MDA Legacy Scholars

Purposes: The Needs for Scholarship

Learning Service Program: Our youth program offer service-learning opportunity for all high school and college students. Our program focus on culture preservation (traditional dance, music, and language classes), mental wellness, and promo education. Additionally, our youth program provides resources and experiences for youth to engage in civic and community activities that increase their capacity to be inclusive leaders, develop a sense of collective responsibility, and take action for social change, advocacy, and racial equity. 

Mental Wellness and Bridging The Generational Gap: Mental wellness program results in positive youth/elders in our community. Positive youth development program that empower youth to reach their full potential as leaders who demonstrate and promote equity and inclusion within their learning environments and communities. Our program is youth centered and designed to allow youth to actively participate in learning about their culture, identity, embrace their culture/community, and equity-focused practice to increase their understanding as the next-generation leadership and advancement of community interests. Our youth get the chance to bridge the generational gap with our community elders through arts and mental wellness program. As future community leaders with linguistic, cultural knowledge, and refugee service provider, they will be called upon time and again to assist mainstream healthcare providers, ostensibly to provide billable service for language and cultural interpretation. We know that in reality to take on the enormous and complicated tasks of information, education, prevention, recovery support and culturally-informed interventions in outpatient (ie, “real world”) care. 

The Legacy Awards 2022

Many elders, our forgotten heroes, expressed their concerns to MDA staff. They feel the community and their friends might have forgotten about them and their sacrifices as many of them are struggling with chronic health conditions with no family members to help them. They wanted their old friends and the community young people to not forget about them and their ancestors, and they are willing to teach youth through MDA’s Traditional Arts Program. The 2022 Legacy Awards was to honor the veteran elders in our community. 

The Legacy Scholarship

Greensboro Refugee Organization Director Retires; Special Campaign Begins

Dr. YSiu Hlong served the Montagnard community for over 30 years

Dr. Hlong, the longtime executive director of the Montagnard Dega Association (MDA), retired August of 2021 after more than three decades of service which MDA marked with a special fundraising campaign, In addition to The Dr. YSiu Hlong Emergency Fund to honor his service, dedication and desire to see the refugee community prosper, the staff of MDA launched The Legacy Scholarship to honor Dr. Hlong and many Montagnard veterans elders in our community who sacrificed a lot. The Legacy Scholarship where MDA give out $1,000 per school year to a high school student, and $1,000 per school year to a college student to Montagnard youth. We invite you to donate toward this effort, so we can continue to inspire and support our young people.