Heritage Circle
The PeaceTrees Heritage Circle focuses on engaging and supporting a younger generation of individuals with Vietnamese heritage, especially those ages 18-35 years old. The program serves as a platform for younger people who have been impacted directly or indirectly by the U.S.-Vietnam war in various ways to participate in PeaceTrees' mission. It emphasizes dialogue and activities related to building mutual understanding, healing, and reconciliation as well as recognizing and honoring experiences among a younger age group.
Heritage Circle members meet regularly and take on leadership roles to facilitate sessions. Discussion topics and activities are selected and designed by members. Examples of subjects include, but are not limited to Vietnam, identity, war legacy, reconciliation, second generation perspectives, immigrant and refugee point of views, international student experiences, shared cultural affinity, intergenerational challenges, and so on. Members range from second generation Vietnamese Americans, Vietnamese immigrants, and Vietnamese international students studying in the US. This program builds stronger mutual understanding between young people of all Vietnamese backgrounds in the aftermath of war, ultimately strengthening the ties between Vietnam and her diaspora.
"As an international Vietnamese student in the United States, joining PeaceTrees’ Heritage Circle for youth with Vietnamese heritage has profoundly transformed my understanding of Vietnamese identity through our transnational, historical, and intergenerational connections. Beyond regular meetings, we are committed to projects that foster understanding and heal historical wounds between the people of Vietnam and the United States. My upcoming master's thesis at the University of Washington’s College of Education will highlight these transnational efforts. I look forward to seeing this initiative sustained, enabling diaspora Vietnamese American youth to become ambassadors for reconciliation and peaceful engagement between the two countries."
-Việt Nguyễn, 2024-2025 Heritage Circle Member
Learn more about our other related programming, including Heritage Citizen Diplomacy Trips. Please contact kimberly@peacetreesvietnam.org if you are interested in joining or have any questions.
