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HISTORY OF
CHINATOWN YOUTH INITIATIVES

华埠青年启蒙计划的历史

CHINATOWN
LITERACY
PROJECT

SUMMER
LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE

CHINATOWN
BEAUTIFICATION
DAY

CHINATOWN YOUTH
INITIATIVES EST. 2000 BY GLORIA SI-CHUN CHAN

In the fall of 1999, Gloria Si-Chun Chan, while a student at Swarthmore College, founded 

Chinatown Youth Initiatives (CYI) with the prestigious $10,000 Lang Opportunity Grant for Social Action. Summer 2000 marked the inaugural year of CYI.

MEET
GLORIA SI-CHUN CHAN

During the summer of 2001, the New York Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA-NY), giving both financial and developmental support, became a critical community partner of CYI.

2001

The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) became another significant community partner in the summer of 2002 by providing generous sponsorship and support. The CCBA continued its unyielding assistance and devotion the following summer to help further develop and improve CYI’s programming.

2002

CYI registered as a formal New York State non-for-profit corporation in October 2003, kicking off a successful fifth year of programming.

2003

Since then, CYI has also incorporated community activism and service as an important component of programming, with projects such as Chinatown Beautification Day, Chinatown Literacy Project, Chinatown Youth Network, voter registration drives, and P.O.V. film screenings.

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