Written by: Agatha N.
At the beginning of September this year, a new club was started at KCI. Rose Thang Ngan, a grade twelve student, began brainstorming the idea of starting an Asian club here at KCI a year ago. Her idea became a reality as the club began during the first week of school this past September. Ms. Phounsavath, a KCI staff member, helped establish this club for the school. The Asian Club spreads awareness and offers a space to meet new people.
Rose and Ms. Phounsavath explained to The Edge what the Asian Club participates in and how it operates. Rose discussed, “The Asian club is where we learn and get to know one another. When there are problems in Asian areas, we talk to one another about it, we make connections, and make food.”
Ms. Phounsavath stated, “It's for all students. They don't necessarily have to be Asian. We all gather and spend time together. It has gotten me, as well, to meet other students and see how big the Asian Club relations are here at KCI.”
Ms. Phounsavath also spoke about what inspired her to help sponsor the Asian Club: “Rose, the president of the club, approached me last year about wanting to start this club.” She continued by telling The Edge about how she thought Rose was joking at first, until this September the topic was brought up again about creating this club, and it all became real. Ms. Phounsavath also talked briefly about herself being the staff sponsor of a club for the first time: “I have never been a part of anything besides hospitality, so it was really awesome to be part of another community here at KCI. ”
Rose and Ms. Phounsavath both mentioned the smaller Asian population in the area. When asked about the benefits of the Asian Club at KCI and within the community. Rose spoke about creating the club for more awareness of Asian culture and to gather together. The same question was asked to Ms. Phounsavath, who answered, “Exposure. It's really great to see that there are a lot of students who are interested in Asian culture!”
Ms. Phounsavath also discussed the snack sale they held at the October 31st community fest, selling different types of Asian snacks. She stated, “The snacks sold out, like the Pocky, Hello Panda cookies, and some candy. Students just loved it.”
Mrs Phouvansavath continued by expressing how she hopes to continue to be the staff sponsor for the club. She talked about how the club will stay for the next year and hopefully a student will feel inspired to take over for the years that follow.
Also while talking about the future, Rose told The Edge about her plans for the club and its goals, explaining, “Yes, I was planning on running conferences, making us way bigger than we actually are right now. Just putting on baby steps right now to make bigger steps for the future for the people running it next year and the year after that. So, I'm hoping to do the best I can right now so those who are running it next year can get a better start.”
When talking about the importance of bringing more awareness of the Asian culture to the school, Rose passionately said, “I think it's important because the only problems that get talked about in school are politics, but not many people talk about issues in Asia like Burma, which is now getting talked about, and Pakistan and Palestine. I think it's really important to know about these other countries that are not being talked about today.”
Rose additionally revealed to The Edge what the Asian Club means to her, noting, “The Asian Club means, honestly, just eating food, just gathering together, making new friends, and that's what I'm seeing around. I've seen lately people making new friends and bringing friends. Some people are not Asian, and they just want to learn, play games, and learn more about Asia in general.” She also explained that it's a diverse community where you can learn about one another's culture and background.
Overall, the Asian Club is a space in which everyone is welcome. Club members can eat food, watch movies, and learn more about Asian culture. Rose enthusiastically concluded, “Join Asian club, even if you're not Asian,” placing emphasis on the learning and awareness aspects of the club.