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Southeast Asia in Focus (SEAIF) was founded in 2004 to provide quality staff development about Southeast Asian issues and topics to K-12 schools in California. California is linked to Southeast Asia by contemporary demographics, economics and international communications. Of 33 million Californians (2000 census) no less than three million are of Southeast Asian heritage. The cultural presence of Southeast Asia is striking everywhere in the state. Languages such as Hmong and Lao in Sacramento and Fresno, Cambodian in Stockton, Vietnamese in Westminster and Tagalog in Daly City constitute virtual official second languages. This influence is apparent not only in the great, diverse metropolitan centers such as Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco, but even more remarkably in inland valley towns ranging from Redding and Oroville in the north to Visalia and Porterville in the southern San Joaquin valley.
We are very excited to be offering for the first time, a Seminar Series and Study Tour on “The Role Of Southeast Asians in the Secret War in Laos” scheduled for the spring and summer of 2006. Before the severe funding cutbacks in education here in California, subject matter projects, including the California International Studies Project, were “adequately” funded. The International Studies Project used to operate centers located throughout California that offered exciting, relevant, quality staff development focusing on International Education issues. Many of these centers are now closed and most of the exciting programs and staff development have ended.
SEAIF has decided to step into the void and address the urgent need for International Education content staff development that is both relevant to teachers and students. While we focus on Southeast Asia, our area of expertise, we are passionate about the transformative power of International Education.
Our goal at SEAIF is to improve the teaching of Southeast Asia in California schools through a program of teacher preparation and professional development, study tours, curriculum materials development and the use of digital technologies. All of our workshops/seminar series consist of hands-on multimedia presentations with relevant materials accompanying each workshop and seminar series as appropriate.
Learn More
To send feedback or for more information, go to our Contact Us page. For information on the SEAIF Team, check out the SEAIF Team Page
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