Our mission is to educate, support, empower and advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities—particularly A&PIs living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. |
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It's our 25th anniversary! Throughout the year, we hope that you will join us in honoring our history. We'll be sharing stories from our staff and clients, holding special events and much more. Keep an eye out for our emails or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for announcements! |
IN OUR APRIL ISSUE:
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The Banyan Tree Project and Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center invite you to join us for a screening of powerful digital stories, food, and performances commemorating the 8th annual National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The event will launch the Banyan Tree Project's new digital storytelling initiative "Taking Root: Our Stories, Our Communities". When: May 3, 2012, from 6-9PM Where: The Eric Quezada Center for Culture & Politics • 518 Valencia Street, San Francisco Read more about the launch of this new project, a description of the digital storytelling process, and find out more about our 16 community partners for this event here. |
In March, the HIV Testing Clinic at A&PI Wellness Center launched a new Mobile Testing program in order to make it more convenient to get an HIV test. The Mobile Testing team turned a van into a fully operational testing clinic. The team parks outside of venues popular with young A&PI men, like clubs and restaurants. "Instead of the community coming to us, we're going to them--at unexpected times and places," says Ben Cabangun, Health Education Program Manager. "It makes it easier for young gay or bisexual A&PI men to get tested." This aggressive new approach is one way A&PI Wellness Center ensures our testing programs meet the goals set by San Francisco Department of Public Health. Our strategy is tailored to the needs of hard-to-reach young A&PI men and their social networks. The success of the strategy depends on strong community partnerships. A&PI Wellness Center partners include Lime Restaurant and Lounge, Trigger, and the End Up. Our partners do more than allow us to park outside their storefront during peak hours; many venues provide HIV testing incentives. In most cases, if a young man gets an HIV test, the venue will waive its cover charge or donate gift certificates. It only takes 15 minutes to get the HIV test results, so we ask community members to fill out a risk behavior survey while they wait. Sean Arayasirikul, a pre-doctoral medical sociologist with the Department of Social and Behavioral Studies at UC San Francisco, is partnering with us to evaluate the success of the mobile testing effort. "We want to find more effective ways of preventing HIV infection in our communities," says Ben. "At the same time, we want to know if this non-traditional approach is working." So far, the testing team has collected over 100 behavioral risk surveys and HIV tests from young A&PI gay and bisexual men at these venues. Both Ben and Sean plan to present the data from this Mobile Testing model in regional and national HIV prevention conferences this coming fall in hopes that others will consider adapting this model for their communities. To find out where the Mobile Testing van will be next, visit our Mobile Testing Calendar. |
NEW TRANSGENDER EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM LAUNCHING IN MAY Employment discrimination against Transfolk and continuing employment disparities in the transgender community have existed far too long. A 2006 study in the San Francisco Bay Area of 194 transgender individuals found a 35% unemployment rate, with 59% earning less than $15,300 annually. Recently TRANS:THRIVE and the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI) partnered together to form a new drop-in workshop aimed to combat these continuing employment disparities. Starting in May, every Friday from 3-5 PM, TEEI will host a job skills workshop in the TRANS:THRIVE Drop-in Space called 'Trans-Action'. The group is targeted towards unemployed or underemployed Transfolk who may not be ready to join the job market yet, but are working towards building the kinds of skills they need in order to rejoin the workforce. The group provides an opportunity for clients to work one-on-one with an employment services specialist to tailor the skills that they want to learn, whether that's resume building, or learning typing skills. TEEI and TRANS:THRIVE continue their long history of successful collaborations. Most recently, collaborative 5 session 'Work It!' series graduated 12 clients. The 'Trans-Action' group looks to expand on those efforts, and provide a workable pathway for the Transgender community to get back to work. |
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Mark Horvath, the founder of Invisible People and We Are Visible, visited TRANS:THRIVE in April to meet our clients and talk about their struggles with homelessness. Mark has been homeless himself, and he wanted to understand the unique ways the issue affects the transgender community in San Francisco. Homelessness is an issue affecting all populations, and this is especially true for the transgender community. National estimates suggest that one out of five transgender people will be homeless at some point in their lives, due to transphobia, stigma, discrimination, and family rejection. These issues are very real for many TRANS:THRIVE clients, who come to the drop-in center for community support, counseling, clothes, or showers. Our clients shared their stories with Mark, who is using social media to raise awareness about homelessness. Mark was introduced to TRANS:THRIVE by Bevan Dufty, the Director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships, and Engagement (HOPE). Click here to read more about Mark's visit and check out his video interviews with TRANS:THRIVE Program Manager Nikki "Tita Aida" Calma and TRANS:THRIVE Program Coordinator Erin Armstrong. |
On March 29, 2012, Living Well Network held its annual Client Wellness Day. The Wellness Day is the highlight of the Living Well Network's calendar of monthly meetings because of the variety of activities offered throughout the day. Check out more about the activities, presentations and workshops from the Wellness Day here. |
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Join two great nonprofits for a happy hour mixer at Blackbird in San Francisco. Enjoy cocktails and meet new people while learning more about A&PI Wellness Center and the SF LGBT Center. Both amazing organizations provide essential services to San Francisco's diverse LGBT community. POLLINATE Blackbird Get updates on the Pollinate Facebook Event Page! |
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center is turning 25 and the big party, Bloom: Celebrating 25 years of Health, Hope & Home, is less than a month away! We couldn't be more excited for Bloom this year! In addition to a host of gourmet food and beverages being offered this year, we are happy to announce that the seductive Ladies of AsiaSF will be performing several of their infamous song and dance numbers. To join us in the celebration please purchase your ticket or sponsorship now. The deadline to be acknowledge in the events program is Wednesday, May 9th. Please add this exciting evening to your calendar! Bloom |
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