Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations

The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) (Vietnamese: Liên Hội Sinh Viên Việt Nam Bắc Mỹ Châu) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2004 as a means for Vietnamese organizations from across North America to network, share common resources, collaborate with one another to build strong sustainable communities, and engage in philanthropic work.

History

During the Third International Vietnamese Youth Conference in 2003 in San Diego, there were initial talks for creating a network of Vietnamese Student Associations in North America modeled after the Federal Vietnamese Students Association of Australia. Through a collaboration of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California along with the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association, the first North American Vietnamese Student Associations (NAVSA) conference was held in the Summer of 2004 in Boston, and with that NAVSA was born. Only with the second conference in 2005 in Chicago, was the name of NAVSA changed to The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) to better reflect that nature of this organization as a union.

Regional Partners

Conferences

The UNAVSA conference attracts hundreds of undergraduates, graduates, and young professionals from around the country participate in the multi-day event to hone their leadership skills, hold discussions with distinguished speakers, and explore issues in the Vietnamese community domestically and abroad. The majority of attendees are current and future officers of Vietnamese American student groups (VSAs, VSUs, UVSAs, etc.) seeking to develop personal leadership abilities, build organizational management skills and network with other leaders from around the country.

ConferenceLocation ThemeDate
NAVSABoston, MA NAVSA (Self-Titled)July 2–4, 2004
uNAVSA-2Chicago, IL Acting in Unity: Making Hope a RealityJuly 2005
uNAVSA-3San Jose, CA In Common Unity, Building Local PowerJuly 13–16, 2006
uNAVSA-4New Orleans, LA Recognize, Inspire, Strengthen, Empower (RISE)July 26–29, 2007
uNAVSA-5Portland, OR Sharing Our Past, Shaping Our FutureJuly 31-August 3, 2008
uNAVSA-6Atlanta, GA Pursue Your Passion, Define Your PathJuly 30-August 2, 2009
uNAVSA-7Washington DC Uncommon Power for the Common VoiceJuly 29-August 1, 2010
UNAVSA-8Denver, CO Blueprint of our LegacyJuly 28–31, 2011
UNAVSA-9Minneapolis, MN Bước Qua (Step Through)July 26–29, 2012
UNAVSA-10Anaheim, CA Nơi Nương Tựa (Safe Haven)August 1–4, 2013
UNAVSA-11Dallas, TX Together, Let's FlyJuly 24–27, 2014
UNAVSA-12Seattle, WA Momentum: Ripples of ProgressJune 26–29, 2015
UNAVSA-13Boston, MA Light the WayJuly 21–24, 2016
UNAVSA-14New Orleans, LA Unlock the PresentJuly 20–24, 2017
UNAVSA-15 Atlanta, GA Stand up, Stand Out! August 2-5, 2018
UNAVSA-16Vancouver, BC Beyond the Horizon: Y[ours] to DiscoverJuly 25–28, 2019

Collective Philanthropy Project

The CPP is an initiative created in 2004 for Vietnamese-American students and community organizations to collaborate toward a common charitable cause. The CPP’s goal is to further UNAVSA’s mission of developing leadership, preserving the Vietnamese heritage, and creating a unified national effort to help those in need. Each year, the top three candidates are asked to present their projects at the UNAVSA national conference. After the attendees vote, a beneficiary is announced at the conference banquet. In years past, CPP has partnered with several non-profit organizations, raising over $300,000 in the last seven years.

List of CPP Beneficiaries
Year-
2018Children of Vietnam
2017Pacific Links Foundation
2016Catalyst Foundation
2015Kids Without Borders
2014Foodaid.Compassion
2013One Body Village
2012M.E.M.O.
2011Children of Vietnam
2010Blue Dragon Children's Foundation
2009Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation
2008VIETHOPE
2007Vietnamese Overseas Initiative (VOICE)
2006Catalyst Foundation
2005VietACT

Presidents

The UNAVSA executive board is headed by the President. The current President is Phuc Hong Phan, who took over from Thoa Kim Nguyen in 2018 and will conclude his term at the UNAVSA Conference in 2020. The President is responsible for the strategic direction of UNAVSA and is tasked with ensuring the organization is operating within the scope defined by its partner organizations.

List of UNAVSA Presidents
No.NameRegion of originTook officeLeft officeNote
1Quoc PhanSouthern California4 July 200431 July 2005
2Tony NgoSouthern California31 July 200516 July 2006
3Hai TonNorthern California16 July 20063 August 2008First two-year President
4Brian VoMid-Atlantic3 August 20081 August 2010
5Dan HuynhMidwest1 August 201029 July 2012
6Lan Anh NguyenMid-Atlantic29 July 201227 July 2014First female President
7My-Phuong LyMidwest27 July 201424 July 2016
8Thoa Kim NguyenSouthwest24 July 201605 August 2018
9Phuc Hong PhanSoutheast05 August 2018Present

See also

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