International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement.
October 2019 Conference, Albuquerque NM.
What’s the problem? Why does it matter? What’s the solution? Why is it better than others? Results, impact, outcomes
We are very proud to stand with the Montagnard Community and accept the first Community Impacts and Outcomes Award presented to us at the conference. Separate plaques were given to Sharon Morrison, Sudha Shreeniwas, myself and to Montagnard Dega Association / Montagnard American Organization (accepted by Sun Bujri).
Title screen, presenter introductions.
(What's the problem?)
Sharon Morrison:
Sun will explain more about her community in a moment.
But in 2012 we asked this question, Was it time for a permanent relationship to replace the many catch-as-catch-can, small, underfunded and impermanent projects that we and many others had undertaken?
From an academic perspective, the problem of crossing borders, boundaries or gaps that exist between campuses and communities is no better illustrated than the fragmented, temporary connection we’ve had with this refugee community.
(Why does this problem matter?)
Sun Bujri:
The Montagnards were recruited by United States Special Forces during the Vietnam War because of our knowledge of the Central Highlands and the Ho Chi Minh trail that ran through it. This was the supply line the North Vietnamese used to attack the South.
(Why does this problem matter?)
(Why does this problem matter?)
Sun Bujri:
Montagnards were resettled in NC because of a growing economy, the Special Forces military base in the area and a climate similar to Vietnam. North Carolina, specifically in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, has the largest Montagnard community outside of Southeast Asia. Greensboro is also home of the Montagnard Dega Association. Growing up in Greensboro,
I have noticed that the Montagnard communities have stayed siloed and kept to ourselves and/or the church in the early 90s and 2000s.
Presently, Greensboro has grown in its refugee and immigrant communities. With this, leaders found commonality with other communities, notice similar struggles, desire change and want better for our community. MDA has worked with other Southeast Asian organizations like the Cambodian Cultural Center of North Carolina and the Southeast Asian Coalition and with Jalloh's Upright Services, a refugee and immigrant service. Together, we all work with refugees and immigrants.
(Why does this problem matter?)
Sun Bujri:
This takes us back to the question of identity and how the Montagnard American community moves forward from here.
We are referred to as “Montagnard”. Some prefer the term "Dega", a Jarai word, or "Degar”, a Rhade word, "Yards" and “Highlanders” and “Mountain People” by Special Forces and others. In Vietnam and the US , some community members do not identify themselves as Montagnard, and prefer their tribal identity. Some community members do not like the term “Montagnard” because it’s an erasure of their tribal identity, struggle, and experience.
Our community needs a space where we can hold conversations about our history and how we move forward.
Our stories and struggle aren't visible.
We are left out of history books and fabric of North Carolina life.
(Why is our solution better than others?)
Sharon Morrison:
Service learning and Research by minority students were the most impactful High Impact Practices reported by AACU, vastly affecting retention and improving learning performance. We arrange them to account for existing long term community sites within the Montagnard community serviced by college students from the Montagnard community.
(Why is our solution better than others?)
Sharon Morrison:
Connecting insiders, youth who are now college students, are the gap closers. They anchor Service Learning and CBPR teams. They provide continuity.
If we were to count community contributions in the same way higher ed tracks service hours, the numbers might appear like this (see graphic). For example, Montagnard youth logged over 11,000 hours on Service Learning and Community-Based Participatory Research.
(Why is our solution better than others?)
Sudha Shreeniwas:
Our approach is not any revolutionary innovation. All the mechanisms of higher ed are deployed by us to help our college students from the Montagnard community succeed. That includes study abroad in Vietnam, interinstitutional cooperation among area college and university faculty and offices, and joint teams from multiple institutions winning accolades at state and regional undergraduate research symposia.
(Why is our solution better than others?)
Sharon Morrison:
Unless change happens in both community and campus, it isn’t transformational. Our approach delivers change on both fronts.
(Results, impact, outcomes)
Sharon Morrison:
This is what transformation change looks like — dozens and dozens of youth from community and campuses from highly diverse backgrounds working together on the Montagnard Hypertension Project over a five year time span. Our teams have been multilingual, multiracial, multi-tribal, multi-ethnic, because that’s where our youth are today.
(Results, impact, outcomes)
Sun Bujri:
This is what transformation looks like for our community.
At the Smithsonian’s 2015 National Folk Festival, our new youth group, Montagnard American Organization (MAO), mobilized youth to come out, and elders, too, all on a voluntary basis, and organized performances, presentations, dancing, weaving, traditional and contemporary music, weaving, and health information.
On the first day, we had a turnout of 500. MAO is now a part of the Montagnard Dega Association, originally founded by elders in 1987. Today, eleven of the fourteen positions are held by youth.
New youth leaders are responsible for reviving Montagnard Dega Association, creating a Community Advisory Council to guide researchers and professionals working in our community, and pushing hard for external funding to improve services to families.
(Results, impact, outcomes)
Sharon Morrison:
Next generation leadership is synonymous with capacity building and sustainability.
Only Montagnard youth have the time and capacity to knock on and open doors.
All our work is based on their skills, insider knowledge and dedication to community.
(Results, impact, outcomes)
Andrew Young:
This is our final slide. Time today doesn’t allow for a deep look at the Montagnard and Montagnard American experience.
Youth now occupy 11 of the 14 positions at Montagnard Dega Association. Their first big gala fundraiser has sold out, with only VIP tickets left.
At a sit down meeting with youth leaders from the Cambodian Cultural Center of North Carolina, Montagnard youth discussed a joint grant proposal. As the meeting progressed they shared stories growing up together. Montagnard kids used to swim in the temple’s pond. Many Cambodians are Khmer Krom, or ethnic Cambodians from Vietnam. So much in common. During the American War almost every Montagnard village was destroyed or uprooted and 350,000 killed. Under the Khmer Rouge, almost a quarter of the population was killed. Today, deportation is a threat to both communities.
When Cambodian youth organized a panel discussion of elected officials, Sun Bujri was an invited speaker.
These and other refugee communities have different histories of suffering and trauma but are united in their destiny to become the newest generations of Americans.
Colleges and universities are now in a position to choose how much they will support that democratic enterprise.
Andrew Young:
In this short presentation we have sought to define the problem of mutual, fair and equitable engagement between campus and community as one that involved different calendars, levels of power and influence, culture, values and destination.
Higher ed has the tools to close gaps and communities like the Montagnards have youth who are the learners on their campuses and experts in their communities best able to wield these instruments and guide professors and fellow students into their communities.
We believe our approach is effective because youth, unlike busy elders, parents, and other community members, have the time and energy to devote years of effort towards community building.
Ultimately our projects have been sustained by the Montagnard community. We community organizers and faculty members provide technical advice for projects like the Montagnard Population Count, but only community members can knock on and open doors.
October 2019 Conference, Albuquerque NM.
What’s the problem? Why does it matter? What’s the solution? Why is it better than others? Results, impact, outcomes
Sharon Morrison:
Sun will explain more about her community in a moment.
But in 2012 we asked this question, Was it time for a permanent relationship to replace the many catch-as-catch-can, small, underfunded and impermanent projects that we and many others had undertaken?
From an academic perspective, the problem of crossing borders, boundaries or gaps that exist between campuses and communities is no better illustrated than the fragmented, temporary connection we’ve had with this refugee community.
(Why does this problem matter?)
Sun Bujri:
“Montagnard” is an umbrella term for all of the indigenous ethnic groups from the south and Central Highland regions of Vietnam. In Vietnam they were once called “moi”, meaning “savages” in Vietnamese. Historically, Montagnards were the first inhabitants of the mountainous region, an estimated 2,000 years before ethnic Vietnamese arrived. These include Jarai, Rhade (Ede), Bahnar, Koho, Bunong (Mong), Stieng and many other tribes.
Sun Bujri:
“Montagnard” is an umbrella term for all of the indigenous ethnic groups from the south and Central Highland regions of Vietnam. In Vietnam they were once called “moi”, meaning “savages” in Vietnamese. Historically, Montagnards were the first inhabitants of the mountainous region, an estimated 2,000 years before ethnic Vietnamese arrived. These include Jarai, Rhade (Ede), Bahnar, Koho, Bunong (Mong), Stieng and many other tribes.
The term “Montagnard” was given to the tribes during French colonial rule in the late 19th century, meaning “mountain people”.
The United Nations recognize the Montagnards as one of the indigenous peoples of the world, with rights and freedoms.
Sun Bujri:
The Montagnards were recruited by United States Special Forces during the Vietnam War because of our knowledge of the Central Highlands and the Ho Chi Minh trail that ran through it. This was the supply line the North Vietnamese used to attack the South.
The US knew Montagnards had strained relationships with the South Vietnamese government. Montagnards joined the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (FULRO) got promises of freedom, land and a nation.
When the US left Vietnam, our folks were told to keep on fighting and that more supplies would come. However, that was not what happened as the Paris Peace Accords got signed, ending the war. Our elders continued to fight in the jungle. Some were placed in a re-education camp and many of us were persecuted for our alliance with Americans.
We came to the United States as refugees in waves. The first wave was for folks and families that were part of FULRO. The next big wave was in 1992 which was about 400 folks. The third wave, the wave that I came in was in 2002, which was about 900 folks. Many more than followed through the Family Reunification program.
When the US left Vietnam, our folks were told to keep on fighting and that more supplies would come. However, that was not what happened as the Paris Peace Accords got signed, ending the war. Our elders continued to fight in the jungle. Some were placed in a re-education camp and many of us were persecuted for our alliance with Americans.
We came to the United States as refugees in waves. The first wave was for folks and families that were part of FULRO. The next big wave was in 1992 which was about 400 folks. The third wave, the wave that I came in was in 2002, which was about 900 folks. Many more than followed through the Family Reunification program.
Sun Bujri:
Within the context of race, we are categorized as “Asian American” and then under that, “Southeast Asian American”. Southeast Asians are the largest refugee community ever resettled in the United States. Currently, there are 3 million Southeast Asian Americans.
Within the context of race, we are categorized as “Asian American” and then under that, “Southeast Asian American”. Southeast Asians are the largest refugee community ever resettled in the United States. Currently, there are 3 million Southeast Asian Americans.
This experience of the Vietnam war, the secret war in Laos and genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge, followed by persecution, escape and resettlement as refugees and immigrants unite us in a single identity.
The US was not prepared to resettle the Southeast Asian communities, lacking resources that further traumatized communities. When they came in the 80s and 90s, a majority were placed in high-need communities with schools that lacked resources and culturally-competent support.
Similar to other communities of color, we suffer from multi-generational poverty, racial profiling, and over-policing. 18% of the Cambodian families and 22% of Hmong families still live under the poverty line compared with 11% of US families overall. Over 34% of Cambodian, Lao, and Hmong students do not complete high school compared with 13% of the general population.
The Asian American “model minority” is a myth for us.
Sun Bujri:
Montagnards were resettled in NC because of a growing economy, the Special Forces military base in the area and a climate similar to Vietnam. North Carolina, specifically in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, has the largest Montagnard community outside of Southeast Asia. Greensboro is also home of the Montagnard Dega Association. Growing up in Greensboro,
I have noticed that the Montagnard communities have stayed siloed and kept to ourselves and/or the church in the early 90s and 2000s.
Presently, Greensboro has grown in its refugee and immigrant communities. With this, leaders found commonality with other communities, notice similar struggles, desire change and want better for our community. MDA has worked with other Southeast Asian organizations like the Cambodian Cultural Center of North Carolina and the Southeast Asian Coalition and with Jalloh's Upright Services, a refugee and immigrant service. Together, we all work with refugees and immigrants.
Sun Bujri:
This takes us back to the question of identity and how the Montagnard American community moves forward from here.
We are referred to as “Montagnard”. Some prefer the term "Dega", a Jarai word, or "Degar”, a Rhade word, "Yards" and “Highlanders” and “Mountain People” by Special Forces and others. In Vietnam and the US , some community members do not identify themselves as Montagnard, and prefer their tribal identity. Some community members do not like the term “Montagnard” because it’s an erasure of their tribal identity, struggle, and experience.
Our community needs a space where we can hold conversations about our history and how we move forward.
Our stories and struggle aren't visible.
We are left out of history books and fabric of North Carolina life.
(What's the solution?)
Andrew Young:
We found four significant gaps that had to be bridged.
We show the campus timeline as a dotted line to emphasize that it is mostly “off the clock”, on vacation, on break, or at conferences, which rarely synch with the 24/7 life of community and the big world beyond the campus green.
We found four significant gaps that had to be bridged.
We show the campus timeline as a dotted line to emphasize that it is mostly “off the clock”, on vacation, on break, or at conferences, which rarely synch with the 24/7 life of community and the big world beyond the campus green.
(What's the solution?)
Andrew Young:
The second gap is a difference in resources and the issues of power that they bring.
Higher ed’s resources vastly outweigh anything that marginalized communities can command.
As a “steward of place”, to use Saltmarsh’s term, diligent colleges and universities recognize this gap, and willingly engage poor families and their youth.
Andrew Young:
The second gap is a difference in resources and the issues of power that they bring.
Higher ed’s resources vastly outweigh anything that marginalized communities can command.
As a “steward of place”, to use Saltmarsh’s term, diligent colleges and universities recognize this gap, and willingly engage poor families and their youth.
(What's the solution?)
Andrew Young:
The youth I worked with could barely explain to their professors that they worked, even though they had full scholarships, went home to clean the family bathroom, babysit, and carry on all their duties they did as high schoolers, and that on weekends they attended church, community social events and contributed to many activities, because culture dictated their time.
That’s why they car-crashed staying up until 6 AM doing assignments and writing their professors’ papers.
For the Montagnard community, multilingual, multiracial, multi-tribal, they encounter higher ed institutions that only recognize world languages, that confuse their race, ethnicity and identity, and that cannot distinguish among Bunong, Bahnar, Jarai, Rhade or Koho tribal groups.
Andrew Young:
The youth I worked with could barely explain to their professors that they worked, even though they had full scholarships, went home to clean the family bathroom, babysit, and carry on all their duties they did as high schoolers, and that on weekends they attended church, community social events and contributed to many activities, because culture dictated their time.
That’s why they car-crashed staying up until 6 AM doing assignments and writing their professors’ papers.
For the Montagnard community, multilingual, multiracial, multi-tribal, they encounter higher ed institutions that only recognize world languages, that confuse their race, ethnicity and identity, and that cannot distinguish among Bunong, Bahnar, Jarai, Rhade or Koho tribal groups.
(What's the solution?)
Andrew Young:
The last gap is about contrasting agendas. Higher ed pursues corporate priorities in ways which can be utterly mystifying to community, from the forms, signatures and methods of payment it requires to the check boxes it asks community youth and parents to select.
Academia wants research done on issues and topics that align with funding agency priorities, with results publishable in high-impact scholarly journals. Community agenda is about survival, cultural preservation and tackling the most pressing problems plaguing households.
A Montagnard Cambodian Jarai youth failing statistics three times and graduating late might just be another struggling sub-average student of color to an institution, but not to his community.
Andrew Young:
The last gap is about contrasting agendas. Higher ed pursues corporate priorities in ways which can be utterly mystifying to community, from the forms, signatures and methods of payment it requires to the check boxes it asks community youth and parents to select.
Academia wants research done on issues and topics that align with funding agency priorities, with results publishable in high-impact scholarly journals. Community agenda is about survival, cultural preservation and tackling the most pressing problems plaguing households.
A Montagnard Cambodian Jarai youth failing statistics three times and graduating late might just be another struggling sub-average student of color to an institution, but not to his community.
(Why is our solution better than others?)
Andrew Young:
We designed service learning, community engagement and community-based participatory research to close these four gaps.
The solution, we found, was among our students, community youth whose families we knew, whose mothers we taught ESOL, or who we saw grow up.
These were the community insiders who could help outsiders move their community from “after the fact”, a priori research subjects to the ones who could talk to leaders, identify priorities and concerns, and in the roles as service learning students and CBPR researchers, channel some of the rich resources of their institutions towards improving the lives of their families, friends and neighbors.
Such youth have become the community’s next-generation leaders.
Andrew Young:
We designed service learning, community engagement and community-based participatory research to close these four gaps.
The solution, we found, was among our students, community youth whose families we knew, whose mothers we taught ESOL, or who we saw grow up.
These were the community insiders who could help outsiders move their community from “after the fact”, a priori research subjects to the ones who could talk to leaders, identify priorities and concerns, and in the roles as service learning students and CBPR researchers, channel some of the rich resources of their institutions towards improving the lives of their families, friends and neighbors.
Such youth have become the community’s next-generation leaders.
(Why is our solution better than others?)
Sudha Shreeniwas:
We university faculty members work in an atmosphere of resource constraints. We need to use every strategy in the academic toolbox to promote the mutual goals of community, youth, and academic priorities.
Thus, our approach is not any revolutionary innovation, but a full use of existing University mechanisms.
These include strategic course designs, strategically placing students in Independent Study and Internship classes, using Service Learning hours, recruiting and mentoring Honors theses and other capstone experiences, and seeking support for undergraduate research.
Sudha Shreeniwas:
We university faculty members work in an atmosphere of resource constraints. We need to use every strategy in the academic toolbox to promote the mutual goals of community, youth, and academic priorities.
Thus, our approach is not any revolutionary innovation, but a full use of existing University mechanisms.
These include strategic course designs, strategically placing students in Independent Study and Internship classes, using Service Learning hours, recruiting and mentoring Honors theses and other capstone experiences, and seeking support for undergraduate research.
Sharon Morrison:
Service learning and Research by minority students were the most impactful High Impact Practices reported by AACU, vastly affecting retention and improving learning performance. We arrange them to account for existing long term community sites within the Montagnard community serviced by college students from the Montagnard community.
Sharon Morrison:
Connecting insiders, youth who are now college students, are the gap closers. They anchor Service Learning and CBPR teams. They provide continuity.
If we were to count community contributions in the same way higher ed tracks service hours, the numbers might appear like this (see graphic). For example, Montagnard youth logged over 11,000 hours on Service Learning and Community-Based Participatory Research.
Sudha Shreeniwas:
Our approach is not any revolutionary innovation. All the mechanisms of higher ed are deployed by us to help our college students from the Montagnard community succeed. That includes study abroad in Vietnam, interinstitutional cooperation among area college and university faculty and offices, and joint teams from multiple institutions winning accolades at state and regional undergraduate research symposia.
Sharon Morrison:
Unless change happens in both community and campus, it isn’t transformational. Our approach delivers change on both fronts.
Sharon Morrison:
This is what transformation change looks like — dozens and dozens of youth from community and campuses from highly diverse backgrounds working together on the Montagnard Hypertension Project over a five year time span. Our teams have been multilingual, multiracial, multi-tribal, multi-ethnic, because that’s where our youth are today.
Sun Bujri:
This is what transformation looks like for our community.
At the Smithsonian’s 2015 National Folk Festival, our new youth group, Montagnard American Organization (MAO), mobilized youth to come out, and elders, too, all on a voluntary basis, and organized performances, presentations, dancing, weaving, traditional and contemporary music, weaving, and health information.
On the first day, we had a turnout of 500. MAO is now a part of the Montagnard Dega Association, originally founded by elders in 1987. Today, eleven of the fourteen positions are held by youth.
New youth leaders are responsible for reviving Montagnard Dega Association, creating a Community Advisory Council to guide researchers and professionals working in our community, and pushing hard for external funding to improve services to families.
(Results, impact, outcomes)
Sudha Shreeniwas:
Our work complements what community already knows and practices. Here is Tina Ho-Le, a pharmacist, helping elders understand hypertension during a community health fair jointly organized by the Montagnard Hypertension team and community youth.
Professionals like Tina are pioneers for the Montagnard community. It is now time for higher ed to use its resources so the individual achievements of community pioneers become a “community pipeline” of talent.
That, we believe, is community capacity building.
Sudha Shreeniwas:
Our work complements what community already knows and practices. Here is Tina Ho-Le, a pharmacist, helping elders understand hypertension during a community health fair jointly organized by the Montagnard Hypertension team and community youth.
Professionals like Tina are pioneers for the Montagnard community. It is now time for higher ed to use its resources so the individual achievements of community pioneers become a “community pipeline” of talent.
That, we believe, is community capacity building.
Sharon Morrison:
Next generation leadership is synonymous with capacity building and sustainability.
Only Montagnard youth have the time and capacity to knock on and open doors.
All our work is based on their skills, insider knowledge and dedication to community.
Andrew Young:
This is our final slide. Time today doesn’t allow for a deep look at the Montagnard and Montagnard American experience.
Youth now occupy 11 of the 14 positions at Montagnard Dega Association. Their first big gala fundraiser has sold out, with only VIP tickets left.
At a sit down meeting with youth leaders from the Cambodian Cultural Center of North Carolina, Montagnard youth discussed a joint grant proposal. As the meeting progressed they shared stories growing up together. Montagnard kids used to swim in the temple’s pond. Many Cambodians are Khmer Krom, or ethnic Cambodians from Vietnam. So much in common. During the American War almost every Montagnard village was destroyed or uprooted and 350,000 killed. Under the Khmer Rouge, almost a quarter of the population was killed. Today, deportation is a threat to both communities.
When Cambodian youth organized a panel discussion of elected officials, Sun Bujri was an invited speaker.
These and other refugee communities have different histories of suffering and trauma but are united in their destiny to become the newest generations of Americans.
Colleges and universities are now in a position to choose how much they will support that democratic enterprise.
In this short presentation we have sought to define the problem of mutual, fair and equitable engagement between campus and community as one that involved different calendars, levels of power and influence, culture, values and destination.
Higher ed has the tools to close gaps and communities like the Montagnards have youth who are the learners on their campuses and experts in their communities best able to wield these instruments and guide professors and fellow students into their communities.
We believe our approach is effective because youth, unlike busy elders, parents, and other community members, have the time and energy to devote years of effort towards community building.
Ultimately our projects have been sustained by the Montagnard community. We community organizers and faculty members provide technical advice for projects like the Montagnard Population Count, but only community members can knock on and open doors.
