What is the Ginger Roots Fellowship?

The Ginger Roots Fellowship is a culmination of the evolution of VAYLA’s Ginger Roots program. With each iteration, we have brought in young AAPI students to uplift their voice and expertise while providing guidance and assurance that they can own their own narratives. 

The Fellowship aims to invite AAPI young people in the Gulf South to step into this space to further their development as powerful storytellers of their lived experiences—a space we have learned is missing and desired. We intend to house four fellows at VAYLA over the course of 3 months to provide them with the training and resources necessary in this journey. We will conclude the Fellowship with the creation of a group, multimedia storytelling project that weaves together distinctive perspectives and media to tell a collective story.

With the Ginger Roots Fellowship, we hope to fortify our community with narrative plenitude that is built and shared together. We invite you to be part of growing this evolution of Ginger Roots and beyond.

Who Are You?
(Eligibility)

Applicants must be 18+ years of age with access to the internet via computer, tablet, or mobile device. Though we are prioritizing those local to New Orleans and QTAAPI from the South, we encourage everyone to apply. 

If you are hesitant to apply for any reason, e.g. scheduling conflict, unsure of eligibility, safety concerns, accessibility needs, etc., we invite you to apply anyway or reach out if you have any questions. 

We also recommend attending one of our virtual or in-person Q&A sessions, though attendance is not mandatory to apply.

This page will be updated with more information regarding these sessions — be sure to check back later and follow us on Instagram @vaylano!

Fellowship Application

The Ginger Roots Fellowship application is now open! Please apply through this form. Applications close Wednesday 3/19 at 11:59pm.

Meet Your Facilitator

Cosmo is a Japanese American facilitator, speaker, partnerships manager and learning designer based in Los Angeles. She spends her time training and coaching people to lead long-lasting change in their personal lives and organizations. Cosmo received a BA from the College of William and Mary and a MPA from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. 

For nearly 20 years, Cosmo has designed and facilitated multi-day leadership training events with leading organizations, and currently serves as Partner of Progressive Partnerships at The Management Center, an organization advancing justice and equity in the United States by helping social justice leaders build and run equitable, sustainable, and results-driven organizations. Cosmo trains leaders to strengthen their management practices, learn to authentically give and receive feedback, and sharpen practices that address organizational inequities.

Learn more about Cosmo at cosmofujiyama.com!

About Us

VAYLA incubates AAPI leaders for a more just tomorrow. VAYLA exists as an embodiment and commitment to activating tomorrow’s AAPI leaders in New Orleans and beyond. We engender leadership to address social inequities facing our community while anchored in an anti-racist, Queer, Feminist lens. At the forefront of these issues we focus on environmental justice, reproductive justice, and civic engagement initiatives.

More About Ginger Roots

Ginger Roots, VAYLA New Orleans’ reproductive health and justice storytelling program, aims to uplift one another through our personal narratives. What began as a monthly storytelling event to build space for self-advocacy and narrative-building, evolved into storytelling workshops, and eventually gave birth to our Ginger Roots zine format and podcasts. Over the years, Ginger Roots has been a vessel for our community to develop multimedia storytelling through their collective vision, each evolution holding space for individual and collective experiences, growth, and witnessing. 

The name ‘ginger roots’ is an homage to our AAPI ancestors and diaspora. Ginger is a flowering and healing herb that envelops the body with its warm, aromatic, and spicy flavor. It soothes not only the body but the soul. The healing properties of ginger have led to its widespread use throughout Asia and the diaspora. Ginger symbolizes the enduring resilience of our AAPI refugee and immigrant heritage. It represents a balm for our souls. Ginger Roots is a reclamation of our AAPI community’s chance to heal our voices, envelop all the senses, and facilitate community healing.

Learn more about Ginger Roots!