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NEW ASIAN AMERICAN VOICES
IN THE CLASSROOM

New Asian American Voices (NAAV) is an Instagram-based program that aims to provide much-needed Asian American visibility and representation in the mainstream by highlighting Asian American individuals and collectives who have made significant strides in all sectors of U.S. society. We want to celebrate those who have a significant impact on their community or on American life, including but not limited to significant accomplishments, innovations, notable deeds, positive influences, valuable efforts, and/or meaningful actions. This program began in late 2021 and has highlighted over 250 Asian American individuals and groups since its inception.

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We are now expanding this program into classrooms (NAAV in the Classroom) by inviting secondary school teachers to engage with their students to submit entries for an Asian American story. We also welcome current middle and high school students (6th to 12th grade) to submit a story directly to us. 

Why Do It?

NAAV in the Classroom integrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and ethnic studies academic learning with real world skills in research, communications, creative development, media literacy, intellectual property legal concepts, project management, and teamwork – contemporary skills defined in the Partnership for 21th Century Learning (P21) that students need for future success. This project also allows students to demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter through different mediums.

How to Get Started

Process Overview

  1. Register to participate.

  2. Download the Program Parameters document. This document will provide you with a wealth of information - from candidate selection to 1990 Institute’s Selection Rubrics and a Submission Checklist to make sure you have met all the requirements for submission.

  3. After you have chosen a candidate and determined the type of presentation your project will entail, please download and fill out the following 3 forms: Personal Liability Waiver, Release Forms and Nonexclusive Licensing Agreement. Email the signed Personal Liability Waiver and Nonexclusive Licensing Agreement to the 1990 Institute at naav@1990institute.org before beginning work on your project. If the Release Forms are applicable, please email that signed form with your submission. Parental consent must be obtained for students participants under the age of 18. 

Questions and Answers

Last updated on April 8, 2024

When is the submission deadline?

  • The 1990 Institute will accept submissions on a rolling basis. However, we encourage you to submit within 3 months of registering your project with us because there is a limit to the number of entries we will accept.

What is the maximum number of entries?

  • We plan to select up to 50 entries for posting per year.

How many entries per student/group is allowed?

  • Multiple entries are allowed. We recommend teachers use NAAV in the Classroom as a classroom project and have up to 4-5 students assigned to a group to work on an entry. Each student or group may select a unique candidate to focus on. We also accept entries from students who are not working with a teacher or team.

What if students need help with selecting a candidate?

  • In the Program Parameters document, there is a section that defines the selection criteria. Here is a Candidate List of people for you to consider. Or you may choose someone else who fits the criteria.

Can I choose someone who has already been featured in your program on Instagram?

• You may feature a person/group who has already appeared in our program if you have additional information to convey or are sharing the information in a different medium than that which has already been used (for example, in a video, original art, song lyrics, etc.). However, if another student or team is in the process of completing a project with the same candidate, please pick a different one as we won't know if your presentation overlaps until the first one is completed. Please contact us at naav@1990institute.org if you have questions.

How do I know if another student/group has already picked a candidate I am interested in?

  • Check the Spoken For Candidates list. This list will be updated after each registration we receive. If an entry for a candidate is not selected for posting, we will put the candidate’s name back on our Candidate List.

How do I submit my project?

  • All materials for the entry, including required forms, should be transmitted by email to naav@1990institute.org. Include “NAAV: 20XX (Year), full name of the team lead (person who registered the entry) - Name of your candidate - Submission” in the subject line of your email. For example, NAAV: 2024 - Jane Smith - Frederick Douglass - Submission.

Will my project be posted exactly as I submit it?

• Your entry will be reviewed by 1990 Institute's staff. Selected entries may require editorial revisions by students before inclusion in the program.

Do I need to include the 1990 Institute logo that I see on the posts on Instagram?

  • The 1990 Institute will add the logo if your entry is selected.

How do I know if my submission has been selected for posting on New Asian American Voices?

  • The teacher or the lead student who registered for the entry will be notified by the 1990 Institute within 4 weeks of submission.

Is there a prize for a selected entry?

  • There will be a prize of $30 for a student or team with an entry that is included in our program. The selected entry will also be announced in our monthly newsletter and our Social Media platforms.

If I have questions, who do I contact?

  • Please send your question to naav@1990institute.org and put "NAAV in the Classroom Question" as a part of your email subject line. If you have registered your project and selected a candidate, please include that information in your email.

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