VYEA FORTY YEARS

Commemorative Pictures and Essays about the Vietnamese Youth Educational Association of Washington D.C. -- VYEA, on occasion of its 40th year in operation. The Vietnamese Youth Educational Association of Washington, VYEA, was founded in 1977 in Arlington Virginia. VYEA',s mission is to teach the Vietnamese language, promulgate the Vietnamese culture within American society and strengthen traditional values. VYEA has been operating a Vietnamese Summer School (L?p Hè, Ti?ng Vi?t) for 40 years. This past Summer, the school met at Falls Church High school and received 345 students aged from 6 to 22 years, organized into 14 classes of 6 grade levels, taught by 45 volunteer teachers and supported by a large number of volunteer parents, and members of the VYEA. The school held classes in the six weeks immediately following the public school year. Since 2008, the Teaching Assistant program and , the Popular Culture classes have added other colorful means of sharing the Viet heritage and culture to the children. In addition to the Viet language, students and teachers and parents all participated in school-wide cultural activities that culminated in a 2-hour show at the graduation day attended by more than 700 parents. Additional effort at promulgating Viet culture has taken form in a Viet Youth Orchestra 2005-2008, a 30-member symphonic orchestra played the Hò,n V?ng Phu 1-3 songs and Dâ,n Ca Ba Mi?n (Folk Songs) Tr?ng C?m, Lý, Con Sá,o Hu? and Lý, Ng?a Ô,. Many students, especially those graduated from grade 6, did return to participate as Teaching Assistant. Enthusiastic participation in organization, composì,ng material, , teaching, grading, music and performances by students, TA',s, teachers, parents for the past 40 years make a strong statement about VYEA._,