support and empower communities on the ground. Her journey in public service began as a Presidential Management Fellow, driven by a desire to advocate for vulnerable youth. Prior to that, she was a Staff Attorney at the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, focusing on issues affecting foster youth and education.

In 2015, Jill served as an Advisor at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. There, she contributed to critical initiatives such as “Act to Change,” which promotes kindness and anti-bullying efforts, and organized impactful events at the White House that fostered collaboration between philanthropic, public, and private sectors. She also worked closely with senior federal agency leaders to improve how their agencies serve Asian American communities.

Beyond her professional roles, Jill is an active member of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association and founded the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Washington, DC. Her personal experiences and her love for her family inspire her to empower youth, helping them embrace their identities and stand proud—because she knows firsthand how vital it is for the next generation to grow up in a world that celebrates diversity and kindness.

Rebecca Lee, Co-Founder (she/her)

Rebecca brings more than 15 years of experience in strategy, outreach, and communications as Founder and Principal of Dot Movement, a public affairs and marketing agency working to turn ideas into movements. Rebecca served as Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the Biden-Harris Administration. In that role, she coordinated and implemented federal programs and initiatives to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. During her tenure, she led the launch of the first-ever national strategy to advance equity for AA and NHPIs, a regional economic summit series, and the historic White House Forum on AA and NHPIs featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.

Rebecca was previously Communications Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under the Obama-Biden Administration. She also held public affairs roles at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after joining the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow.

Rebecca co-founded national anti-bullying organization Act To Change and served as Chair of the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership. Rebecca received her master’s degree from Columbia University and bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, where she led a diverse coalition to found the Asian & Asian-American Center.

Maulik Pancholy, Co-Founder/Advisory Council Chair (he/him)

Maulik Pancholy is an award-winning actor, author and activist whose work has spanned hit television shows, the Broadway stage and films. He is best known for playing Jonathan on NBC’s award-winning comedy 30 Rock, Sanjay on the Showtime hit series Weeds, and Neal on the NBC comedy Whitney. He is also the voice of Baljeet on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb, and the title voice of Sanjay on Nickelodeon’s Sanjay and Craig – the first lead Indian-American character on a network cartoon.

His debut novel, THE BEST AT IT — about a gay, Indian American boy coming into his own — was named a 2020 Stonewall Honor Book, a 2019 Junior Library Guild Selection and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly,  The American Library Association’s Booklist and Kirkus Reviews.

As an activist, he has long been an advocate for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and LGBTQIA+ communities. He is the recipient of the Asian American Arts Alliance Award, the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award, and was named to Out Magazine’s Top 100 list. He regularly speaks at universities and corporations on the topics of diversity and inclusion.

In 2014, President Obama appointed Pancholy to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs. During his three-year tenure at the White House, he helped launch Act to Change.

Talking to Kids about Racism

A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND EDUCATOR

1. One of the challenges parents face is not knowing the right words to explain racism to their kids. Are there some examples of how they can explain what’s happening right now?

Research shows that children begin to notice race even at the infant stage. As early as 3 months old, children begin to notice a range of differences including skin color, voice, and facial features. It is never too early to talk with your child in age-appropriate ways based on their level of understanding. The best ways to approach these conversations are being open to questions from your kids, to build their trust in you, even if you don’t have all the answers. Children pick up on their parents’ attitudes about race at an early age, so it’s critical adults also commit to learning about race, racism and racial bias themselves. For younger kids, PBS recently aired a special on how to talk to kids about race and racism. Young children may understand the concept of fairness and explore through storybooks that tackle race and identity. For older kids, Learning for Justice offers resources to talk about race with youth in general, as well a list of of children’s literature that center’s Asian American stories.

Essentially, race is a way of grouping people in our world by seeming physical or social qualities. It is important to note that race is not a scientific or biological difference in each of us. Race as a system of categories to group ourselves was invented by people. Racism is the idea that a hierarchy exists among the groups of races, and that certain people should be treated differently because of their race.

• Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism, PBS
• Race and Ethnicity, Learning for Justice
• Talking About Race, National Museum of African American History & Culture

2. How can parents or teachers describe to kids what racism looks like?

Over time, racism has looked different over the years. In some ways, it means creating separate spaces or having different items for people of different races to use. Today, racism may look like someone picking on, insulting, or being physically aggressive to someone else because of their race. It can include calling people names, racial slurs, yelling at others in public, or saying hurtful, untrue things about people based on their race in-person or online. It may look like excluding people from an activity because of their race. Racism may also present in subtle ways to a child, like making fun of someone’s name, hair style, clothing, or food that’s connected with their race or religion. From media and stories, we’ve heard the ways Asian American students and adults false accusations of stereotypes and assumptions around their race, from being called terrorists, to carriers of the covid-19 virus and to not “belonging” in the United States and the need to “return to their country.”

Act to Change has worked with youth to develop the “Racism is a Virus Toolkit” which includes more examples and the history of racism against Asian Americans as well as steps to address or create change to combat racism. You can find that and our other resources on our website.

• Educational Resources & Toolkits, Act To Change

3. How should parents teach their kids to respond if they encounter slurs, etc.?

Whether or not your child is encountering a slur directed towards them or towards someone else, they should state that the slur is hurtful to whomever is saying it and then if it can be safely done, the adult present should be told. If they do not feel safe, they should find an adult whom they trust and share the incident at a time they feel safe to do so. Alternatively, if the person using the slur is a trusted friend, your child can be an advocate for themselves and others by asking the friend their intention behind why they want to use the slur, and helping the friend understand that the slur is hurtful and inappropriate so they can see it’s better to stop using racist language. Similar measures may be taken if a child encounters bullying online. They should inform and confide in a trusted adult.

4. How should parents teach their kids to respond if they witness someone else being bullied, experiencing racism, etc.?

Always speak up or say something if you notice bullying or racism. You can either interrupt by being distracting, being funny, or directly calling out the incident. It is most important to ensure the safety of the person being bullied or experiencing racism and ensure your own safety, and you can do so with a simple distraction, such as asking for directions, dropping something and making a commotion, or redirecting the attention of the people involved, ideally to something random and irrelevant to the situation.

For adults, it’s important to also model this behavior of intervening as bystanders of incidents. Organizations such as Hollaback have developed the 5 D’s of Bystander Intervention, and offer resources and trainings through their website.  It’s just as important to report incidents to local authority and advocacy organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate to support in tracking and improving responses to the rise in hate crimes. For more information on how to handle or report incidents, visit their website here.

• Stop AAPI Hate Resources
• Bystander Resources, iHollaback

Employee Resource Group Engagement Guide

ACT TO CHANGE // ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH (APAHM) EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP (ERG) ENGAGEMENT GUIDE

WHO WE ARE

Act To Change is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to end bullying among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. We envision a world where all youth have the opportunity to grow up feeling proud and supported in their identities.

Our interdisciplinary approach spans education, public health, and civil rights. We’re working to equip youth, educators, parents and caregivers with the tools they need to deal with bullying — especially in the AAPI community. We believe that, together, by providing support, building strong coalitions, and changing education and policies, we can end bullying.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

On May 18, 2019 — in honor of the birthday of Vincent Chin, whose murder in a hate crime in 1982 sparked a national uprising, Act To Change created the first-ever National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate with the support of elected officials, business leaders, nonprofit and community grassroots organizations. In 2020, our commemoration received the support of 20 participating cities and states and nearly 200 partner organizations. The virtual program United We Stand garnered 50,000+ views.

As we approach May 18, 2022, we’re conscious of how much our community is in need of healing, joy, and justice. After sustained attacks on not only our community’s physical and mental health, but also our sense of belonging, we hope to help you and your ERG use not only our program, but also the entire month of May as an opportunity to center and support ourselves and our community.

Throughout the rest of this document, you’ll find frameworks, ideas, and resources to help you and your ERG plan how you want to approach APAHM. We recognize that not everyone will be able to participate in live events, including our May 18 livestream, and so we’ve also included guidance on asynchronous ways to connect. Of course, you know your community best, and we encourage you to tailor and adjust as you see fit for your needs.

APAHM ORGANIZING FRAMEWORKS

Consider using the three objectives of Educate, Celebrate, and Activate to anchor your planning for APAHM. Every project or event should tie back to one or more of these three core objectives, and all three should be balanced across your APAHM work to avoid marginalizing or excluding AAPI employees who may be seeking a particular connection to their community. For example, planning an entire month of speaker events around AAPI history may make an incredible learning experience (educate), it will not satisfy those who are seeking opportunities to find joy in community, or those who wish to contribute tangibly to the ongoing movement to address anti-Asian racism.

Below, we’ve listed a handful of examples of an event or project associated with each objective.

EDUCATE

• Invite guest speaker(s) with expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), AAPI history, and racial justice to speak and facilitate learning for all employees
• Host a listening session for AAPI employees to share their experiences in and outside of work for leaders and non-API employees
• Create identity-specific intersectional spaces for employees to connect with one another (e.g. API & LGBTQIA+, API and Parents, etc.) Consider partnering with other ERGs within the organization, or even with AAPI ERGs from other organizations.

CELEBRATE

• Create a spotlight series to introduce and highlight AAPI employees, particularly those who may not have as much visibility due to their team or level.
• Share recipes and photos of beloved foods and dishes from diverse AAPI cultures. Consider extending into a cooking challenge, or class.
• Organize a movie (or k-drama!) night featuring AAPI stories and entertainers.

ACTIVATE

• Organize a company donation or employee donation matching program to benefit national and local AAPI community organizations. We believe in supporting local organizations whenever possible, as they typically receive less attention and visibility than national peers.
• Host a Bystander Intervention Training with Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, or invite a guest speaker/ trainer with expertise in activism, advocacy, and civic engagement/community organizing. Act to Change is happy to support you in referring you to personal contacts in our DEI and nonprofit policy/advocacy networks.
• Partner with DEI/HR/People teams to conduct an audit of API employees’ experiences in the organization, with particular focus around performance evaluation, promotion, and retention.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION (DEI)

Working within the API community comes with unique challenges particularly around diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage you and your ERG leaders to be thoughtful and reflective about creating programming that speaks to all folks who identify as API. This includes all the racial and ethnic identities across Asia and the Pacific Islands, as well as adoptees, multi-racial folks, and children of multi-generational immigrant families who may not all share the same cultural background or lived experiences.

We’ve found it best to be upfront and proactively name it when our diversity doesn’t match the true diversity of our community, and to acknowledge that these conversations need to happen not just during May, but during the rest of the year as well. We also recommend that organizers and leaders allow and encourage AAPI employees to opt out of any events that may not serve their needs. Not only do we all have different experiences that shape our connection to the AAPI identities, but it has also been a particularly painful and difficult time for our community in recent months.

FAQs

Can we still join Act To Change as a sponsor or partner for May 18’s National Day Against Bullying and Hate? Absolutely! Please reach out to us at [email protected]. We’re also always looking for new partners on future events, and welcome new connections all the time!

Is Act To Change available to come speak to my ERG/company? Yes! We are staffed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors who are all leaders across government, law, education, nonprofits, and consulting. We frequently speak about our work on supporting AAPI youth in a variety of spaces, and we’d love to talk with you about what you’re looking for. You can email us at [email protected].

Do you have recommendations for guest speakers for some of the ideas you listed above? We do, and we’re also excited that there is a growing community of AAPI leaders across ERGs and industries that could help you. We always recommend starting with asking your own networks within your ERGs for connections, but if you need more, we recommend reaching out to our friends at Gold House and the Asian Leaders Alliance.

How do we stay in touch with all the work that Act to Change is up to? Find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.