Boston Asian Youth Essential Services Research Site

Jane Leung wrote a letter to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Leung expresses that was due to modification of immigration laws, there was a flood of Chinese people into the US all at once. With this huge and rapid influx, they Chinese immigrants faced a series of issues such as lack of housing, employment, education and overall lack of services such as health and recreation.

Jane also brought up that as a result, “close family structures are now inadvertently broken up “as the children and parents start to form different ideas and viewpoints as a result of having to adapt to their new surroundings in the US. Chinese parents tended to maintain tradition ways whilst their children were struggling to Americanize and this generally results in a clash in understanding and alienation.

The issue Leung raised in her letter is that there were no agencies at the time addressing the rising estrangement, culture shock and language barriers. Social service agencies in the 1970’s only served helps adults, families and elderly. At the time she wrote the letter in 1975, the only agencies focusing on needs of Chinese youths were only Boys club, YMCA, Action for Chinese Teens and there were ineffective at addressing the increasing issues. Law enforcement agencies also weren’t prioritizing the issue and weren’t acknowledging its existence. Leung wrote in her letter that she firmly believed issues started rising because people wrongly assumed “Chinese youths were reverent, obedient, studious”.

The reported Results: There was an increased juvenile delinquency, school drop outs, gang formation and vicious gang fights, drug abuse, alcoholism, teen mothers, runaways, mental illness.

Proposal: Y.E.S center intended to provide a variety of services such as counselling, workshops, etc. to address these problems.