Providence, R.I. – Providence College and the Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians will hold a national leadership conference, Southeast Asians Restore Community Hope (SEARCH), at the College on Thursday, December 6, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event will take place in ’64 Hall, Slavin Center on campus.

The keynote address will be given by former U.S. senator and current president of the Asian American Justice Center, Mee Moua. Other featured speakers include representatives from Brown University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Asians and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California, and Neighborhood Health Plan of R.I.

The goal of the conference is to educate and inform professional leadership, students, and community leaders about the Southeast Asian community. Issues such as education, policy and advocacy, basic needs, health, and cultural awareness will be addressed.

SEARCH is a leadership program that supports Southeast Asian women to be civically engaged and to develop a policy agenda to advocate on issues that disproportionately affect Southeast Asian women and girls, and that benefit the entire Southeast Asian community in Rhode Island.

For more information, log onto http://www.sedcsea.org/wp/?page_id=463.