Neha Patel – Staff Writer
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On April 11, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Youth Summit will be held in Heritage Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is currently being planned by nine UAB students who hope to address and broadcast issues faced by AAPI communities to their fellow students.
“The Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Summit will seek to highlight social, economic and health issues faced by AAPI communities. To this end, the Summit will feature a variety of presentations, workshops and networking opportunities for college and graduate students throughout the Southeast. We hope to engage, educate and empower youth on taking action to improve overall quality of life for AAPIs,” said Shejuti Paul, one of the students planning the event.
Sadvi Batra, the head organizer for the group, hopes UAB students can educate themselves on an underrepresented group, a group that she believes is often stereotyped and overlooked.
“Overall, I hope UAB students understand that many issues faced by minorities are similar. Traditionally, the Asian American & Pacific Islander population has been overlooked due to a prevailing ‘model minority’ myth. What I hope the Summit addresses is that this stereotype is very much wrong and even harmful,” said Batra.
While noting that this is a lofty goal for one day, Batra believes that the organization of the Summit will be conducive to learning about the population’s issues.
“Generally, the sessions at the Summit will be interactive. I think that is another unique feature of the Youth Summit and will allow students to take an active role in the learning process,” she said.
One way students can actively participate is through listening and talking to speakers who will discuss pressing issues with students. The Summit will feature speakers addressing topics like gender bias in the South Asian community, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and AmeriCorps Vista conducting a workshop on poverty among Asian Americans.
“Each speaker is bringing a new dimension to the Summit and covering issues that are both pressing and overlooked,” said Batra.
