ACAS would like to wish that everyone had a warm and cozy winter holiday and fantastic 2016! As our office re-opens for the new year, we would like to have a quick re-cap of what took place during the month of December, and a few important updates to we would like you to know.
Last month, we brought you the update about our successful ACAS Red Ribbon on the Rocket #RR0R15 campaign to raise awareness of World AIDS Day amongst TTC riders. But there is more!
ACAS University of Toronto Mississauga HIV Awareness Campaign!
Have you watched the ACAS/University of Toronto Mississauga HIV Awareness Campaign? The video was produced in collaboration with students from University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus. Watch and share the video https://youtu.be/xh9UnZCUi_0,
or share the poster from our album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.932484360163893.1073741881.337056206373381&type=1&l=ba6161939d)
Community Collaboration: Getting to Zero HIV/AIDS Forum
Following another year of a successful Red Ribbon on the Rocket #RROR15 Campaign on November 30, 2015 in preparation of World AIDS Day, ACAS also took part in the Getting to Zero HIV/AIDS Forum with St. Stephen’s Community House, ACT, Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee and Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Network) to raises awareness on the issue of HIV/AIDS that affects people within our community and around the world. Thanks to Nossa TV Canada, you can see Nancy Sun of St. Stephen’s Community House interviewed at this meaningful event (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2TCyMDZAp4)
Getting ready for the Holidays through Gift-wrapping
To prepare for the holiday season, ACAS’ Women’s Program held an amazingly fun yet practical free Art of Gift Wrapping 101 Social on Wednesday December 16th, 2015. Were you one of the lucky persons who received one or more of the lovely wrapped gifts by our talented group of women program participants? Hope so!
Holiday Parties: QAY Jinglelicious and Support Program Holiday Party
Support Program Year-end Holiday Party
The Support Program hosted a fun-filled year-end holiday dinner party for our support program service users and their significant others on December 7, 2015. Aside from having a fun-filled “Secret Santa” with a twist activity exchanging gifts with one another, we had an amazing holiday sing-along with a peer playing live on the piano and a scrumptious meal prepared by our talented peer chefs!
Delicious Jinglelicious is back for another year! 
Our Queer Asian Youth certainly had a Jinglelicious time this holiday season at the QAY Holiday Po Luck Party on December 11, 2015. Our vibrant group of youth not only got to meet new and reconnect with old faces, but they had a grand time playing board games and party games, and let’s not forget all the eating, drinking, and being merry together!
HUMPDAY: December Potluck
What’s a better way to end the year with good company and a delectable meal? That’s exactly what the S.L.A.M.! boys of ACAS’s Men’s Program did on December 30, 2015 to reminisce on the past year. Rumors had it that a sexy food fight broke out, but this can be verified by the attendees of the end of year HumpDay…
ACAS Men’s Program presents SLAM!: Sex Love Asian Men!
SLAM! addresses health and social issues within the LGBT Asian Men community, and is a program which helps discussion, education, and lifestyles. Our goal is to create a place to discuss and share our experiences, our skills and knowledge with our peers of all orientation, and by exploring holistic and empowering approaches to our identity: physical, emotional, and sexual.
Thank you Taiwan Lourdes Association!
ACAS (Asian Community AIDS Services) would like to thank Taiwan Lourdes Association 台灣露德協會 for the wonderful souvenirs (beaded Red Ribbon artwork and handmade soap by TLA peers) to our Executive Director, Noulmook Suthdhibhasilp, and Andrew Miao, Support Program Coordinator.
Congratulations to the ACAS International Youth Interns!
A big congratulation to Sahar Hussain and Ryan Tran for being selected as the ACAS / Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development International Youth Interns at the Thai National AIDS Foundation! Sahar will take on the role as the Resource Mobilization & Community Engagement Assistant, while Ryan will take on his the role as a Youth HIV Outreach Worker.
ACAS congratulates the Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment on the CHAMP Community Report Launch
We would like to congratulate CAAT on a very well-attended and successful AGM and the launch of the CHAMP Community Report on December 2, 2015. The Community Champions HIV/AIDS Advocates Mobilization Project was a community participatory action research funded by a CIHR study to address HIV stigma by mobilizing racialized HIV+ leaders as well as community leaders from the media, social justice and faith sectors. Pictured above: Paul Fernandez, Steven Shi, Tao Xie, and ACAS E.D. Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp.
ACAS INTERNAL JOB POSTING
INTERNAL JOB POSTING
MSM (Men Having Sex with Men) Outreach Worker
Short-term Contract
Application Deadline: January 4, 2016
Internal Job Posting: For members, volunteers, service users, and current employees
Type of Contract: 6 month, part-time (14 hours/week)
Application Deadline: Monday, January 4, 2016 (midnight)
Interview date: Thursday-Friday, January 7-8, 2016
Starting Date: Immediately
Responsibilities
- Provide 12 online and smart phone apps outreach sessions on HIV/STIs and saver drugs
education
- Conduct HIV/AIDS/STIs outreach once a week at bathhouses
- Assist in recruiting 2 volunteers with outreach activities
- Assist the program coordinator to organize a monthly bathhouse night event
- Participate in training, network, meetings related to the MSM outreach program
- Assist program staff to organize S.L.A.M.! Sex, Love, Asian Men community forum
- Maintain statistics, and prepare written reports
Qualifications
- Excellent interpersonal, and communication skills
- Demonstrated experience in HIV/STIs outreach with Asian MSM
- Self-directed, and willingness to work flexible hours
- Thorough understanding of ACAS mission, AIDS stigma and discrimination, LGBTTIQ issues, healthy sexuality, and harm reduction principles and practices
- Familiarity with or lived experience in the East and Southeast Asian MSM communities
- Demonstrated commitment to anti-homophobia, anti-oppression, and healthy sexuality principles
- Ability to work as part of a team and independently
- Ability to work in the evenings and weekends
- Basic skills in workshop facilitation, and training design would be an asset
- Fluent in one of the East and Southeast Asian languages is an asset
- Computer skills: MS Office, social media and web design (an asset)
Please send a cover letter, resume with 2 references by email to:
Subject: MSM Outreach Worker Job
Hiring Committee – Asian Community AIDS Services
Email: mensexualhealth@acas.org
We regret that we will only contact candidates selected for interviews.
We look forward to seeing you this new year!
