Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPIs) have long pursued self-employment and small business ownership as a pathway to greater economic security. This holiday season, National CAPACD is highlighting how our members are supporting the entrepreneurs in our communities through a variety of ways in our new webinar series, Supporting Small Businesses in Our Communities.
This webinar series will consist of two parts:
Part 1
The Community Cloth: A Microenterprise Program in Texas
December 8 at 3 p.m. ET
Part 2
Night Markets: Celebrating Culture and Entrepreneurship
December 15 at 4 p.m. ET
Join these webinars to learn about the intersection between culture-keeping and entrepreneurship and how to support AA and NHPI entrepreneurs, especially before the holidays.
To learn more about each webinar and register, read below.
The Community Cloth: A Microenterprise Program in Texas
December 8
3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. MT / 12 p.m. PT
On December 8, join us and one of our members, The Alliance, for a webinar where they’ll discuss their microenterprise initiative, The Community Cloth. The initiative combines elements of culture and heritage with education and community, empowering refugee and immigrant women for over 15 years in Houston, Texas. Through cultural expression and the creation and sale of their handmade, indigenous arts and crafts, participating artisans learn the potential of entrepreneurship to achieve self-sufficiency in their transition to life in the U.S.
Key program organizers will discuss the strategies used to create and maintain this microenterprise program and share the challenges they face. Panelists will include:
- Wesley Givan, Program Manager, Entrepreneurship Program, The Alliance
- Jim Nguyen, Director, Asset Building Programs, The Alliance
- Michelle Shattuck, Coordinator, Entrepreneurship Program, The Alliance
We’ve also invited a participating artisan to share their personal story and experience.
Night Markets: Celebrating Culture and Entrepreneurship
December 15
4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. PT
On December 15, join us and two of our members, Kultivate Labs and Think! Chinatown, as they share how they have worked with small business entrepreneurs and host highly successful night markets in San Francisco South of Market and New York Chinatown. These markets feature artisans and food vendors and a range of performers to help small businesses, build community, and support their neighborhood.
Panelists will include:
- Desi Danganan, Executive Director, Kultivate Labs
- Yin Kong, Executive Director, Think!Chinatown
Join this webinar to learn about night markets as part of employing creative place-based approaches as vehicles for cultivating community social cohesion, driving economic development, and solving place-based challenges.