On the Anniversary of the BP Oil Spill, New Orleans Youth Continue to Make a Difference

 “The youth that we work with, they’ve never had the childhood that they were entitled to, ever,” says Sean Nguyen, Health Coordinator at Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO). When the BP oil spill hit, you know, many youth were just getting over dealing with Katrina. Many immediately became translators for their parents, explaining the claims process, becoming accountants, digging up receipts, and helping with the financial recovery process.”

The heavy burden of helping their families through crisis has taken a toll on the lives of young Vietnamese American youth in the Gulf Coast, but the responsibility and love that they have for their families compels them to continue giving back. Sean is a young college student himself, working toward his bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of New Orleans and working full time at VAYLA-NO. Sean grew up in Houma, LA about an hour south of New Orleans, and he tries to go home as often as he can to help out, but it’s a sacrifice that takes time away from the path that he is trying to forge for himself. “My mom—she knows that I go to college, that I’m trying to finish school and working full time, and she never asks me to come home on the weekend… but you feel it in her voice. She’s tired…she needs help.”

Everyone in the Gulf was affected by the spill. As Sean puts it, “If you weren’t directly affected by it, your relative or your friend was.” And because everyone was affected by the oil spill in one way or another, the economy in the region continues to suffer. Sean’s mom runs a gas station and convenience store in Houma. “Most of our customers at the store were fisherman–so they are not coming in as much anymore. We weren’t really making that much before, but now, they have even less money to spend, so her store is struggling. It’s like a domino effect.”

 Like Sean, many youth are helping their parents, working in the stores as cashiers and trying to help out in any way they can. Like other immigrant youth before them, their contributions are out of love and respect for their elders and a desire to give back to their families. They don’t expect to be compensated.  

VAYLA-NO provides needed respite from the pressures and responsibilities of their daily lives. “I feel like the youth here will never get the childhood that they were entitled to, like hanging out with their friends, or going to a movie. That’s mostly what we try to provide at VAYLA.”

As the Health Program Coordinator, Sean runs two programs, Family Circle and Safe Space, which provide space for youth to relieve stress, support one another, learn, and have fun. Family Circle is a discussion group that meets regularly to talk through issues that affect young people. At Safe Space, youth can hang out while learning about stress management and preventing alcohol and substance abuse. They can also paint, listen to music with friends, learn how to cook, and express themselves through art or dance. Sean sees that his programs have had a positive impact on VAYLA-NO youth. “They are happy and carefree when they’re here. I hope that they take that attitude outside of these walls too.”

VAYLA-NO youth have used these safe spaces to talk about the oil spill and how much it has changed their lives, but they are also interested in taking action. In August of last year, the youth brought their community’s concerns about the oil spill to the attention of policymakers. 80 youth traveled to DC to rally on Capitol Hill on the 100^th day anniversary of the spill. As a result, they were able to reiterate the core issues that the community demanded: 1) language access for limited English proficient individuals, 2) access to health care (including mental health care), 3) debt relief for families impacted, 4) and the creation of employment opportunities in the region. They were truly the voices for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. Guest speakers at the rally included the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Congressman Cao, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). In October 2010, in order to bring even greater awareness about the BP oil spill, the youth hosted a benefit and showed their video which gives voice to those affected by the oil spill.

Referring to the oil spill, Sean says: “My goal, personally, is to empower youth to learn from this experience and figure out how we can be better for it. I want to teach them how we can manage our levels of stress and take better self-care. Things out of our control are gonna happen in life. It’s how you deal with it that counts.”

Sean Nguyen, Health Coordinator (VAYLA-NO)