Victoria Yue

Victoria Yue is an up-and-coming community leader who is currently employed as a Youth Worker Assistant at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. The power of youth programs within the community is evident when talking to Yue. Once a participant, the recent college UMass-Boston graduate is now running several activities and programs.

Although she was born and raised in Brighton, Yue spent her teenage years “hanging out, after school” in Chinatown. She played in the Wang YMCA Community Volleyball leagues and participated in the programs offered by the Oak Street Youth Center through the BCNC.

Yue’s experiences made an indelible impact. While studying criminal justice in college, she began adding courses in Asian-American studies to her curriculum. Yue decided she wanted to work in the community she knew best — Chinatown.

“I went to work at the BCNC as an intern in October 2004. I then worked as their front desk / night administrator before becoming a youth worker,” she says. “They allowed me to work part-time during college and I’ll be going full-time in February 2006.”

Yue is now working at the Oak Street Youth Center, the same place she spent so many afternoons. As a youth worker assistant, Yue is responsible for running some of the programs and activities held after school.

One of the newest programs Yue is working on is the Girl’s Values Program. The group is for teenaged girls, ages 16–18. “It is where we discuss issues of the Asian-American girl. Things like cultural identity, family values, and Asian-American history. We also work on building self-esteem and public speaking skills,” she says. “These girls want to understand who they are, being bi-cultural.”