Leaders for Education, Advocacy & Democracy (LEAD)

Leaders for Education, Advocacy & Democracy (LEAD) is a program of Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan, community-based organization with a mission to advocate for civic engagement, health care access, and social justice for the communities it serves. Formerly the Youth Leadership & Civic Engagement program (YLCE) of Vision New America (VNA), the program came under the stewardship of AACI in 2013. LEAD empowers high school youth to become champions for their communities and voices of their generation through leadership and professional skill development, government and advocacy, internships, and community organizing. Students are trained to become conscientious and responsible leaders in advocacy, policy, and service. In the core program's 20 years of operation, students have served over 60,00 internship hours in over 90 different government, nonprofit, and community-based offices. While under AACI, students have registered over 2,500 voters, coordinated 5 community engagement projects, and collaborated with key public and private stakeholders to promote changes within their neighborhoods. LEAD is proud to have a network of over 550 alumni and growing.