Our Programs

APIs CAN builds power with working-class AAPI communities across Massachusetts by uplifting AAPI voices to advance equity for all marginalized communities.

Our programs include:

  • Civic Engagement: Voter outreach, policy advocacy, and civic education.

  • Community Defense: Legal support, Know Your Rights trainings, and self-defense classes.

  • Youth Organizing Support: Strengthening adults who organize AAPI youth through Truth from Youth.

  • Leadership Development: Trainings in advocacy, public speaking, and grassroots organizing.

Learn more about APIs CAN’s programming below!

AAPI Story Telling Training Series

Twice a year, APIs CAN brings together a cohort of Asian & Pacific Islander changemakers to share our stories, challenge stereotypes, and build the skills to advocate for our communities. Over the course of the training, participants will:

☕ Learn powerful storytelling techniques

🎤 Practice public speaking in a supportive environment

💬 Connect advocacy to action on key issues

🤝 Build community with other AAPI leaders across Massachusetts

Whether you’re new to advocacy or a seasoned organizer, your story matters — and now is the time to tell it.

Our next cohort runs October 17-19, priority deadline for applications is September 12!

Truth From Youth

Truth from Youth is an initiative hosted by APIs CAN and the Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association (MAEA) for organizers who support AAPI youth in the Boston area and across Massachusetts.

The program strengthens the work of youth organizers—adults who engage young people in building power for systemic change while supporting their leadership and development. Grounded in a commitment to justice, Truth from Youth uplifts youth most impacted by oppression, builds intergenerational and intersectional connections, and helps shift power toward long-term systemic transformation.

The program runs from October 2025 through April 2026. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please submit by September 22. Questions? Contact Yoojin Lee yoojin.truth@gmail.com

Self Defense & Community Safety

APIs CAN strengthens civil rights protections for AAPI communities across the Commonwealth by equipping working-class, impacted community members with tools for advocacy, organizing, and public leadership. Expanding beyond civic engagement, APIs CAN now provides legal defense support, Know Your Rights trainings, and self-defense classes, helping communities respond to rising hate, discrimination, and systemic injustice.

Rooted in a pan-Asian lens and a deep commitment to racial justice, this work builds cross-racial solidarity and uplifts the voices of AAPI communities in broader movements for equity and safety.