November 29th, 2023 (Huntington Beach, California) – The Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA), in collaboration with the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE), is thrilled to announce an Orange County-based Community Engagement Session. This session will focus on discussing the development and maintenance of the Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curriculum (VAEMC) designed for grades K-12 in California public schools. The primary objective of the session is to provide local Orange County community members with the opportunity to thoroughly review the curriculum and offer valuable feedback concerning the Vietnamese American experience. This engagement is crucial to ensuring that the curriculum accurately captures the rich history and diverse experiences of the Vietnamese American community.
Date: December 2nd, 2023
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm
Location: Huntington Beach Public Library, Room B
The Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curriculum (VAEMC) will include the fall of Saigon in 1975; a discussion of the Vietnamese boat people and members of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces; the reasons behind the exodus; hardships faced by the Vietnamese people attempting to flee who were apprehended by the communist government; conditions that led to the resettlement of Vietnamese people in the United States.
VAEMC was authorized by Assembly Bill 167, Chapter 252, Statutes of 2021 amended California Education Code sections 33540.2 for the development and maintenance of model curricula relating to the Vietnamese American refugee experience for grades K-12 in California public schools. The California Department of Education shall, in collaboration with, and subject to the approval of, the executive director of the state board, enter into contracts with county offices of education for the purposes of developing a model curriculum. The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) has been contracted to develop the VAEMC. Work on this project began in late 2022 and will conclude by September 2025.
VAALA recognizes the importance of community input in shaping educational resources. We encourage all interested Vietnamese American community members, educators, parents, and students to join us in this collaborative effort to ensure the VAEMC truly reflects all aspects of the Vietnamese American experience.
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About VAALA:
Founded in 1991 by Vietnamese American journalists, artists and community members to fill a void and provide a space for artists to express themselves as a newly resettled immigrant community, the mission of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese arts and culture. Celebrating its 30th year of service, VAALA collaborates with diverse community partners to organize community-centered artistic cultural events, including art exhibitions, book signings, music recitals, plays and its annual Viet Film Fest and Gallery Beyond Walls programming. More information about VAALA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, andYouTube.