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What is AAA?
AAA stands for Adopt-An-Alleyway Youth Project, a volunteer organization
that operates primarily in the Chinatown area of San Francisco.
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What does AAA do?
AAA does a variety of community work, from the bimonthly city cleanups
to alleyway monitoring to apartment renovations. It further acts to
develop a strong community, and educate and empower Asian-American youths.
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What kind of people are in AAA?
AAA members are all high-school students who volunteer their time, and
the organization itself is run by high-school students. The AAA members
represent many San Francisco high schools, including Thurgood Marshall,
Galileo, Wallenburg, and Lowell.
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Why care so much about some alleyways?
Why? There are several reasons. First of all, under current standards,
the alleyways do not count as streets and therefore are not subject
to the same city maintenance as main streets are. This leaves them filthy
and unsafe for use. Chinatown is the second most-densely populated neighborhood
in the United States, and the alleys receive huge amounts of foot traffic.
Because of the lack of space and parks, children often use the alleyways
for play. Many of the alleyways, if left alone, would be unsafe for
both children and the elderly who use them. Second, we would like to
keep our neighborhood beautiful. Some of us live in Chinatown and others
of us frequent it often. We believe that if we keep the alleyways a
clean and nice place, the residents would be less likely to litter their
clean neighborhood.
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What is alleyway monitoring?
AAA members spend time inspecting the Chinatown alleyways and assigning
grades on criteria such as safety, cleanliness, and appearance, and
report activities such as illegal dumping. "Report cards"
are submitted to local newspapers. This is AAA's way of informing the
community on the condition of the alleyways, pressure businesses to
clean up their acts, and decide which alleyways need maintenance.
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What is Chinatown Alleyway Tours?
Chinatown Alleyway Tours is a program sponsored by AAA. All tour guides are members of AAA.
The program has two main goals: to empower youth through education and leadership skills and to
educate and enlighten visitors and the community on Chinatown's historical significance and rich culture.
To learn more about the tours, go to www.chinatownalleywaytours.org.
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Does AAA do anything else?
Yes! AAA also offers a variety of workshops on interesting topics such
as gender issues and spoken word. In addition, it sponsors various community
classes in subjects such as hip-hop, web design, and filmmaking.
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How can I join AAA?
Just attend one of AAA's general meetings and speak to Jane Kim or one
of the AAA officers. AAA meetings are held on the first Friday of every
month. Check the News for details on meeting time and location.
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