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HOME  >  SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS >  GROWING UP ASIAN IN AMERICA General Information Growing Up Asian in America is the largest celebration of Asian heritage in the nation and is a signature program of the Asian Pacific Fund. The largest program in the nation celebrating Asian heritage, Growing Up Asian in America provides a unique forum for youth to explore their ideas and to celebrate being both Asian and American. The program is also an important community resource, helping people better understand the experiences of young Asian Americans and learn more about life in a place as diverse as the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing Up Asian in America begins in January with an annual essay and art competition for students in grades kindergarten through 12. Typically, more than 1,000 Bay Area students compete each year for savings bond awards and merchandise prizes totaling $27,000. After the winners are chosen, we honor them by hosting a party at the Asian Art Museum in April. The winning entries are hosted on this web site and in a commemorative book. They are also featured in community exhibits that are displayed in Bay Area public libraries between May and December and seen by over 1 million people. The Asian Pacific Fund created this program to promote understanding throughout the Bay Area among people of all backgrounds. We accomplish this by encouraging the expression of student ideas through creative writing and art, and by sharing those ideas and images through this publication and public exhibits. History Growing Up Asian in America was created in 1995 in collaboration with local media, public relation and community leaders. The goal was to create a single Bay Area resource for celebrating national Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May. Supported by corporate sponsors and supplemented by private resources of the Asian Pacific Fund, Growing Up Asian in America has become an important resource for parents, educators and communities. In the fourth year we began to ask for entries on a particular theme. Themes over the years include: What is Community? (1998) Tell Me a Story (1999) My Time (2000) My Favorite Thing (2001) Being Brave & Showing Courage (2002) Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Thinking About the Elderly and the Environment (2003) On Friendship (2004) Discovery and Achieving Balance (2005) On My Street & In My Neighborhood (2006) Superheroes (2007) Winning and Losing, Competition and Teamwork (2008) Behind the Scenes Growing Up Asian in America is a community enterprise that is made possible each year with volunteer help and the financial support of major corporations. The Asian Pacific Fund enlists the help of several organizations and many individuals in publicizing and operating Growing Up Asian in America. On average, more than 100 volunteers give 400 hours of their time - just one reflection of how popular this forum is for Bay Area Asians of all ages. Our Advisory Committee, composed of professionals from the media, business and non-profit community, guides the program and helps us promote Growing Up Asian in America. Several media sponsors, including co-sponsor NBC11, also assist in publicizing the program to local students and teachers. Throughout the year, volunteers come from all over the Bay Area to assist with essential projects, such as mailing guidelines to every school and library in the nine Bay Area counties and processing entries. Members of volunteer organizations give weekend mornings to the program. Every year, a different group of local educators volunteer their time to screen the 1,300 entries we receive (on average) to just 75 finalists each in the art and essay categories, looking at entries for content and skill and ensuring each entry is independent student work. The prize-winners are selected by a panel of judges, professional writers and artists who spend hours reviewing the finalists. Capping off the contest portion of Growing Up Asian in America is an awards ceremony for the winners and cultural performances for the entire family. The Fund places great importance on sharing the words and images of the talented winners with the entire Bay Area community. Winning art and essays from Growing Up Asian in America are reproduced as full color exhibits and commemorative books. From May to December, exhibits tour the Bay Area, hosted by public libraries and other educational institutions. Librarians across the region embrace this free community resource to nurture understanding and appreciation of the diversity in the Bay Area. In addition, copies of this book are distributed for circulation to every public library and middle and high school (both public and private) in the nine counties.

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