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The National Filipino
American Youth Association is a 501(c)3 tax exempt non-profit
organization, whose purpose is to provide technical assistance
and resources to the Filipino American community. In doing
so, NFAYA hopes to form a strong union among Filipinos involved
in youth affairs in order to protect our mutual interests,
preserve and promote our national, historical, and cultural
heritage; improve and strengthen our social and economic well-being;
and to achieve a better understanding, coordination, and support
among the entire Filipino American community.
In 1987 in Anaheim, California,
a young group of Filipino Americans gathered together at the
National Filipino American Council (NFAC) conference. Much
discussion took place that weekend about how to address and
tackle the issues that face today's Filipino American youth.
It was because of this concern of the lack of empowerment
among the Filipino youth that NFAYA was born. NFAYA was incorporated
in the state of California in 1991 as a 501(c)3 status non-profit
organization. It wasn't until 1991 in San Francisco that the
first NFAYA Youth Conference took place. Since then, NFAYA
has held national youth conferences at various cities throughout
the U.S. like Stockton, CA; Gainesville, FL; Ann Arbor, MI;
Jacksonville, FL; Seattle WA; Northwest Chicago, Itasca, IL;
San Jose, CA; Austin, TX; and Atlanta, GA.
Each year these conferences
act as a spring board for youth ideas and activism. New networks
of NFAYA continue to blossom to help the Filipino American
youth help themselves and to serve the entire Filipino community.
NFAYA is composed of ten different network regions of the
United States based on the geographic population density of
Filipinos. These networks are the following:
- East Coast: Connecticut,
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia;
- Great Lakes: Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin;
- Midwest: Kansas, Iowa,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota;
- Mountain: Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming;
- Northern California: California,
San Luis Obispo and North of Kern Counties;
- Pacific: Hawaii and Pacific
Territories:
- Pacific Northwest: Alaska,
Oregon and Washington;
- Southern: Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and adjoining U.S.
Territories;
- Southern California: California,
South of San Luis Obispo and Kern Counties;
- Southwest: Arizona, New
Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
A NFAYA director is responsible
for NFAYA activities and networking with existing resources
and organizations in each of these regions. Each director
represents their respective network as a member of the Board
of Directors of NFAYA. NFAYA State directors are appointed
each year and also a member of the Board of Directors. NFAYA
is composed of volunteers who donate their time and energy
to this organization and the youth in our community.
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