ACAS April 2016 Month in Review

It has been an extremely busy April at ACAS. Just like our Spring season that came a little late this year,, our April 2016 Month in Review is arriving a little behind schedule — yet still with all the amazing updates you are looking for!

 
Spring is a Time for Planting
 
To welcome Spring, The ACAS Women’s Program got together for a Growth/Nature/Nurture Women’s Social.
This year, the program has planned a series of women’s social events for this year based on the theme of Growth;
Grow your plant (herb gardening)
Grow your voice (singing workshop)
Grow your food (cooking with grown herbs)
Grow your rhythm (dancing workshop)
Grow your strength (self defense workshop)
Grow your skills (mahjong/Board Gaming)
Grow your bonds (relationship related workshop)
The workshops build on each other (ie. cooking the herbs in the 3rd social that we grew in the 1st social)! The socials will be on Saturday afternoons and will happen once every six to eight weeks.
Our first social, Grow your plant: Herb Gardening took place on Saturday April 30^th. The attendees planted herbs such as parsley, mint or basil, learned about ways to take care of the plants and the self, chatted over snacks, and got to take their potted herb home for nurture and growth! Everyone is encouraged to share tips and pics of the growth of your plant on the event’s facebook page~☆
As you can see in the photo above, our first “Growth” Series Social Event was a great success!
Investing in our Youth
 
QAY is starting a new individual peer counseling sessions!
 
Register for confidential and non-judgmental peer support by & for queer and trans East/Southeast Asian youth. Sessions are facilitated by Heidi Cho, a Masters of Social Work placement student at Asian Community AIDS Services. She is an artist who also works with queer and trans youth in the city.
8 weeks of free short term peer counseling from April to July, 45 minutes per weekly sessions. (This is a peer counseling session, NOT a formal counseling session by psychologist/psychotherapist.)
Only 3 spots available. Register by Friday April 29th.
Want to register? Have questions?
Contact Euan, Youth Program Coordinator
Email: youth@acas.org
Phone: 416-963-4300 ext 229
 
QAY Heart 2 Heart Health Promotion’s Peer Support Workshop

Want to have a heart to heart chat with a trusted peer? Want to learn how to help out a friend? Are you a good listener? Do you know the difference between giving advice and giving support? Our MSW Student Heidi Cho led a session for QAYers to learn learn “Basic Listening Sequences,” and consensually providing and asking for support at our Workshop at the 519 Community Centre on Wednesday April 13, 2016.
Dancing With The Rice: Rice In Motion Zumba Night
 
Who says Rice got no rhythm? Our Queer and Trans Asian youth friends learned how to dance zumba with their bodies where all shapes, sizes, and abilities to dance are celebrated! This amazing session was held on Thursday April 28, 2016 at the Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
Strengthening Community Connections
 
CAAT Colour of Resilience

Our staff members, Richard and Christian, as well as our past ACAS Board Chair and Recipient of the ACAS Patrick Truong PHA Activist Award, Derek Yee, presented on the MSM Resiliency Dialogues (MSMRD) Intervention Study based on our Asian MSM Pathways to Resiliency (AMP2R) Study and the Ontario Positive Asians (OPA+) Network respectively. The Colour of Resilience Forum, organized by the Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT) took place on April 26, 2016 with resounding success! 
Filipino Community Health Fair

On Saturday April 16, ACAS was at the Finch and Bathurst Hub for the Filipino Community Health Fair! Aside from meeting community members and letting them know about the sexual health and LGBTQ programming we provide at ACAS, a little bird told has that Inex has learned to play “bawwot”, a toy wooden top with cord from Ifugao in the Philippines, quite well at the Filipino Community Health Fair!
 
 
International Internship Update!
 
Updates from our beloved international interns Ryan and Sahar from Thailand!

After 2 months, Sahar and Ryan have completed their Thai lessons with the Nisa Thai Language School. The lessons proved very helpful for everyday life in Bangkok. They have learned how to count, ask questions, tell time, give directions, order food, and have everyday conversation. Kob khun kha Khru Lila!

As part of AIDSNet, Ryan led icebreaker games in a 3-day workshop to develop leadership skills in sexual health with children ages 12 – 20. The kids loved his games, dancing, and singing.

The Songkran Festival has kicked off early in Khon Kaen! Ryan connected with the local LGBT group, M-Reach and helped with outreach during the Songkran Festival at Bueng Kaen Nakhon. Bueng Kaen Nakhon reaches thousands with its nightly marketplace and large Isan concert shows. Got to love that cute Green Condom mascot Ryan is holding!