Building
Intergenerational Futures
Intergenerational collaboration facilitates transformation and innovation. By working boldly and intergenerationally, we can harness the true strength of our communities and tap into wells of social innovation and entrepreneurship.
AAPI Bolder Futures Summit
On May 17 and 18, 2026, AAPI Data hosted the inaugural AAPI Bolder Futures Summit — a two-day gathering bringing together youth leaders, experienced professionals, and community organizations from across California to vision, connect, and act on the future. Rooted in Bolder Futures’ commitment to intergenerational collaboration and strategic foresight, the summit equipped young changemakers ages 16–25 with tools and relationships to drive meaningful social innovation and community organizing, building on the foundation of the California 100 Youth Futures Summit and the CA100 Vision and Roadmap.
We are grateful to our co-organizers, specifically Kat Parpana and Angel Truong at the UC Davis Lotus Mana Center and Isa Whalen at API Advocates, for their commitment and for bringing institutional expertise and deep community roots to both days of programming. Thank you also to our sponsors, TAAF and UC Davis Transportation Services, for their generous support, and to the UC Davis Conference Center and UC Center Sacramento for providing the spaces that made this work come alive.
May 17 in Davis featured two rounds of dynamic learning sessions designed to connect participants with civic and professional pathways. Vincent Pham, Deputy District Attorney of Sacramento County, led a Young Professionals Academy session on navigating careers in public service. Andrew Truman Kim of the CA Asian Chamber of Commerce walked participants through the landscape of government, nonprofits, and community organizations. Jaimie Taylor and Lisa Thong of the California Senate and Assembly Rules Committees, respectively, demystified the state legislative process, and Anupriya Ramraj of the Indian Association of Sacramento facilitated an interactive session on AI and the future of jobs across nine key industries.
The afternoon also featured a Resource Fair, where 12 organizations from across California shared programs, resources, and opportunities with participants. Organizations spanned a broad range of sectors — civic advocacy, legal rights, higher education, professional development, and community organizing. Participants used a networking bingo card throughout the afternoon to spark conversations and make connections beyond the resource fair tables. The event concluded with a networking mixer and a surprise Lion Dance performance from the UC Davis Blooming Lotus Lion Dance team to close the evening.
On May 18 in Sacramento, participants gathered for an innovative Future Design Workshop — a methodology first pioneered in Japan that reimagines how communities tackle long-term challenges. The room was divided into two groups: one representing California today, and one representing California 30 years from now. Through structured intergenerational dialogue and negotiation, these two groups worked across generational lines to build mutual understanding and identify shared commitments on issues central to AAPI communities. The workshop was anchored by the AAPI Bolder Futures Youth Manifesto, co-created by young Californians through virtual design sessions held earlier this year. By bringing youth voices into direct dialogue with experienced leaders and elders, the Future Design exercise transformed the manifesto’s vision into a living, intergenerational negotiation.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who made the inaugural AAPI Bolder Futures Summit a success — our co-organizers, sponsors, speakers, partner organizations, and above all, the young leaders who showed up ready to imagine and build a bolder future for California. We look forward to bringing this community together again in 2027.