Hmong Youth and Parents United

Sacramento Valley Sacramento County Asian/Asian-American/Pacific Islander Folklife/Other Hmong 2020

About the Organization

The Hmong Youth and Parents United (HYPU) was originally founded in 2008 in order to teach the Hmong language and culture to students. It is one of the few existing non-profit organizations in Sacramento that is largely volunteer based and committed to serving underserved communities, in particular Hmong students and parents. HYPU’s vision is to empower underserved communities by providing and promoting educational, social and economic opportunities to underserved communities in the greater Sacramento region.
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The scope of work and capacity of HYPU has grown in the years of its operation. HYPU’s executive team, advisors, members at large, liaison, and volunteers are all passionate individuals who come from every direction of life. They have in-depth experience working for and with the Hmong community as well as other underserved community and have engaged in assessments that allow for them to identify and understand the needs of the Hmong community. HYPU is composed of strong-will individuals with prodigious commitment to serve the Hmong community.

HYPU has created a successful youth summer camp (the Hmong Enrichment Summer camp for students in K-12 grades), the Heights Dance program and offered community classes. Through the combined efforts of these endeavors, HYPU has successfully engaged its community through classes on language, various art forms such as pat ntaub (embroidery), and other cultural traditions like Hmong dancing.

Living Cultures Grant

2020

Performing Arts and Culture Program

In 2020 Hmong Youth and Parents United received a Living Cultures Grant from ACTA to create the Performing Arts and Culture Program, an eight-week program which will allow community members in Sacramento to continue to learn about various Hmong cultural arts and participate in performances as well. Classes in this program will center around dance, folk singing, language, and other cultural traditions and will be offered to students of all ages. Some courses will highlight endangered cultural traditions, such as the folksinging art of Kwv Txhiaj, in an effort to ensure their preservation. Courses will explore the historical background of these traditions as well as how they are practiced today. In addition, the program plans to document the various performing arts of the Hmong through audio and video recordings to be used as future resources.