CULTURAL MISSION: EDUATION. CULTURE. SUPPORT. YOUTH. UNITY. GUIDE. MOTIVATE 

The Montagnard American Organization (MAO) is the youth branch of MDA. It is inclusive, not divided by tribe, ethnicity, language, church affiliation, school or college enrollment, or politics. MAO has no age restrictions, but we do concentrate on the development of next generation community involvement and leadership.

VISION: Through the Montagnard American Organization, the youth and staff will focus on community outreach across tribal, age, religious and political issues to assure equitable integration and cultural preservation through higher education. MISSION:MAO mission, increase visibility, and strengthen the broader Montagnard community. The Montagnard American Organization will develop programs and resources to promote community building, higher education and cultural preservation that is inclusive of the different tribes and ethnicities, church affiliations, political affiliations, and age groups. 

GOALS: Promote cultural preservation, higher education/life success, outreach, MDA/MAO sustainability 

Cultural preservation: We promote the cultural preservation of the Montagnard American community. We promotion of positive traditions and preserving good values by develop activities to support togetherness like traditional dance and music classes, language classes, workshops, festivals, cultural presentations and other events. 

Higher Education/Life success: 

• College?  We want to strengthen the higher education opportunities for Montagnard youth through educational mentoring, service learning, community engagement activities, college presentations, technical assistance in applications, scholarship opportunities, and follow-up counseling support for college students. 

• College application assistance

• College financial aid application assistance (FAFSA)

Life Success

• Not college? There's a lot you need to know, like getting a good start on the job, planning a career, saving, renting or buying a home, understanding insurance, bills, how to pay for stuff — all important life skills you want to master.

• MAO encourages life success — whether through employment after high school or through college.  

• Job and career planning

• Make career progress!   Are you looking for your next career move? Don’t know which job to look for next? As next-generation community members, we encourage meeting, sharing, and supporting one another. Get to know others, network, get ideas, share ideas!

Community outreach

• Training and education

• Community involvement

MDA/MAO long term sustainability: “Sustainability” for us is based on the recognition of severe disparities in power and influence, including access to appropriate levels of funding and mutuality among players. It is based on the promotion by MDA of the professional development of community members, program development, leadership development, creating an inclusive workplace, and capacity building with concomitant promotion of community empowerment through information, education and awareness. Sustainability for us is beyond the timespan of an externally funded project means that we have successfully created the community conditions for broader and deeper changes, changes that ultimately can only be realized with the cooperation of powerful system players. 

Become a participant of MAO. Contact us for more information. Whether you're interested in college, attending now, already on the job or starting a career, we want you to be involved!