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PADENA In Canada 2024 Positive Asian Diasporic Experiences in North America 2024 Virtual Conference

Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) and Ontario Positive Asians (OPA+) invite you to join us at the 2024 PADENA In Canada Virtual Conference. PADENA (Positive Asian Diasporic Experiences in North America) is a gathering of Asian* people living with HIV, featuring presentations by Asian PHAs, subject matter experts, service providers, peer workers, artists, activists, researchers, and community members. (*Including East, Southeast, South, Middle Eastern/West Asians, and Indo-Caribbeans.) Four online sessions will take place between February and March 2024. To register, please use the links below: Details Dates/Times (7:00 pm to 8:30 PM EST) Topics Register  Links More details February 15, 2024 Collective resiliency and the current landscape   Poz Asian Action: Global and Local Advocacy     Click here for the link Kero Saleib (Collective resiliency and the current landscape) Kero Saleib (they/them- he/him), is an Egyptian born Canadian, Non-binary, Queer, HIV positive, human with a resilience for life. They have worked for over 12 years in the HIV/AIDS sector as program coordinator and counsellor in mental health, sexual health and addictions. They are the founder of Canada's only Queer Middle Eastern party - Middle Eastern Nights, where they get to bring out their drag perona, KeroPatra InDenial. Kero now works within the manufacturing sector as Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility lead, bringing necessary challenges, change and policy implementation to manufacturers and helping them fill the gaps by working and hiring newcomers into the skilled labour workforce. " A Kero of all trades is a master of none but oftentimes better than a master of one." Christian Hui (Poz Asian Action: Global and Local Advocacy) Diagnosed with HIV since the age of 25, Christian Hui (he/they; Undetectable) is a long-term post-HAART survivor, a global HIV/AIDS and U=U activist and harm reduction advocate, and a doctoral CIHR Vanier Scholar [...]

Join ACAS team for TSC Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2023

 ACAS would like to invite anyone again to join the TSC Toronto Waterfront Marathon this year. Please use this link https://raceroster.com/65909?aff=N34B5, so ACAS will receive the $5 referral donation accordingly. The next price increase is scheduled for Wednesday, September 20 @ 12:00 midnight. Please encourage your supporters to register by Tuesday, September 19; 11:59 PM. Prices will go up at the stroke of midnight! Here is the event schedule: Sep 24 NAME on bib deadline (In-person race) Oct 1 – Oct 31 Virtual Race period Oct 9 Registration Deadline (In-person & Virtual) *if not sold out Oct 13 &  14 In-person Race Kit Pick-up @ TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon expo (Enercare Centre; Hall D) Oct 15 In-person Race Day! Nov 13 Fundraising closes (online closes and offlines entered as a manual donation) Please share this page with people you know or people you think they would be interested in.

STORIES OF LIFE WITH HIV: A QUEER ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

My name is Justin Anantawan (@justin_anantawan) and I am a gay Chinese-Thai photographer living with HIV. I recently completed a photo project called “Stories of Life with HIV: A Queer Asian Perspective” in collaboration with Where Love is Illegal (@whereloveisillegal), Asian Community AIDS Services (@acastoronto) and The Community One Foundation (@c1foundation). The project took a year to complete and featured stories of 8 members of the ACAS community in Toronto. I initiated this project because I felt that it was important to shed light on the diverse experiences of my peers and colleagues – participants included folks of Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Korean and Chinese descent. In Toronto, PHAs are a largely marginalized, stigmatized and underrepresented community. However, Queer Asian PHAs, especially newcomers, face the additional barriers such as lack of access to resources in their native language and social isolation. The aim of this project was to empower the participants to share their stories, raise awareness for challenges facing Queer HIV Positive Asians and show the community that our stories matter. This project was valuable to me because it made me feel closer to my peers. As a Canadian-born person of Chinese and Thai descent, I have often felt like an imposter – I do not know the Thai or Chinese languages and I have still yet to visit my extended family in Thailand. Also, in my work as a photographer, I previously had done many stories on PHAs in Kenya and Gambia – however I had not photographed members of my own community. By interacting with the participants and listening to their stories I was able to gain a new perspective on what it means to be a Queer Asian PHA and draw parallels between their stories and mine. I also made a new group of friends who [...]

ACAS Fundraising

"Your donation makes a difference" Donate to ACAS online Since 2017, funding for our Volunteer Program has ceased, but ACAS continues to run the program. Volunteers play an integral role in our organization. At the same time, their volunteer placement fulfills their purpose and needs. It may be acquiring hours for school or work or gaining a new life or employability skills. In addition, ACAS provides a nurturing, fun, and safe space to all our volunteers and service users. Supporting the general fundraiser will help ACAS continue to run the program even without significant funding; it will help us maintain the core training workshops for new volunteers, provide other empowering and skill-building workshops, and host a volunteer appreciation night twice a year. QTAY/Youth + Please Help Revive Women’s Programming It was in 2015 when our Youth Program faced a significant funding cut, followed by the Women's Program. Since then, ACAS has been working diligently to help secure funding for our Youth/QTAY Program and Women's Program's activities. Supporting this fundraiser will help ACAS maintain vital program activities. And to continue hosting PillowTalk as an annual Women's Program event. Pinkdot TOPink Dot is a movement started in 2009 in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) community in Singapore. Attendees of the Pink Dot events gather to form a giant pink dot in a show of support for inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love. Pink Dot has inspired many worldwide to show their support and love for LGBTQ communities. International Pink Dot events have been held in Anchorage, Hong Kong, London, Montreal, New York, Oklahoma, Penang, and Kaoshiung, Utah. The first PinkDotTO , born in the [...]

Fundraising

"Your donation makes a difference" Donate to ACAS online Since 2017, funding for our Volunteer Program has ceased, but ACAS continues to run the program. Volunteers play an integral role in our organization. At the same time, their volunteer placement fulfills their purpose and needs. It may be acquiring hours for school or work or gaining a new life or employability skills. In addition, ACAS provides a nurturing, fun, and safe space to all our volunteers and service users. Supporting the general fundraiser will help ACAS continue to run the program even without significant funding; it will help us maintain the core training workshops for new volunteers, provide other empowering and skill-building workshops, and host a volunteer appreciation night twice a year. QTAY/Youth + Please Help Revive Women’s Programming It was in 2015 when our Youth Program faced a significant funding cut, followed by the Women's Program. Since then, ACAS has been working diligently to help secure funding for our Youth/QTAY Program and Women's Program's activities. Supporting this fundraiser will help ACAS maintain vital program activities. And to continue hosting PillowTalk as an annual Women's Program event. Pinkdot TO Pink Dot is a movement started in 2009 in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) community in Singapore. Attendees of the Pink Dot events gather to form a giant pink dot in a show of support for inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love. Pink Dot has inspired many worldwide to show their support and love for LGBTQ communities. International Pink Dot events have been held in Anchorage, Hong Kong, London, Montreal, New York, Oklahoma, Penang, and Kaoshiung, Utah. The first PinkDotTO , born [...]

Stories of Life with HIV: A Queer Asian Perspective

My name is Justin Anantawan (Instagram: @justin_anantawan) and I am a gay Asian photographer living with HIV.  I recently completed a photo project called “Stories of Life with HIV: A Queer Asian Perspective” in collaboration with Where Love is Illegal, Asian Community AIDS Services and The Community One Foundation.  The project took a year to complete and featured stories of 8 members of the ACAS community in Toronto. I implemented this project because I felt that it was important to shed light on the diverse experiences of my peers and colleagues – participants included folks of Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Korean and Chinese descent.  In Toronto, PHAs are a largely marginalized, stigmatized and underrepresented community.  However, Queer Asian PHAs, especially newcomers, face the additional barriers such as lack of access to resources in their native language and social isolation.  The aim of this project was to empower the participants to share their stories, raise awareness for challenges facing Queer HIV Positive Asians and show the community that our stories matter. This project was valuable to me because it made me feel closer to my peers.  As a Canadian-born person of Chinese and Thai descent, I have often felt like an imposter – I do not know the Thai or Chinese languages and I have still yet to visit my extended family in Thailand.  Also, in my work as a photographer, I previously had done many stories on PHAs in Kenya and Gambia – however I had not photographed members of my own community.  By interacting with the participants and listening to their stories I was able to gain a new perspective on what it means to be a Queer Asian PHA and draw parallels between their stories and mine.  I also made a new group of friends who can relate to my experiences, love and support me. I see this [...]

March with ACAS in the Pride Parade

March with ACAS in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25 Join the largest contingent for East & Southeast Asian queer & trans folks in the Pride Parade! Partners and allies are welcome. Bring your own water, bells, whistles, and noisemakers, but most of all, bring YOUR PROUD SELF! Group Number: B13 Meet up point: Northeast corner of Isabella & Jarvis at the Rogers Sign Pillar, https://goo.gl/maps/dnF1hXP4m8DtoSQP9 Meet up time: 1:30pm-2:00pm (before moving to the parade starting line) Group in front of us: Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention Group behind us: The Home Depot Canada *We are not having a float this year and only walking. It will be crowded and it could get difficult to find us. We will have an ACAS sign on a pole. If you are late to meet us at our meet up point, then you can find us near the starting point along Bloor St and Church St and look for either B13 or the other groups we are situated in between. You will NOT be able to join when the parade begins as the barricades will be back this year to block off people from entering along the route. We are at a later time this year, so expect a longer wait at the starting point. When we walk along the parade, please continue to move and not leave large gaps as it holds up the whole parade. We cannot stop to take photos for too long as it creates large gaps. We encourage you to bring your own water in a reusable bottle, however there will be water available along the route. We may bring limited water bottles to reduce waste.               If you cannot walk the whole route, get tired, or overheated, there are exit points along the route [...]

ACAS Pride Events June 2023

- June 9: Outreach at UofT Pride Pub (in-person) - June 10: Pillow Talk (virtual) - June 10: Support Program's Pink PRIDE (In person) - June 14: Friends of Ruby BIPOC Drop-In (in-person) - June 14: RUBY Pride Play field trip (in-person) - June 16: "Swipe Right" Discussion (virtual) - June 21: Karaoke Gaysian Pride Party (in-person) - June 22: QTAY Pride Picnic (in-person) - June 25: Pride Parade (in-person)  More information is available at acas.org/calendar/month/

Episodic Disability Focus Group and Interview

In collaboration with Realize Canada’s Workplace REVAMPED project, ACAS is looking for 15 2SLGBTQ+ East and Southeast Asian folks with episodic disabilities in the workplace to participate in a focus group or 1-on-1 interview; specifically looking at barriers related to working and living with episodic disabilities An episodic disability is marked by fluctuating periods and degrees of wellness and disability. This includes: anxiety, bi-polar disorder, depression, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and Parkinson’s. More examples of episodic disabilities can be found through the sign up link. All participants will be compensated $75 via e-transfer.  Please use the link or e-mail Gabriel Marie at research1@acas.org receive the link to sign up for a focus group or 1-on-1 interview. Since space is limited, select participants will be contacted to confirm their participation. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Gabriel Marie. Sign up link: https://forms.gle/Z7mZsZABiSqMwG3R9 (Image Description: The image has text describing what an episodic disability is and how you can participate. The background has a variety of pastel colours spray painted onto it with images of 3 people’s faces and a hand showing how episodic disabilities can impact folks mentally, emotionally and physically)

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