2014-2015 ASPIRE YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (YLP) Mission Statement Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence (ASPIRE) is a career and leadership development program dedicated to providing the necessary resources for Asian American girls and women. ASPIRE’s mission is to engage, educate, and empower Asian American girls and women to become effective life-long leaders. Founded in 2001, ASPIRE is Greater Boston's only Asian American women-specific program providing leadership and professional development opportunities to women, from high school students to seasoned professionals. ASPIRE aims to create a cross-generational community of AA girls and women that fosters dialogue, learning, support, mentoring, self-exploration, and relationships beyond ASPIRE. Program Background The ASPIRE Youth Leadership Program (YLP) is a year-long leadership program specifically tailored to the cultural and developmental needs of Asian American (AA) high school girls in the greater Boston area. During the 2014-2015 academic year, selected YLP Scholars will have an invaluable opportunity to gain and develop strong leadership skills through the following programming opportunities: Leadership Training – Customized training to develop leadership in areas such as communication skills, organizational ability, strategic thinking, personal growth, and civic engagement. YLP Scholars will also choose to develop their own cumulative project to implement at the end of the year. Mentorship – Each YLP Scholar will connect to ASPIRE's network of Asian American women. The network is made up of women with various experiences, careers, and backgrounds. Sisterhood – YLP Scholars will be part of a group of other young YLP Scholars, made up of Asian American female teens that are committed to being leaders in their community and in their own lives. In addition to exploring leadership, YLP Scholars will explore the issues of identity, race, gender, and politics that will identify shared experiences. YLP Scholars will serve as “ASPIRE Ambassadors” to promote and raise awareness of ASPIRE programs in their schools and communities. Through leadership training, leadership projects and the mentorship of AA women, ASPIRE will help YLP Scholars develop a toolbox of leadership skills and experiences that will serve as a solid foundation for their college and career years. YLP Scholars will be required to attend all leadership training programs (approximately twice per month from November-May), and commit a minimum of 5-10 hours/month to YLP activities. There may be occasional social outings in addition to these. YLP Scholars must be able to attend leadership trainings which occur two Saturdays a month from 4-6pm in Boston. All expenses (e.g., special events, meals, etc.) incurred during Youth Leadership Program activities will be covered by ASPIRE. Travel to and from the biweekly leadership workshops are not covered and are the responsibility of the scholar. 1 Eligibility ● ● ● ● High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors attending a Boston/Greater Boston area high school Applicants must be Asian/Asian American and female Applicants must demonstrate strong leadership capabilities and/or leadership potential Preference will be given to students from underserved backgrounds Application Guidelines All applications must be complete. A complete application includes the following items: ● Completed application form ● Short essay responses ● One letter of recommendation to be submitted at the time of the interview or with the application (may be completed by teacher, guidance counselor, community leader, etc. ● Official high school transcript (Optional) ● Resume (Optional) Deadline Completed applications for the 2014-2015 school year must be emailed or postmarked by 11:59 pm, October 17th, 2014 and sent to: Leila Zainab 38 Weld Hill St, apt #3 Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 OR email to: [email protected] All applicants will be notified when their application has been received. We will not return phone inquiries about receipt of applications. Final round candidates will be contacted to arrange an interview, and YLP Scholars will be chosen by late-October. Please direct any questions to the YLP Director at [email protected]. ASPIRE Background Asian Sisters Participating In Reaching Excellence (ASPIRE) is a career and leadership development program focused on the specific developmental needs of Asian-American (AA) girls. In 2001, ASPIRE was founded by a group of AA professional women with the mission of empowering AA high school and college girls with career development and leadership skills through shared experiences and mentoring. For more information on ASPIRE, please visit our website at www.girlsaspire.org or email: [email protected]. YLP APPLICATION FORM Please fill in the required information below. Responses may be typed or neatly handwritten. Attach separate page for responses if necessary with the question clearly labeled. First Name _________________Middle_______________ Last__________________ 2 Address: _____________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________ State: _______ Zip Code: ______________ Home Telephone: ______________________________________________________ Cell Phone: ___________________________________________________________ Best way to reach you: ___cell phone ___text message ____email ___home phone (rank from 1best way to 4 worst way to contact you) Primary E-mail Address: _________________________________________________ Secondary E-mail Address: _______________________________________________ Date of Birth (month/day/year): ____________________________________________ Place of Birth: _________________________________________________________ Place(s) of Family Origin: ________________________________________________ First Language: _____________________ Second Language: ____________________ High School (do not use abbreviations) ______________________________________ School Address: ________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________ State: _______ Zip Code: ______________ Expected Graduation Date (month/year): ____________________________________ (Please note: Only high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are eligible for ASPIRE YLP) Extracurricular Activities & Leadership Positions (attach additional pages if necessary): Activity Position Information for Parent/Guardian 1 Name: _______________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________ Telephone: ___________________________________________________________ 3 Dates Current Occupation: ____________________________________________________ Highest Completed Education Degree (please check one): _____ Middle School _____ High School _____ Associate/Bachelor’s Degree _____ Master’s _____ Doctorate _____ Other (please specify) ____________________________________________________________ Information for Parent/Guardian 2 Name: _______________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________ Telephone: ___________________________________________________________ Current Occupation: ____________________________________________________ Highest Completed Education Degree (please check one): _____ Middle School _____ High School _____ Associate/Bachelor’s Degree _____ Master’s _____ Doctorate _____ Other (please specify) ____________________________________________________________ How did you hear about the ASPIRE Youth Leadership Program? 4 I certify that the information contained in this application is correct and true. Applicant’s Signature: __________________________________ Date: ______________ YLP ESSAY QUESTIONS Please answer the following short essay questions. Limit your responses to each essay question to 150 words, 12 point font. Attach your essays on a separate sheet of paper with the question number clearly labeled. Also, please include your name and high school on the header of each page. 1. In your own words, what does it mean to be an Asian American girl? 2. What accomplishment of yours are you most proud of and why? 3. What has been most challenging for you as an Asian American female youth and why? How did you deal with this challenge? 5. What are your goals for the future and how do you plan on achieving them? 6. How will ASPIRE’s Youth Leadership Program help you achieve your future goals? 7. What would you like to learn from being a part of ASPIRE? What topics would you like to explore? YLP RECOMMENDATION LETTERS To Applicant: Please complete the top portion of the reference letters on the following pages and give the forms to your reference. Be sure to give your reference enough time to complete the signed and sealed recommendation letter and return it to you. Recommendations should be submitted at the interview or sent with your application. 5 We strongly encourage you to give your references information on ASPIRE and YLP (Page 1 of this application), along with the recommendation letter form. One recommendation can be from a family member-but it must still be very thoughtful. 2014-2015 YLP APPLICATION CHECKLIST ● ● ● ● ● Completed application form Short essays One letter of recommendation (to be submitted at the interview) Official high school transcript (Optional) Resume (one page maximum) (Optional) Completed applications for the 2014-2015 school year must be emailed or postmarked by 11:59 pm, October 17th, 2014 and sent to: Leila Zainab 38 Weld Hill St, apt #3 Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 OR email to: [email protected] All applicants will be notified when their application has been received. We will not return phone inquiries about receipt of applications. Final round candidates will be contacted to arrange an interview, and YLP Scholars will be chosen by late-October. Please direct any questions to the YLP Director at [email protected]. YLP RECOMMENDATION FORM Name ____________________________________________________________________ High school _______________________________________________________________ Name of reference ______________________________________________________ Reference’s relationship to you ____________________________________________ To Reference: Thank you for taking the time to support this candidate’s application for ASPIRE’s Youth Leadership Program, a competitive year-long leadership program specifically tailored to the cultural and developmental needs of Asian 6 American high school girls in the Boston and Greater Boston area. Preference will be given to candidates from less privileged backgrounds. Please respond to the following five questions about the candidate in the space below (you are welcome to attach additional pages if necessary). You are also welcome to write your own letter (however, please address questions listed below in your letter). Upon completion, please sign your recommendation and return it to the applicant in a sealed envelope with your signature across the seal. Applicants are required to submit completed application packets postmarked by October 17th, 2014, with recommendation letters to be turned in at the interview or with the application. 1. What is your relationship to the applicant, and how long have you known her? 2. What are the applicant’s strongest qualities and/or characteristics? What makes her stand out from her peers? 3. How has the applicant exemplified leadership capability or potential in your interactions with her? 4. In your opinion, why is this applicant a strong candidate for ASPIRE’s Youth Leadership Program? 5. Preference will be given to candidates from underserved backgrounds. Please explain any extenuating circumstances (that you know of) that this applicant faces. 7
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