Sead Project

THE SEAD PROJECT (SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIASPORA) IS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ON A MISSION TO BE AN ACCESSIBLE CREATIVE HUB THAT PROVIDES STREAMLINED WORKSHOPS AND TOOLS TO ENGAGE AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE IN KHMER, HMONG, LAO, VIETNAMESE, AND OTHER SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIASPORA COMMUNITIES.

SEA CHANGE IS OUR YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT AIMS TO GROW CREATIVE LEADERS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND ADVOCACY. IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH OF 2024, WE HOSTED OUR SECOND REMOTE SEA CHANGE LAB COHORT. WE HAD A COHORT OF 10 INDIVIDUALS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. THEIR ARTISTRY RAN THE GAMUT FROM POTTERY, TO POETRY, VISUAL ART, INCLUDING PAINTING, ILLUSTRATION, AND PHOTOGRAPHY, AND COLLAGE. THE SESSION EMPLOYED 9 DIFFERENT TEACHING ARTISTS, EACH BRINGING A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO THE GROUP. AT THE END OF THE SESSION, WE CELEBRATED THE GROUP WITH THEIR FINAL PROJECT RECITAL AND EACH COHORT MEMBER WAS SUCCESSFULLY MATCHED WITH A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR FROM THEIR HERITAGE BACKGROUND.

(4)CULTURAL ORGANIZING - IN LAUNCHING OUR BRAVE HARBORS PROGRAM, SEAD CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE SURVEY WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY. BRAVE HARBORS' INTENTION IS TO CREATE WELL-RESEARCHED, BILINGUAL, AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT CAMPAIGNS, RESOURCE DECKS, AND WORKSHOPS FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. TOPICS WILL RANGE FROM HEALTH AND WELLNESS, TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EDUCATION. AFTER SURVEYING THE COMMUNITY, WE SAW TRENDS IN THREE AREAS OF CONCERN, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH, HOUSING STABILITY, AND INTERGENERATIONAL WEALTH. IN 2025, OUR SEA DIASPORA COMMUNITIES WILL BE COMING TOGETHER TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF SAIGON AND THE HISTORIES OF OUR REFUGEE JOURNEYS. AS A KEY STAKEHOLDER, SEAD BEGAN PLANNING FOR OUR 2025 EVENTS AND PROGRAMMING, IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND OUR PROJECT FOCUS. (5)SOON SHOP - SEAD WAS SELECTED TO BE PART OF THE PROPEL NONPROFIT SOCIAL ENTERPRISE COHORT. TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMMING AND OPERATIONS WITH OUR OWN UNRESTRICTED FUNDS, SEAD HAS GROWN OUR SOON SHOP, HIGHLIGHTING BEAUTIFUL AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT PRODUCTS. IN SPRING OF 2024, WE LAUNCHED OUR SEA QUEENS COLLECTIONS; A SERIES OF EARRINGS AND CANDLES WITH HISTORIC AND STORY-BASED INFLUENCES FOR OUR HMONG, LAO, VIET & KHMER COMMUNITIES. PRODUCTS WERE MADE AVAILABLE ON OUR ONLINE SOON SHOP AND AT IN-PERSON COMMUNITY EVENTS AND MARKETS.

PLANTING SEADS STORYTELLING GATHERS AND AMPLIFIES STORIES AND SPACE FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN NARRATIVES TO THRIVE, MOBILIZE AND HEAL THROUGH CONVERSATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, AND TOOLS. FY24 WAS A BIG YEAR FOR OUR STORYTELLING PROGRAM. FROM JULY TO SEPTEMBER OF 2023, WE HELD LISTENING SESSIONS AND WORKSHOPS WITH OVER TWO DOZEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THEIR ELDERS. WE COLLECTED 18 STORIES IN TOTAL FOR PUBLICATION AND HAD EMERGING ARTISTS CUSTOM ILLUSTRATE A PIECE FOR EACH STORY. THE BOOK, "PLANTING SEADS, KNOWING OUR JOY," WAS PUBLISHED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND EACH OF THE STORYTELLERS' HERITAGE LANGUAGES, INCLUDING KHMER, VIET, LAO & HMONG. EACH OF THE STORIES CENTERS AN ELDERS THOUGHTS ON A JOYOUS MOMENT OR A POINT OF PRIDE IN THEIR DIASPORIC JOURNEY. OUR BOOK LAUNCH EVENT TOOK PLACE AT THE PUBLIC FUNCTIONARY GALLERY ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2ND. WE HAD SIX STORIES FROM THE COLLECTION READ OUT LOUD. WE ALSO FRAMED AND HUNG UP EACH OF THE 18 ILLUSTRATIONS AND SOLD THEM AS SILENT AUCTION ITEMS FOR OUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA. SINCE THE BOOK LAUNCH, WE HAVE PLACED SEVERAL COPIES OF THE COLLECTION IN BOOKSTORES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

SEA ROOTS AMPLIFIES OUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES. THE PROGRAM CONTINUES THE IMPORTANCE OF CARRYING THE STORIES AND GROUNDING OURSELVES IN OUR HISTORIES AND IDENTITY. SEAD IS ONE OF THE FEW ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THAT OFFER AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE HMONG, KHMER, LAO AND VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE CLASSES TO ANYONE, ANYWHERE, CREATING THE NECESSARY SPACE FOR LEARNING AND BRIDGING OUR COMMUNITIES ROOTED IN OUR STORYTELLING. OUR LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL WORKSHOPS HAPPEN TWICE A YEAR FOR EIGHT WEEKS. IN FY24, WE HOSTED TWO SESSIONS OF OUR BEGINNERS' COURSES IN ALL FOUR OF OUR LANGUAGES; HMONG, LAO, VIET & KHMER. WITH GRANT FUNDING FROM THE ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE CENTER, WE ARE NOW ABLE TO DEVELOP A MORE ROBUST ADVANCED CURRICULUM. WE WORKED WITH 74 STUDENTS TOTAL, EACH COMPLETING THE PROGRAM WITH A FINAL PROJECT THAT IS ARCHIVED IN OUR CULTURAL LIBRARY.