Advocacy

Our advocacy effort engages from an individual level to local, state, national and international.

BACI believes that to successfully integrate into a new community, while maintaining one’s own ethnic cultural identity, the incoming and the receiving communities both need to learn from each other — appreciating diversity and respecting each other’s cultural norms and practices.

BACI advocates for a cohesive, vibrant, and integrated community at several levels –individual needs, community needs, and societal needs, as well as global needs to some extent.

BACI works with the stakeholders and service providers in our shared community–-businesses, community based organizations, non-profits, neighborhood associations, churches, government agencies, educational institutions, leaders and policy makers –-through events, meetings, and presentations.

With the philosophy and belief of a two-way street engagement and its reciprocal benefits, BACI is not only committed to providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the population it serves, but also to empowering and working with service providers, employers and neighbors by sharing the background knowledge of Myanmar (or Burma), its people and culture, providing professional cultural competency talks and training and best practices in its service provision.

Our advocacy efforts, based on surveys and feedback provided by key stakeholders, continues to have an impact upon our community locally, nationally and internationally. The community continues to see a greater understanding among newcomers and receiving communities, a greater appreciation of the opportunities and challenges, better awareness of the importance of providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services and increased collaborative partnerships among service providers and communities which all contribute to building a thriving and integrated community.

BACI also engages in advocacy activities nationally and internationally on the issues that concern our shared community in line with the BACI mission and vision.

BACI Board Vice Chair, Executive Director and Board Chair in DC.
BACI Board Chair and Executive Director with UNHCR Rep in Malaysia
Executive Director Elaisa Vahnie speaking to physicians and health professionals at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.
BACI facilitated Voting Referendum meeting, advocating for a successful expansion of the facilities of Perry Township Schools – January 2015.
Get Involved