Category: Community Outreach

Vietnam Culture Camp — Unforgettable

ATG’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Aivy Nguyen, returned for another summer volunteering as camp counselor for Catalyst Foundation‘s Vietnamese Culture Camp. Here is her recap of her weekends.

“Two weekends. Two cities. One sad ATG’er who’s sad another year of camp is over.

Yet another wonderful year of camp has passed with more memories and stories with the kids, parents counselors and staff at Catalyst Culture Camps in Northfield, MN and New Haven, CT. With two camps back to back, my culturally fused weekend was a blur of kids, play-time, snack-time, arts, crafts, circle painting and the infamous never-ending piggy back rides.

Midwest Catalyst Culture Camp
East Coast Catalyst Culture Camp

This year, I was lucky enough to be chosen as camp counselor for both the Midwest and East Coast camps. Double the fun. Double the excitement. Double the amounts of lost sleep. All the while, it was very much worth every minute, because each Vietnamese adoptee I meet is a reminder of why I love doing what I do for ATG — providing ways to help raise funds for the orphans still in Vietnam so that they can hopefully one day have the same opportunities as the children I meet at Catalyst.

Day one of Minnesota camp is always a joy, as it gives the opportunity for many of the campers and parents to meet and get to know the counselors on a more one-to-one level. They also have their chance to dunk their favorite counselors during the Catalyst Carnival.

This year also reunited myself, Jack Nguyen and our incredible improv emcee skills for the counselor talent show. I was very impressed to see such an array of skills in acting, dancing, fiddle-playing and most impressively — song writing. Catalyst Culture Camp finally got its theme song, thanks to the counselors from Group 4 who re-wrote the lyrics to Katy Perry’s “California Girls” for culture camp. To see/hear a real treat, visit the Catalyst Foundation Fan Page.

The addition of Circle Painting and Vovinam also brought different cultural learning lessons to camp. The kids learned how to build onto each other’s creativity with painting, as well as the great art of martial arts and self-defense with Vovinam.

With more activities that filled the day than I could imagine, the best of all of them was getting to bond with the kids. Each one with their own story, their own history, their own personalities and ability to adapt. Every year I return, I grow more impressed and attached, not only with the kids, but the parents who have given a piece of themselves to share their lives and love. To the parents and kids, I thank you again for another great summer.

To see more of Aivy’s camp adventures, be sure to visit our ATG Fan Page and check out our photo albums!

A Camping We Will Go…

Catalyst Culture Camp

Aivy Nguyen at Catalyst Culture Camp
Last year’s experience as a camp counselor for Catalyst Culture Camp was such a wonderful one, so I’m returning as a veteran counselor for not just one camp, but both! This weekend, I will be working my first year with the St. Olaf camp in Minnesota. The kids and parents from last year’s east coast camp in New Jersey left such great memories and stories to remember. Three days of meeting families, cultural craft making and bonding made me appreciate what Catalyst does for the adoptees here, and it only motivates and inspires me more with ATG to provide for those in need overseas.  I eagerly wait to meet more inspiring families at St. Olaf!
— Aivy Nguyen, Dir of Marketing/PR

Colorado Vietnamese Heritage Camp

Jared Rehberg at Colorado Vietnamese Heritage Camp
I always look forward to Colorado Vietnamese Heritage Camp during the summer time. This special weekend in Colorado is filled with new music for all the campers, presenting life stories with my adult adoptees friends to the adoptive parents and last and certainly not least, bonding with the young generation of adoptees.
This year I will also be screening the film Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam. DVDs will be available at the screening. I love catching up with the campers I’ve met since my first camp over 6 years ago. We have drinks and share our joys and sorrows from the years past. I’m especially excited to bring new adult adoptees to share their stories at our adult workshops. It’s quite a trip for many, but well worth it in the end.
— Jared Rehberg, Dir of Community Outreach

OPERATION BABYLIFT to Screen at University Of California-Irvine

Dallas, TX – To commemorate the anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and Operation Babylift, Dallas based non-profit ATG Against the Grain Productions is honored to screen Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam at the University of California – Irvine. The award-winning documentary screening takes place on Friday, May 14th from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm  at UC Irvine Schneiderman Lecture Hall, Room 100A.

Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam tells the significant, yet untold story of the $2 million U.S. initiative that airlifted over 2,500 Vietnamese orphans out of a war-torn country from the impending threat of the Communist regime. These adoptees grew up facing unique challenges in America, including prejudice overshadowed by a controversial war and cultural identity crisis. Featuring compelling and insightful interviews of the volunteers, parents and organizations directly involved, the documentary takes a contemporary look at Operation Babylift and its relevance to international adoption today.

Lee Ngo, UC Irvine PhD student in the department of anthropology and organizer of the event, reflected upon the theme of cultural identity found in Tammy Nguyen Lee’s feature documentary. “With respect to the heated debates over interpreting the aftermath of the Vietnam War, it’s hard to choose a subject of analysis that manages to supersede many of the cultural politics of representation and identity. Tammy does exactly this through her diligent and powerful documentary,” said Ngo. “I think anyone that’s interested in formations of ethnic identity, an alternative to the hegemonic American perspective in contemporary Vietnamese history, and the complexity of international altruism should see this film. It is certainly one of the highlights of the 2009 Vietnamese International Film Festival,” said Ngo.

There will also be a Q&A following the screening with the film’ producer and director, Tammy Nguyen Lee.   “We had our world premiere at ViFF and are thrilled to return to Southern California to share this inspiring story during what is a most significant month for our community’s history,” said Lee, a MFA graduate from UCLA’s Producers Program.

The free community screening is sponsored by the UCI Department of Anthropology, UCI Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), UCI Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA) and the Union of Vietnamese Students Association of Southern California (UVSA). Tammy Nguyen Lee is a first generation Vietnamese American and founded ATG Against the Grain Productions, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to promote Asian American cultural awareness through compelling media projects, while also raising funds for international orphanages. This is her feature documentary directorial debut. For more information please visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com. Additional information for the UCI community screening is available at www.TheBabylift.com or www.vietfilmfest.com.

OPERATION BABYLIFT in Bayshore Courier News

Our upcoming community screening in New Jersey of Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam is in the Bayshore Courier News. To see the original article, please visit their website.

Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam
Bayshore Courier News
Posted:04/19/10

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Holmdel – On April 3, 1975, United States President Gerald R. Ford announced that “Operation Babylift” would fly some of the estimated 70,000 Vietnamese babies and children who were left orphaned by the Vietnam War to safety in America. Thirty flights, combining private and military planes, transported at least 2,000 children to the United States and another 1,300 children to Canada, Europe and Australia. These children, born in a war-torn land, grew up as members of international, adoptive families.

On Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm, the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will host a screening, followed by a group discussion, of the 2009 Award-Winning Film, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Operation Babylift. Many of the adoptees, organizers, family and friends involved in Operation Babylift will be in attendance to celebrate the 35th anniversary.

There will also be an honor guard procession recognizing those who did not survive the humanitarian mission known as Operation Babylift. This program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, NJ.

Guest speakers will include event organizer and author Lana Mae Noone and her daughter Jennifer Nguyen Noone, MSW, who she adopted through Babylift. Dr. Robert Ballard, a professor at Waterloo University (Ontario, Canada) and a Babylift Adoptee, and his wife Sarah who specializes in international adoption will also speak. The director of Project Reunite Trista Goldberg, also a Babylift Adoptee, will discuss her Babylift story. The nationally acclaimed author of The Life We Were Given, Dana Sachs will be present to address the audience. Retired U.S. Army Medic Ron Speight, a Vietnam Era veteran, will provide a dialogue about Operation New Life, a humanitarian program for Vietnam adults. There will be a Vietnamese and American musical performance by Lana Mae Noone prior to the film screening. The cast and crew of Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam including Producer/Director Tammy Nguyen Lee and Associate Producer Jared Rehberg will be present for a question and answer period. The documentary, which was partly filmed in New Jersey, tells the contemporary story of the adoptees as adults. Several of the day’s speakers are featured in the film. Book signings and a reception with the opportunity to view Operation Babylift artifacts will follow the film screening. The event schedule is available for view on njvvmf.org. The program is dedicated to all those who did not survive Operation Babylift.

Attendees are asked to RSVP to (732) 335-0033. Regular admission applies. Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free. The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm.

OPERATION BABYLIFT screens this Friday 4/23 at NYU

The Asian/Pacific/American Institute of New York University will host a screening and discussion of the award-winning documentary Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm this Friday, April 23rd at the Cantor Film Center, located at 36 East 8th Street, Theater 101, New York .  The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. RSVP via the A/P/A Institute website, email apa.rsvp@nyu.edu or call 212-992-9653.

Operation Babylift was a $2 million U.S. initiative that airlifted more than 2,500 Vietnamese orphans out of a war-torn country in 1975 to protect them from the impending threat of the Communist regime. Called one of the “most humanitarian efforts in history,” it was plagued by lawsuits and political turmoil.

The documentary, released in 2009, takes a candid look at Operation Babylift as seen through the eyes of the volunteers, parents and organizations directly involved. It uncovers the lost stories of the adoptees and who they have become as adults, revealing their compelling struggles and triumphs and giving them the opportunity to finally share their journeys from their perspectives.

This event celebrates the 35th anniversary of Operation Babylift and joins conversations about child rescue and adoption that have intensified in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti. A post-screening panel will discuss Operation Babylift as well as the issues faced by adoptees from Asia.

Panelists include:

Tammy Nguyen Lee, Filmmaker, Operation Babylift

Jared Rehberg, Associate Producer and adoptee participant, Operation Babylift

Tara Leaman, Associate Director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and adoptee participant, Operation Babylift

Marissa Martin, President of Also-Known-As, Inc.

Lili Johnson, NYU Student, Dept of Social & Cultural Analysis, and adoptee from China

Moderated by Laura Chen-Schultz, Deputy Director, A/P/A Institute at NYU

The screening is made possible by support from the NYU Center for Media, Culture and History/Center for Religion and Media .Co-sponsored by Familes with Children from China of Greater New York and Also Known As, Inc.

To RSVP, visit the A/P/A Institute Operation Babylift Event Page.

More information about the documentary is available at TheBabylift.com.

Tammy Nguyen Lee to Join Vietnamese Filmmakers at Cinema Symposium 5

Tammy Nguyen Lee, ATG Against The Grain Productions President and filmmaker,  joins several other Vietnamese filmmakers and creatives at the Cinema Symposium 5 panel discussion held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at UCLA. Tammy will stream in live from Dallas, TX to  share her perspective on producing her award-winning documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam. Read below for more info:

Cinema Symposium 5 Unites Filmmakers, from Established to Emerging, Local to Global

HIDDEN GENIUS’s Top Five Films To Be Screened at Cinema Symposium 5
Los Angeles, Calif. – UCLA’s Vietnamese Language and Culture (VNLC) and the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) present the fifth biennial Cinema Symposium titled “Operation Greenlight: Breaking into the World of Vietnamese Cinema.” Cinema Symposium 5 will be held on Sunday, April 18, 2010 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Dodd Hall 121 on the UCLA campus. Admission is free and open to the public. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.

The symposium will feature 11 distinguished guests. Our panel includes: Kieu Chinh (Actress/Producer, “Journey from the Fall,” “Sad Fish”, “Time”), Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo (Director, “Buffalo Boy”, “Don’t Look Back”), Mark Tran (Director, “All About Dad”), Orchid Lam Quynh (Actress, “Sad Fish”), Minh Duc Nguyen (Director, “Touch”), Nadine Truong (Director, “Shadow Man”), Danny Do (Producer, “Just Kidding Films”). As a special feature, we will also be streaming “Live” from Saigon the production team from “De Mai Tinh” [Fool for Love], with Dustin Nguyen, Irene Trinh, and Charlie Nguyen. Also joining us “Live” from Dallas, Texas, is director Tammy Nguyen Lee of “Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam.”

The esteemed panelists will be discussing the “ins” and “outs” of Vietnamese filmmaking, producing, and distributing. They will offer advice and speak about their experiences in the making of films and short videos in both Vietnam and Vietnamese America. The panel discussion will be followed by a lively Q & A. Shortly thereafter, please join us for the screening of the “Hidden Genius” competition entries.

“Hidden Genius” is an exciting short film competition open to emerging filmmakers. After months of screening and deliberation, the selection committee nominated five short films for the Grand Jury Award, sponsored by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA), and the Audience Award, sponsored by Coco Paris LLC. These films hail from four countries — the United States, Canada, Australia, and Vietnam — and, in spite of the specific qualifications of this competition, vary immensely in subject matter and aesthetics. Patrick Bergeron’s “Loop Loop” is an experimental panorama filmed from a train ride in Hanoi. Justin Quoc Dang’s “Dice” is a thrilling lesson on the ephemeral nature of glory. Minh Duc Hoang Tran’s “Closed…!” explores the mounting tension between an alienated wife and her oblivious husband. Hoa Vu’s “Water Me” is a tongue-in-cheek memoir of a vacation in Vietnam among friends. Last, Huy Vu’s “Thinking of You” is a lush vignette about a quirky flower shop girl and the elusive “object” of her desire. These films, deriving from the furthest corners from our base in southern California, demonstrate that Vietnamese is indeed a “globalized” nationality, hence the theme of this year’s Cinema Symposium 5 – “Operation Greenlight: Breaking into the World of Vietnamese Cinema.”

Cinema Symposium was created in 2002 by VAALA and VNLC and is held every other year at UCLA. The forum seeks to create connections between Vietnamese American professionals working in the film industry and students with an interest in film and Vietnamese culture. Cinema Symposium alternates yearly with the Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), which is also biennial. It works to promote works that are by or about Vietnamese Americans. The event also highlights the achievements of professionals in front of and behind the camera. These artists’ accomplishments in this highly competitive industry continue to pave the way for other Vietnamese Americans and are inspirational to many in the community.

2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Meet and greet; refreshments served
3:00 – 3:10 p.m. Opening remarks
3:10 – 3:30 p.m. Showcase of trailers/clips
3:30 – 5:15 p.m. Panel discussion
5:15 – 5:30 p.m. LIVE streaming from Saigon with Để Mai Tính team
5:30 – 5:35 p.m. LIVE streaming from Dallas with Tammy Nguyen Lee
5:36 – 6:00 p.m. Screning of Hidden Genius’s five finalists
6:00 – 6:15 p.m. Break
6:15 – 7:00 p.m. Awards presentation

Moderated by Lee Ngo and Daniel Pham

FUNDED BY:
Funded by USA/BOD and Coco Paris LLC

For more info, visit:
www.vnlc.org
www.vaala.org
www.VietFilmFest.com

Operation Babylift to be presented at SMU Leadership Conference

Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam to be presented at SMU Leadership Conference


DALLAS, TX –Dallas-based nonprofit organization ATG Against the Grain Productions will showcase excerpts from their award-winning documentary Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam as a part of a presentation for Southern Methodist University’s annual Asian American Leadership and Educational Conference (AALEC). Filmmaker Tammy Nguyen Lee, a SMU alum, will join LA-based cast member/adoptee DC Wolfe in a panel immediately following to discuss their experiences working on the project and in the film industry. The presentation and panel will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, February 19th at SMU’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center Theater.

Operation Babylift is Tammy Nguyen Lee’s feature directorial debut and tells the story of how more than 2,500 orphans were airlifted out of Vietnam during the last days of the Vietnam War and their tumultuous journey growing up in America.  The documentary incorporates a historical and contemporary view of this little known and controversial part of American history, featuring compelling interviews from a cross-section of adoptees, their parents and volunteers, as well as archival and rare home video footage. “The story of Operation Babylift relates to so many people on a number of levels and covers issues of identity to international adoption today. In a particularly relevant time, I’m honored to share it with young minds who can use it as a springboard for their own growth and learning,” said Tammy Nguyen Lee.

AALEC’s mission is to connect high school and college students with speakers and workshops that address cultural issues as well as leadership and career planning. “We think that the students would get a deeper understanding of the meaning of finding their identity and learn from Tammy and DC on how having confidence has helped them reached their goals,” said Yen Diep, AALEC Programming Director.

ATG Against The Grain Productions, a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes Asian-American cultural awareness through compelling media projects and raises funds for international orphanages. Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam has received the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival and the Documentary Audience Choice Award from the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. For more information, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com or www.TheBabylift.com

ATG Gives Back – Orphanage Update

Recent typhoons have threatened Vietnam with the biggest floods in decades. We had sent funds over just in time before the storms hit. Luckily, one of our own orphanages only faced minor damages during the flood and sent us a very heart-warming email. Here is the their message, translated into English:

Dear ATG family,

Hope everyone is well. The bad storm and its flood were so horrific. The wind was up to level 14 and 15 and caused much damage to the Central and Mountain area of Vietnam, destroying many lives and properties.  The lives of the people in these areas, most of whom are already poor, now have become more difficult.  I saw the news and felt so bad for them.

At least [we] were not hurt.  After the storm and the flood, everyone is safe and the house is not damaged.  The bedrooms of the kids and the kitchen were flooded as high as 30 cm.  After the water retreated, the older kids and I cleaned up the mud for 3 days.  However, even when everyone were tired and busy, I felt that I could not let the children go without the Mid-Autumn festival.  Thus, I have organized a small celebration for the children from Uu Dam and other kids from the disadvantaged families in the neighborhood.  The children were so happy and encouraged.   I attached a few pictures of Uu Dam family as we faced the flood and enjoyed the Mid-Autumn Fest thanks to ATG family.  Wishing everyone at ATG happy and healthy.

 

 

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Children of the orphanage during the floods
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Cleaning up from the flood damage
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Sister with the children celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival

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2009 Colorado Heritage Camp

Hi ATG Family!

Even with the loss of our dear friend Heather Reu in June, this year’s camp turned out to be very special. Heather Reu lived for children. She worked at the youth camp and taught Sunday school. And when doctors told Reu and her husband they couldn’t have children of their own, Reu and her husband adopted four children who were living in foster homes in Vietnam or China.

Heather must have provided the sunny weather and cool nights. They named the Thursday night potluck dinner, “The Heather Reu Potluck dinner”. Phil (Heather’s husband) and their 4 kids returned to camp, surrounded by love and support.

It was so great to see all the kids from last year and catch up. I love hearing stories about their past year away from camp. I was also so grateful and honored to be joined by a small group of adult adoptees: Trista Goldberg, Kevin Maes, Tricia Houston and Ethan Brady. We shared our stories and experiences in 2 unique workshops with 4 total sessions. We played the first 10 minutes of our film OB and made new fans for ATG.

adoptees_reunite

It was great to speak to the adoptive parents. The love for their kids and concerns of being good parents warms my heart everytime. Saturday evening, we opened our cabin up to the high school group and made a big spagetti and meatball dinner. We talked about everything! It was a blast.

adoptees_dinner-1

On Saturday night at the annual gala, I took to the stage for one of my favorite performances of the year.

jared_performs

I look forward to returning next year to the camps new location, Estes Park, CO. I look forward to seeing old and new families. This next year will be the anniversary of Operation Babylift, and with that so many are excited to meet new adult adoptees and see Tammy’s completed film. I hope filmmaker, Tammy Nguyen Lee, will be there personally to share her experiences making the film.

-Jared

2009 Catalyst Foundation Culture Camp

Hello, ATG Community!

This is Aivy Nguyen, your Marketing/PR Director for ATG, popping in to re-cap my fantastic experience working with Catalyst Foundation as a first-time camp counselor!

I had an amazing time a few weeks ago in New Jersey at the Catalyst Culture Camp, where I was not only a first-time camp counselor, but I also had the opportunity to present a sneak peek of Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam and talk about ATG during a parent session workshop. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Catalyst is a non-profit that focuses on improving the lives of orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children in Vietnam. They have two camps a year, one in Minnesota and one on the east Coast, to promote Vietnamese culture to families that have adopted children from Vietnam and to allow those families to meet and bond with one another.

After the 12-hour trek in a van filled with other counselors from the Mid-west, we descended upon Rowan University in the morning, just in time to help set-up camp for the weekend. Time quickly passed and as the evening drew near, so did the the families. You could feel the energy and excitement begin to build all around the room as each family checked-in, and I eagerly awaited for the evening to begin. It definitely took me a few moments to adjust to seeing so many multi-racial familes, but very refreshing nonetheless. For the first first session of the evening, I had the wonderful privilege to work alongside Hanna Nguyen and Kristina Doan and teach traditional Vietnamese hat and ribbon dance. It was a wonderful opportunity  to get to interact with the kids and parents and to find out that so much grace and elegance exists among some of our male counselors!

Later that  evening, all 60 counselors put on a Culture Camp Counselor Talent Show in which our creative skills were put to the test and we all had to perform impromptu acts. It was very entertaining to say the least. From Vietnamese story-telling, human pyramids, Michael Jackson impersonating, to a parody of Vietnamese hat and ribbon dancing to the Mulan soundtrack–it was quite the spectacle.

But no worries, the campers got to show-off their talents and knowledge of the Vietnamese culture as well.

The time in New Jersey at the Catalyst Culture Camp was absolutely amazing. It was a great experience and a bit surreal, all at the same time. In the past, the kids we worked with in Vietnam were pre-adoption who were fully immersed in the Vietnamese culture and definitely knew more about it than I did. This time around, the kids were around the same age but they were exactly opposite. They were still the same happy kids, but one set didn’t know the language and had just completely different mindsets.The Familes and Counselors for Culture Camp 2009 (New Jersey)

The Familes and Counselors for Culture Camp 2009 (New Jersey)

I thoroughly enjoyed the three energy-fused days of meeting the families, craft-making, dancing, talent shows and many rounds of piggy back rides. In a span of only three days, I developed bonds with not only my fellow counselors, but with the kids as well. There was a definite void and slight feeling of emptiness as we loaded the van and pulled out of Rowan University campus. It was a great experience, and one I will never forget. I will definitely be back again next year!

Looking forward to see everyone back in Dallas for the Dallas premiere of Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam and our 2nd Annual Cocktails for a Cause fundraiser!!!

Best,

Aivy Nguyen