Events for May 2, 2024 - May 2, 2024

Dear Clients, Community Members, Allies and Supporters, We hope you are doing well and are safe. We would like to cordially invite you to this year’s World AIDS Day (WAD) event 2020, happening on December 3 rd , 2020, through the Zoom platform. As a part of the celebration, we have created a series of podcasts called “Love Fierce Positive Asians.” The podcast series is a continuation of the successful first series from last year’s WAD 2019. The series will discuss the experiences and intersectionality of Asian PHAs, gender identities, navigating life with a caregiver, fatherhood, and being a refugee. During this evening, we will get a taste of all six podcasts over this memorable and celebratory day. We also start with a big bang by launching a series of ACAS community forums. ACAS SEED25+ is our first online community forums focusing on HIV+ pioneers and AIDS activists who planted seeds at ACAS and helped us grow for more than 25 years. We will have a panel discussion with four community members, which will talk about various topics such as discrimination during COVID19, caregiving, the future of HIV from the PHA’s perspective and the HIV community movement. This evening’s discussion will be one of many planned community forums for ACAS SEED25+. The event is generously sponsored by Gilead Sciences Canada Inc. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our Zoom gathering. Please RSVP using this link: https://forms.gle/mZrGPBP9TpFuVgcY7 or email to Alex Ma support@acas.org no later than December 1st, 2020, to reserve a spot for this intimate and important moment. Once you have registered with Alex, he will send you the Zoom link. Sincerely, Kenneth Poon, Health Promotion Coordinator Robinson Truong, Board Director

The event will be streamed LIVE right on the ACAS Facebook page. Calling Queer Asian folks to the stage please! This is your time to stand in the stoplight, play the lead, and share your special talent in front of your warm and supportive queer Asian family. All levels of experience (or inexperience) are encouraged to perform. Non-English performances are welcome! This event is open to all Asian LGBTQ+ identified folks. Room opens at 4:45pm Show starts at 5:00pm Intermissions at 5:50pm & 6:50pm If you want "front row seats" with audience interaction or to perform in a few of our open slots, register ASAP to receive the Zoom link: https://forms.gle/SJLMtxyUM15KCyDd7 __________________________ Accepting a wide range of performances including but not limited to: Singing, dance, music instruments, spoken word, monologues, dance, drag, songs, scenes, stand-up comedy, burlesque, magic, performance art, juggling, martial arts… Performer sign up: email Ryan at men@acas.org Each performer can sign up for a 10 minute time slot. You may choose to perform live or share a pre-recorded video. Please be aware that if you perform live that the sound quality may not be guaranteed depending on your internet connection and is out of our control. This event is made possible thanks to the support of United Way GTA #LocalLove Funded by the Government of Canada.

Need a space to relax or a space where you can study to some chill beats? Join us for another drop-in session! Wednesday, December 9, 6pm – 8pm Zoom link will be sent closer to the event date. Description:      If you’re feeling isolated and lonely trying to get work done or just want a place to hang out with people, this is the place to do it! We’ll have a space where we can listen to a playlist curated by LGBTQIAP+ Asians and work together quietly, while also being able to chat with each other and whatnot.      If you need a space to talk or want to vent a bit, Dany (our coordinator) will be around to go to a breakout room with you and listen to you. Please keep in mind that Dany is not a professional, but is there to empathize, offer advice and resources, and moderate the space.      This’ll be a two-hour session of working, chilling, and chatting together. Even if you don’t stay the whole time or arrive late, that’s okay!  We’d be happy to have you for whenever you’re able to stop by, even if you just want to say hi. This event is made possible thanks to the support of United Way GTA #LocalLove Funded by the Government of Canada.

Your Friday nights at home just got a little better! Looking to meet new friends during the pandemic? This is a monthly online games night for Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans guys. We'll start with introductions and then play a fun game. This month's game is called Wavelength and can be played at heretothere.app on teams or cooperatively. Feel free to drop in and out between 8pm - 9:30pm EDT To receive the Zoom link, register by clicking here How to play: Wavelength Wavelength is a social guessing game in which two teams compete to read each other’s minds. Teams take turns rotating a dial to where they think a hidden bullseye is located on a spectrum. One of the players on your team — the Psychic — knows exactly where the bullseye is, and draws a card with a pair of binaries on it (such as: Job – Career, Rough – Smooth, Fantasy – Sci-Fi, Sad Song – Happy Song, etc). The Psychic must then provide a clue that is conceptually where the bullseye is located between those two binaries. For example, if the card this round is HOT-COLD and the bullseye is slightly to the “cold” side of the centre, the Psychic needs to give a clue somewhere in that region. Perhaps “salad”? After the Psychic gives their clue, their team discusses where they think the bullseye is located and turns the dial to that location on that spectrum. The closer to the center of the bullseye the team guess, the more points they score!

***PLEASE sign up at https://forms.gle/2AUayq6ZVNGXLUFHA to ensure you get a spot at this event!*** Description: Don’t let the ice-solation get to you this Holiday Season! Join ACAS and fellow LGBTQIAP+ Asians to Celebrate the Holigays!: A Letters of gratitude + DIY holiday card workshop. Come learn about Gratitude as a mindfulness practice and some Cool tips and tricks on how to make your own hallmark-worthy cards! There will be a card creating session/creative hangout time at the end so we highly encourage you to bring some crafting supplies (our recommended items are starred in the list below). sNOw worries if you do not have all of those items, this workshop is all about being resourceful and using what you have at home. Hope to see all you Thaw-some folks there! CWs: There may be mentions of academia. Facilitator: Eva is a Queer Taiwanese Canadian who is intrigued with the question of identity. Through lots of self-reflection, she found that identity is never self-contained and will always be intersectional. It is informed and linked to communities, experiences, locations and it is ever-evolving. Eva has worked with ACAS previously leading workshops and co-hosting events and is excited to be working with ACAS again to engage the community. Supplies: Paper to write on* Pen/Marker* Pencil* Ruler* Coloured paper/blank printer paper* Scissors* Tape/glue* Compass Old magazines/old calendars/internet images you want to print Stickers Anything else you’d like to craft with! This event is made possible thanks to the support of United Way GTA #LocalLove Funded by the Government of Canada.