Founded in 1996, Vision New America aims to increase civic participation among underrepresented groups through our public policy internship programs, educational forums and community events.

At the crux of Vision New America’s mission is a conviction in the growth and development of future community leaders. With this aspiration in mind, Vision New America offers high school, college and graduate students the opportunity to participate in our rigorous internship programs: the Public Health & Policy program or the Public Policy program. Through the programs, students are placed in local, state, federal offices or policy-oriented organizations in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Washington D.C.

In addition to a policy-oriented internship, Vision New America interns undergo a comprehensive civic leadership training provided by the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI), which is located at De Anza College. Headed by Dr. Michael Chang, the former mayor of Cupertino (CA), APALI is now going into its 11th year and 3rd year of partnership with Vision New America. We are very proud to partner with APALI and Dr. Chang in 2008.

Through our diverse means of increasing civic participation, it is our hope to expose students and community members to the value of public service, to give insight as to how the government is run, to build bridges between the community and public officials and to encourage more underrepresented groups to participate in mainstream politics and community service.