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UA3 program
Leadership, well-being, career development, and community-service opportunities for young New Yorkers.
Launched by UA3 in 2024, the Youth Empowerment Program is a year-round after-school program in New York City designed to empower high-school and college-aged youth. Its goals are to support mental health, enhance overall well-being, provide career development opportunities, and equip young people with the knowledge and skills to thrive in school and future careers.
Beginning January 10, 2024, the program hosted in-person workshops every Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Guest speakers led sessions on mental health, physical health, building healthy teen relationships, résumé building, and stress reduction. Participants also earned community service hours and visited companies such as Morgan Stanley and National Grid.
The spring 2025 program offered free workshops on Mondays (financial knowledge), Tuesdays (environmental justice and nutrition), and Wednesdays (academic and public speaking skills).
The most recent cohort has ended. Keep an eye on this page and UA3’s social media for the next one, or email info@ua3now.org to ask about upcoming sessions.
UA3 supports youth growth through real-world service and leadership opportunities. High-school students, youth clubs, and school groups regularly volunteer at the pantry and at events, helping serve the community while gaining hands-on experience. By investing in youth, UA3 is building a generation that is capable and deeply connected to the needs of its communities.
Each week, a group of eight young volunteers ages 10 to 15 from the Youth Community Club (青少年社务俱乐部), a youth group of the Chinese Coffee Club (华人咖啡俱乐部), travels with two parent coordinators from Westchester County to UA3’s Lower Manhattan location. They sort, bag, and prepare food packages on schedule for pickup and for delivery by other volunteers and community organizations.
The Chinese Coffee Club is a network of more than 1,000 Chinese Americans, most of them first-generation professional immigrants in New York City. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, its members formed the American Chinese United Care (ACUC) alliance of 159 Chinese American organizations, alumni groups, and small businesses, raising $5.8 million in cash donations and PPE for greater New York.
ACUC founder Angelene Huang launched the Youth Community Club to raise a new generation of Chinese Americans with a strong sense of social responsibility, and connected the group with UA3’s pantry. Learn more at chinesecoffeeclub.com (opens in a new tab).
UA3’s story traces back to 2012, when Sean Hong and his sister Kai raised funds to provide mini iPads to graduating fifth graders at P.S. 130. In 2025, Sean returned to P.S. 130 as laptops were awarded to five essay-contest winners.
