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Please find a message from ACAS Board of Directors regard COVID-19 situation released March 13, 2020.

March 13, 2020 Dear ACAS members, service users and supporters, Subject: COIVD 19 (Corona Virus) and ACAS operational response I want to provide you with an update on our response to COVID 19 (Corona Virus) outbreak and our commitment to community safety. To date, we have been following updates from health authorities and WHO. We want to ensure that community members are well informed and that we are operating our programs from a place of reliable evidence and facts, not fear. We want to do our best to minimize the service disruption. At the same time, we take precautions and follow the guidelines of The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in Community-based Measures to Mitigate the Spread of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19). Starting today (March 13) till April 30, we decided to suspend the following program activities, meetings, and workshops: QTAY When You’re Ready session on March 13th CHAMP in Action training series on March 14th , 21st, 22nd , and 28th Health Promotion workshop on March 19th Acupuncture clinic on March 23rd HIV Testing at ACAS on March 24th Men’s Program Hump Day on March 25th ACAS 25th Anniversary Banquet on March 27th S.L.A.M. Sex, Love Asian Men Community Forum on April 4th and Health Promotion workshop on April 10th We will continue providing in-person services (case management, one-on-one support) for all program participants. To protect yourself and others, we ask our clients, visitors and volunteers to Answer screening questions before using the service Encourage people to use telephone service as alternative to in-person service when applicable Use individual safety measures: wash hands regularly or use hand sanitizer, cover cough and sneeze, and stay home when sick Use social distancing measure (staying at least 3 feet away from each other) We will clean frequently touched surfaces such as [...]

JOB POSTING - PILLOW TALK COORDINATOR Timeline:  March-July 2020  Deadline to submit application:  Sunday, March 08,2020 We are looking for a passionate and energetic woman to organize Pillow Talk –the Sexual Health Community Forum for East and Southeast Asian women. Pillow Talk draws lessons from real-life experiences of cis and trans women. Format of the forum in the past are: a panel discussion, break out sessions, health promotion workshops/activities, HIV testing, and networking lunch. This is a peer-based position with $1,500 honorarium.   Responsibilities Recruit and form a working group of 4-5 women volunteers to plan, implement, and evaluate the Pillow Talk Forum Work with the working group to plan and organize Pillow Talk Promote the forum and recruit 25-30 participants Organize a one-day forum Evaluate process and outcome of the project Prepare final report to be submitted to funder   Qualifications member of the East and Southeast Asian communities or experienced working with the East and Southeast Asian communities Demonstrated commitment to anti-homophobia, anti-oppression, and healthy sexuality Excellent interpersonal, and communication skills Self-directed, and willingness to work flexible hours and on some weekends Ability to work as part of a team and independently Fluent in one of the East and Southeast Asian languages an asset MS Office, social media skills Knowledge, interest, and experience in issues of HIV/AIDS, healthy sexuality, and harm reduction, and peer-based education concepts Ability to prioritize, delegate, and handle multiple tasks   Please send a cover letter, resume with 1 reference by email to:     Subject: Pillow Talk Forum Organizer Email: officeadmin@acas.org   We regret that we will only contact candidates selected for interviews.  

ACAS is proud to support and invites you to: Invisible Footprints 0.3: Life To Art: Retracing Footprints Across Generations Symposium and Video Screening February 15, 2020 Toronto Media Arts Centre (32 Lisgar Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto) 2pm-9pm This event is free and open to all. TMAC is wheelchair accessible.   Invisible Footprints (IF) is proud to present, Life To Art: Retracing Footprints Across Generations, our video screening and symposium event. For the past six months, IF has been working with a group of youth artists to explore different facets of Toronto’s LGBTQ East and Southeast Asian communities, histories and identities. Having participated in our two workshops and four public forums, these artists have been connecting with ‘elders’ within the community, tracking down archival materials and learning the various ways veteran activists, artists and community members have organized or represented themselves. Please join us on February 15 for the premiere screening of the video works the artists have produced in response to both these issues as well as their own independent investigations. Programs: - Reception - Video Screening: premiere of video works by Youth Artists - Artist Talk: featured artists will speak about their videos and research process. Talk will be followed by audience Q&A - Intergenerational Panel: dialogues between ‘elders’ and youth artists sharing community/life experiences and having them be inspiration for art. Panel will be followed by audience Q&A Doors Open: 2pm Screening: 2:45pm - 4pm Artist Talk: 4:30pm - 5:30pm Keynote / Panel (featuring longtime community members and youth artists): 6pm – 7pm Repeat Screening 7:45pm – 9pm Reception in between programs. Light refreshments will be served. Featured Youth Artists: Amanda Ann-Min Wong Becca Wijshijer Dinaly Joyce Tran Kaythi Rui Liu Tyler J Sloane Vale Artist Talk Moderator: Khanh Tudo Special Guest Panelists: Jo SiMalaya Alcampo Nancy Seto [...]

ACAS supports OCASI action and York Region District School Board for it's action against discrimination and xenophobia. Read the full statement here: http://www.ocasi.org/statement-against-discrimination-and-xenophobia

AQUA is having a town hall! Organized for and by queer asian femmes and gender diverse folks. Queer meaning those identifying LGBTQ2SI+, Asian meaning those identifying as people from Asia (including South Asian, Southeast Asian), and Femme broadly meaning trans and cis women and ***gender diverse meaning broadly gender diverse! *** "WE ARE CHANGING! ✨✨✨✨✨ ✨✨ WILL WE EXIST IN THE FUTURE? Hi everyone! We are holding a town hall on to help us figure out what the future holds for AQUA. Will we continue to exist? Come dream, create and decide the fate of AQUA with us 😊. We encourage everyone to come regardless with how familiar they are with AQUA. The future of AQUA is in y(our) hands ♥️ Help us with numbers by rsvp: asianqueeralliance@gmail.com COST: FREE We will be providing some of our favourite snacks and we'd like to encourage everyone to bring a little snack they enjoy as well! * * * event banner created by the lovely @veronicameowmeow" https://www.facebook.com/events/938818779853513/?active_tab=about  

  We have a new one-time-only program at ACAS for East and Southeast Asian gay, bi, queer, cis and trans men (youth or adults) starting January 20th, every Monday evening. We have limited spots for up to 10 participants for more intimate and in-depth sessions. Sign up by emailing youthaffirm@gmail.com Project Youth Affirm is an eight session group focused on reducing stress and depression by providing practical tools for improving coping skills through CBT (cognitive-behaviour theory). For more details on the AFFIRM group: http://www.projectyouthaffirm.org/project.html  

Hope you all had a good welcome to the New Year! ACAS looks forwards to spending this new decade with you! Happy New Year!

ACAS really does wish you light, love and health this holiday season and for the New Year! Our main offices will be closed from Dec 23rd and we will be returning Jan 6th. Holiday season is not easy for everyone so be kind to each other and your self!

F0r World AIDS Day 2019 we launched our Love Fearlessly Positive Asian Podcast. Check it out here! It features community members sharing their stories and intersecting identity issues!