070101 Wisconsin: Summer program uses sports to make immigrants feel at home
Associated Press

LA CROSSE, WIS. -- When the students in Tony Yang's summer volleyball program get
together on weekday afternoons, the players show no mercy, eeven toward friends.

The athletes take every opportunity to slam the red-and-white volleyball to the
ground, while still obeying Yang's three-hit rule, which requires them to set up shots
for their peers to bump and spike.

"These teams are very challenging," said Yapa Yang, a freshman who has been
participating in the program since its inception five years ago. "You meet new
friends. You meet new people. I really like it."

Tony Yang, who came to the United States without knowing a word of English in 1987,
worked his way through high school and college before helping create the Southeast
Asian Summer Youth Activities program for the La Crosse School District.

The program, which offers volleyball, basketball and soccer for middle and high school
students, averaged about 35 students a day during the first year, but now serves about
100 students each day.

"We feel there's a need for kids to do something in the summer -- something positive
to stay out of trouble," Yang said. "Having them here and making a difference for them
has been very enjjoyable experience for me."

A 1991 graduate of Logan High School and 1995 graduate of the University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse, Yang started his job as home/school/community coordinator for the
district just after college, thanks to a joint grant by the district and the Hmong
Mutual Assistance Association.

"As the grant money ran out, the district started to pick up (costs) to keep me," he
said.

The position has Yang traveling between the three middle schools and two high schools
to work as a liaison between students and teachers to combat truancy and behavior
problems. He also helps coordinate peer support programs, after-school tutoring and a
program that exposes Hmong students to different careers. In between all that, he
visits students in their homes so that he can talk with Hmong parents about specific
issues.

The summer program evolved out of conversations Yang had with students who said they
were bored during the summer. The program was based in a city park the first two
years, but moved to Lincoln Middle School because the facilities were better and the
number of kids kept increasing. Soccer nights are held at Hogan Park.

"For a lot of Hmong kids, soccer and volleyball are the only sports they can play
because size doesn't matter," Yang said. "(Lincoln) is a very centralized spot for the
kids. Most of the Hmong kids live in the neighborhood."

Yang said the program is open to all students, and Hmong students occasionally bring
their Caucasian and African-American friends. He said he just hopes the students feel
that they can express and develop their talents, and maybe one day, the district will
consider creating a boys volleyball team.

"They enjoy playing it so much, but there isn't any place for them to play it," he
said. "I think it would be good if they (district) could get something going."

Yang also uses the program to incorporate lessons on teamwork and respect, in addition
to conducting drills that hone their athletic skills. He said he thinks students
prefer coming to the program instead of attending other clubs because it's run by
familiar Hmong faces.

"We understand them," he said. "They know who we are. Their parents know who we are.
They are just more comfortable."

Tou Ger Moua, who will be a senior at Central High School, said he likes to come to
the program because he can hang out with his friends and develop a healthy physique
through exercise.

"It keeps you occupied," he said. "It's just a good place to hang out and stay out of
the sun."

Bill Chang, a sophomore at Central who first started coming to play soccer, said the
volleyball matches are attractive to Hmong students because everybody gets a chance to
play.

"If there wasn't this program, there's nothing to do," he said. "That's when people
start getting into trouble."

© Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.  

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