About The National Alliance Of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA) and Operation Community Building (OCB)

In 2005, NAVASA launched Operation Community Building (OCB) as a part of the national Dấn Thân Corps. OCB is a program designed to address the needs of the 50,000 Vietnamese Americans displaced in Mississippi and Louisiana by providing technical capacity, to strengthen local community based organizations such as Mary Queen of Vietnam Nam Community Development Corporation (MQVN CDC).

Founded in 1995, NAVASA is a national membership agency currently comprised of 37 Mutual Assistance Associations and community organizations. NAVASA’s mission is to improve social and economic justice in Vietnamese communities nationwide by transforming Vietnamese social service agencies, developing future non-profit leaders and increasing public and private resources for the community.

About Dan Than Corps Program

The Dấn Thân Corps engages emerging Vietnamese American leaders across the U.S., who are passionate about economic justice and social change, to make a difference in individual lives and build strong communities.

Members are placed in local host community based organizations to provide critical services meeting the needs of the community. Engaging volunteers, developing programs, and building community relationships are activities members perform to provide effective service.

Dấn Thân members also receive training, technical assistance, mentoring, and support to develop non-profit leadership and management knowledge and skills throughout the year. Full time members are required to serve 1,700 hours and quarter time members 450 hours. Full time members will receive health insurance, living stipend, child care, student loan forbearance, and an education award at the end of their service term.

To learn more about the rebuilding issues of Vietnamese Americans in the Gulf Coast and the Dấn Thân Corps program, please visit www.navasa.org

For more information/ RSVP for Boston and New York, please contact: Mai Dang at Mai.Dang@navasa.org

For more information/ RSVP for Philadelphia and Washington D.C, please contact: Leo Esclamado at leo.esclamado@navasa.org

Dates And Venues For Boston:

Date: Tuesday, October 24th
Time: 4:00-6:00PM
Location: Vietnamese American Community Center
42 Charles Street, Suite E
Dorchester, MA 02122
Hosted By: Viet-AID and Close to Home

Date: Tuesday, October 24th
Time: 7:30PM
Location: Harvard University, Room TBA
Hosted By: Harvard Vietnamese Association

Date: Wednesday, October 25th
Time: 4:00-6:00 PM
Location: UMass Boston, Campus Center, Third Floor 3445
Hosted By: UMass Boston Asian American Studies Program

Dates And Venues For New York

Date: Monday, October 23rd
Time: 2:30-3:30PM
Location: New York University, College of Arts and Sciences
41 E. 11th St., 7th Floor, Room 741
Hosted By: The Department of Social and Cultural Analysis

Date: Monday, October 23rd
Time: 8:00PM
Location: Columbia University Hamilton 517
Hosted By: The Vietnamese Student Association and Asian American Alliance

Dates And Venues For Philadelphia

Date: Sunday, October 22nd
Time: 12:00PM
Location: Philadelphia Folklore Project
735 South 50th Street
Hosted By: Asian Americans United

Date: Monday, October 23rd
Time: 11:30AM
Location: Temple University
Gladfelter Hall, Room 1016
Philadelphia, PA
Hosted By: Center for Vietnamese Philosophy, Culture and Society

Dates And Venues For Washington, D.C.

Date: Monday, October 23rd
Time: 7:30PM
Location: George Mason University, Room TBA
Hosted By: Asian Pacific American Coalition and the Vietnamese Student Association

Date: Tuesday, October 24th
Time: 5:00PM
Location: University of Maryland at College Park
Jimenez Building, Room 0125
Hosted By: Asian American Student Union and the Vietnamese Student Association

Date: Tuesday, October 24th
Time: 8:00PM
Location: The George Washington University
Multicultural Student Services Center
2127 G Street, NW Room 209
Hosted By: Vietnamese Student Association