For Philadelphia's Asian-American youth, Asian Americans United (AAU) is one of the few places where they can find refuge from discrimination and street violence. At the Asian American Youth Workshop, one of several AAU programs, Asian-American youth are provided a safe haven. Youth meet once a week throughout the year to work with Asian-American artists on projects ranging from public murals and an in-house literary magazine to dance performances and a video project. Youth make all of the important creative decisions--from what projects to do to the content of each project. Teenage participants share their common experiences as Asian-American youth. "The underlying thread throughout all the projects is for youth to be the major decision-making force," says Juli Kang the Arts Program Coordinator .