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When Hmong leaders gathered together to discuss the teen suicide epidemic, they concluded that Hmong youth were suffering from a dangerous disconnect. They were trapped somewhere between the American and Hmong cultures, not able to negotiate an identity, never quite fitting in to either category and struggling for acceptance with both groups. Both the Hmong youth and the general community needed a better understanding of who the Hmong really are. Since 2004, a variety of partners have made it possible to develop the Hmong Voices Project, which brings together Hmong youth and elders to record oral histories and create digital stories documenting the history of the Secret War in Laos, the Thai refugee camps, immigration to the Central Valley, and integration into American life. Their stories have been shared at community screenings, conferences, and educational seminars throughout California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Today the Hmong Voices project continues in the Central Valley, where we hope to establish a national project website which will include downloadable digital storytelling curriculum and opportunities for national participation and recognition. For more information on Hmong Voices contact: Fresno Region Ue Yang This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 559-445-0015
Sacramento Region Stephanie Xiong This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (916) 285-1816
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The Hmong Voices project started as a result of a tragic series of Hmong teen suicides in Fresno between 1998 and 2001. The Hmong are an ethnic group from the highlands of Laos who were trained by the CIA to repel communism in Southeast Asia during the period surrounding the Vietnam War. Following the communist takeover of the Laotian government, the Hmong became refugees and fled in mass, many settling in California's central San Joaquin Valley.