Welcome!
Welcome to ufakmonth.com, the official website for Asian Kaleidoscope Month at the University of Florida!
For the past 19 years, the Asian American Student Union has proudly presented Asian Kaleidoscope Month–a month-long celebration of the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asians and Asian Americans. From mid-October to mid-November, AKM reaches out to the University of Florida and the Gainesville community through innovative and entertaining programming, lectures, panels, and workshops.
Asian Kaleidoscope Month has hosted many prominent Asian and Asian American speakers in the past, including Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Betty Nguyen, CNN correspondent, and Suchin Pak, MTV host. Also, past entertainers include Quest Crew and Poreotics from MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and YouTube sensations Gabe Bondoc and Clara C. It is our goal that through these speakers and events, we will educate and bring awareness of the vast culture and heritage of Asians and Asian Americans.
Feel free to check out our staff and events on our webpage. And I hope you all are as excited as us for AKM 2012!
Philantropy
The philanthropy that we will be raising money for throughout Asian Kaleidoscope Month 2012 is A Liter of Light (Isang Litrong Liwanag)! This organization is dedicated to providing light in homes worldwide without electricity using three materials: one-liter plastic bottles, water, and a few teaspoons of bleach. These bottle light bulbs are installed into the roofs of homes allowing the outside sunlight to diffract inside the home during the day. These simple devices illuminate entire rooms and homes of those who previously lived in darkness. Watch the official video to see how here. The project originated in the Philippines and has expanded to Vietnam, India, Singapore, Laos, Nepal, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand, to name a few in Asia. Other countries in Europe, Africa, and South America are also involved in the project. The idea for the bottles came from student innovators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A Liter of Light was chosen for our philanthropy this year as it suits well with our theme “Illuminate.” We are dedicated to shedding light on various Asian and Asian American issues (including this one), and their project is dedicated to bringing light into the lives of millions. We are hoping to collect $2,000 during the month of AKM to donate to this project so that many more homes throughout the world can be illuminated this year.
To find out more information about A Liter of Light, go to their official website
Liter of Light
Archives
To view last year’s website and old galleries, please click here