ACAS Annual General Meeting
On behalf of Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS), it is my pleasure to invite you to our 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, November 21 from 2:00 – 3:30p.m. The highlight of our AGM is the ACAS award ceremonies for Aries Cheung for the Community Builder Award and Paul Fernandez who received (posthumous) the Patrick Truong Award. Please fill out an online registration form at https://forms.gle/CzCdJj3cWzViCwoW9. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we will be holding our AGM this year via video-conference. We will send the program and meeting link to registered attendees closer to the day of the event. If you are interested in becoming a Board Member of ACAS, please contact me at boardchair@acas.org, or Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp, ACAS Executive Director, at ed@acas.org by Friday, November 13, 2020. I thank you for your continuous support of ACAS and look forward to seeing you at our AGM. Supporting our community, caring for our future, Fiona Lee Chair, Board of Directors Board Recruitment Info:
Community Dreams: An Ideation Workshop
#RisingYouth Community Service Grants empowers young people, ages 15-30 to imagine ideas that can support their local community and helps put those ideas into action through grants of $250, $750, or $1500. If you have an idea to support your community, #RisingYouth can help you bring it to life. This workshop is for East and Southeast Asian queer & trans youth under 30. It doesn't matter if you dream big or dream small, if you have an idea that would help your community, this workshop will help you develop that idea further into life. Anyone can be a community organizer as long as you have an idea! Date: Tuesday November 24 Time: 6:00PM - 7:30PM EST Click here to Register and reserve your spot! Email Ryan at men@acas.org if you have more questions. Food vouchers will be available for youth who attend both workshops on Nov 24 and Dec 2 This workshop will focus on project ideas that can support the queer & trans Asian community in Canada. What that looks like is up to you! Is there an issue you want to address? Do you have a need that hasn't been met? What do we need more of for our community? You don't need to have a complete idea to join this workshop. Come with an open mind because you may end up leaving with a few new ideas. Apply at acas.risingyouth.ca This is a lead-up workshop to a grant writing workshop. A 2nd workshop will walk you through the application process and grant-writing basics.
Men’s Humpday: Speed Friending
This event is for Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans men. Wednesdays can be the hardest day to get through during the week. The Humpday workshop occurs on the last Wednesday of every month. Humpday is an evening for gay Asian guys to get together over a topic or theme related to our queer identities. Topics range from dating, body image, sexual racism, sexuality, safer sex, etc. Wednesday, November 25 7pm - 8:30pm It's been extra hard to make new friends during the pandemic and some are feeling the need to connect socially with others. This month we will be Speed Friending! Let's take the time to get to know each other more deeply. Like a speed-dating format, attendees will be separated into breakrooms in pairs to chat with each other one-on-one. You will get 10 minutes to talk and get to know each other before getting randomly switched to a new partner. Don't worry, we will prepare a list of conversational questions if you get stuck!
ACAS Lancer Game Night: Black Friday Ed.!
**To join, you MUST register here: https://forms.gle/pFGBaT3c3ChCqJBbA Only 12 spots are available BUT there will be a waitlist.** Attention space-farers! Are you tired of this dull material plane? How about you live out your dreams in Virtual Reality?! Buy the latest in VR technology, the Penni LIV, and be send to a whole new world of dreams and fun!! If you can dream it, you can have it! Order on Black Friday, experience Penni LIV the next day! Come join us on Saturday, November 28, 6-9pm, for this Black Friday-themed adventure (where we take down capitalism and--I mean, what?). It'll be a combination workshop/game night, and we'll be playing Lancer, the tabletop RPG (think D&D but sci-fi). If you'd like to sign up, please do so ASAP--we only have about 12 spots available for this, though we'll have a waitlist ready in case people drop out. Anyone who identifies as an LGBTQIAP+ Asian is welcome to join. Please register at: https://forms.gle/pFGBaT3c3ChCqJBbA A zoom link will be sent out closer to the day of the event. A little bit about our facilitator: Liam is a student at OCAD University studying Creative Writing. They hope to use the medium of storytelling to speak out and explore truths and paradoxes in the world. They've recently started getting involved with ACAS and can't wait to lead his first workshop. This event is made possible thanks to the support of United Way GTA #LocalLove Funded by the Government of Canada.
Rainbow GPS Project
Register at https://forms.gle/3cekSdxxFwZy1tY59 Rainbow GPS Project is an orientation project for East/Southeast Asian LGBTQ Newcomers and International Students who are transitioning to live in Toronto and in Canada. Through weekly drop-in sessions, the Rainbow GPS project will be a learning space for people to explore themes around sexuality, gender identity, coming out, consent, dating and relationships, and body image. The objectives are to LEARN different concepts and themes, APPLY key learning outcomes, and SHARE personal or lived experiences. Through these objectives (learning, applying, and sharing), the Rainbow GPS Project aims to explore various LGBTQ+ identities that are specific to East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures and how those LGBTQ+ identities are being translated to Western society. The Rainbow GPS Project is open to East and Southeast Asian LGBTQ+ International Students and Newcomers. The Rainbow GPS Project focuses on LGBTQ+ resources in the Greater Toronto Area, but people can register from across Canada and can participate in the workshops.* The program will have a total of four (4) workshops on TUESDAYS starting November 17, 2020. All workshops are held through Zoom. The 4 sessions are: November 24, 6pm EST: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) 101 December 1, 6pm EST: Coming Out (to Myself) December 8, 6pm EST: Sup? Looking?: Navigating queer dating in an online world December 15, 6pm EST: I am My Body: Consent, body image, and desire Contact Bryan Quinones (acasrainbowgps@gmail.com) for more information. *(Due to the unprecedented events that was caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the sessions will be happening online via zoom. This allows the program to be available for other LGBTQ+ newcomers and international students who may not be physically living in Toronto.) The Rainbow GPS Project is funded by Community ONE Foundation
Asian Trans Masc Meet & Greet
This is a new monthly group for East & Southeast Asian transmasculine and non-binary people. This includes all transmasculine-identifying folks or folks who may be questioning. We welcome people at any point of their transition. This monthly group is a safe space of support where we can share and learn from each other's common experiences as Asian transmasc folks. This group will be facilitated by an Asian transman. Date: Tuesday, Dec 1 Time: 7pm - 8:30pm EST If this will be your first time attending please register through this form (https://forms.gle/cZHJq6rYHHGLtgvB6) and the facilitator will email you with the Zoom link. If you are part of the Asian trans masc Facebook group or email newsletter, you will automatically receive the Zoom link there. Who can join? ACAS primarily serves those who identify as East and/or Southeast Asian living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, we know spaces for East & Southeast Asian transmasc folks are very few and we are happy to open this event to those living outside of Toronto. Please note that resources will be focused on Toronto due to our knowledge of local services and resources. East & Southeast Asian includes those from multiple generations of immigrants (1st generation, 2nd generation, and so on..) and members of the diaspora from East & Southeast countries like China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, etc. This can also include people with mixed backgrounds from at least one of those countries. This may also include those who might not identify ethnically by blood, but have a substantial heritage or up-bringing living in those countries.
Volunteer Training: Intro to ACAS & HIV 101
Want to be a volunteer at ACAS? We have 3 training workshops to equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to volunteer with us. These skills can also apply to your professional and/or personal life. Looking forward to you joining our ACAS family! The first workshop will give you an introduction to ACAS, the staff, services, and programs. It will be important to know so that you are able to clearly refer peers and community members to the right services and programs. ACAS services are rooted in HIV education and reducing HIV stigma. It is important to understand HIV transmission and the latest prevention strategies in order to help educate your peers. To register, email the Volunteer Coordinator: Trisha at volunteer@acas.org Please try to attend all 3 workshops in order to receive the full training, but you can still join if you can only attend 1 or 2. 3 workshops, every Tuesday, 7pm-9pm EST Dec 1: Intro to ACAS & HIV 101 Dec 8: Anti-Oppression within Asian LGBTQ+ Spaces Dec 15: Intro to CHAMPS Program and Mindfulness
#RisingYouth Grant Writing Workshop
This workshop is for East and Southeast Asian queer & trans youth under 30 across Canada. This is a workshop for applying to the #RisingYouth Grants. We will walk you through the application process and grant writing basics. Date: Wednesday December 2 Time: 6:00PM - 7:30PM EST Click here to register Food vouchers will be available for youth who attend both workshops on Nov 24th and Dec 2nd. #RisingYouth Community Service Grants empowers young people, ages 15-30 to imagine ideas that can support their local community and helps put those ideas into action through grants of $250, $750, or $1500. If you have an idea to support your community, #RisingYouth can help you bring it to life. To apply for a grant, visit acas.risingyouth.ca
ACAS World AIDS Day Event
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
HIV Treatment and Prevention: What’s new?
Dear Clients and Caregivers, You are cordially invited to our last virtual Macro-educational workshop of the year. The date is on Friday, December 4, 2020 from 7 to 8:30p.m. via Zoom. The topic of this workshop is; HIV Treatment and Prevention: What’s new? Since HIV medication is so advanced and effective, many of us feel we can have a good life and live longer. Don’t you like to know more about what is the newest treatment and what is in the pipeline in HIV medication? I am pleased to announce our ACAS supporter Dr. Alice Tseng to present on this topic which is dearly close to the heart of many people living with HIV. Dr. Tseng works as a specialist consultant at the Immunodeficiency Clinic, Toronto General Hospital and is an Associate Professor with the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. She has published extensively on drug interactions and adverse reactions, and is a Chief Editor of a website/mobile app on HIV and hepatitis C pharmacology and drug interactions (http://app.hivclinic.ca). Dr. Tseng is a co-founder of the Ontario HIV Pharmacists Specialty Group (est. 1996) and the Canadian HIV and Viral Hepatitis Pharmacists Network (est. 1997). She is a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists and is credentialed as an HIV Pharmacist through the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Dr. Tseng was recently award the inaugural Hall of Distinction Alumni Award from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, recognizing her significant achievements in the profession of pharmacy. Question and answer session will follow the presentation. To compensate for your meal, only registered ACAS support program service users will be provided with an honorarium of $15.00, providing you complete the evaluation of the workshop. Space and budget is limited and please RSVP to your support staff (Alex Ma/Amutha) [...]