Asian & Pacific Islander Transgender Empowerment (ATE)
The Transgender Program
Ate(ah-tey),
is a Tagalog word that references an“older sister”
or “a close female friend,” and commonly used
to refer to someone who is knowledgeable, experienced and
matured. Not restricted to Tagalog, this reference is found
in many Asian & Pacific Islander communities, like phee-sao
in Thai, achi in Fookien or Indonesian, didi in Hindi or Nepali,
hermana grande o mayor in Spanish, jie jie in Mandarin, onesan
in Japanese, che’lu in Chamorro or mua in Hawaiian.
ATE is A&PI Wellness Center’s trangender program,
and its goals are to foster the development of a vibrant,
empowered and supportive Asian & Pacific Islander transgender
community to reduce HIV infection in San Francisco. ATE’s
strategies are:
- to foster empowerment
- to develop and share leadership
- to affirm transgender identities with an underlying
focus on supporting individual change
within the context of community.
- to be above all, client-centered
Be a peer leader.
View The Banyan Tree Project’s public service announcement focusing on A&PI transgender women, featuring Tita Aida, Erica Raney, and Asia Vitale, on the BTP web page, Facebook, and MySpace, via YouTube.
Upcoming ATE Events
January
ATE Support Group
Wednesday, January 06, 5:00pm–8:00pm
Wednesday, January 20, 5:00pm–8:00pm
February
ATE Support Group
Wednesday, February 03, 5:00pm–8:00pm
Wednesday, February 17, 5:00pm–8:00pm
March
ATE Support Group
Wednesday, March 03, 5:00pm–8:00pm
Wednesday, March 17, 5:00pm–8:00pm
April
ATE Support Group
Wednesday, April 07, 5:00pm–8:00pm
Wednesday, April 21, 5:00pm–8:00pm
CATWALK 2010—April 10, 2009
Special event ATE Program will be participating in.
May
ATE Support Group
Wednesday, May 05, 5:00pm–8:00pm
Wednesday, May 19, 5:00pm–8:00pm
June
ATE Support Group
Wednesday, June 02, 5:00pm–8:00pm
Wednesday, June 16, 5:00pm–8:00pm
*All Support Groups happen at 730 Polk Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109.
ATE at TRANS THRIVE:
We have extended our groups to TRANS THRIVE. Happening every Monday from 4:00pm–7:00pm. We have a drop-in facility and a on-going social group when ATE is at this facility. It is located at 815 Hyde Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94109.
WE OFFER:
Individual Risk Reduction Counseling
We provide structured one to one interventions for A&PI
transgenders in high risk situations. A&PI TG’s
can engage in client centered HIV prevention activities that
support their adoption and maintenance of HIV risk reduction
behaviors. Abiding by our agency’s Ohana model, our
services acknowledge the cultural, linguistic and familiar
constraints of our clients through providing advocacy, escort,
and interpretation to support referral and linkages.
Referrals & Linkages
As a comprehensive HIV service provider, we are committed
to linking clients with our CTL (Counseling Testing and Linkages),
Health Education (for prevention), and HIV Care Services (for
HIV positive clients), as well as to other service providers
in the community.
Free Rapid Oral Confidential or Anonymous
HIV Testing
We provide free Rapid Oral Confidential or Anonymous HIV Anti-body
Testing. Our
testing schedule is as follows:
Wednesdays: 4-7 p.m. (by appointment only)
Fridays: 2-6 p.m. (by appointment only.)
First Saturday of the Month: 11
am- 3 pm (by appointment only)
Please call 415.292.3400 to make your appointment today.
OTHER SERVICES WE PROVIDE:
ATE Support Group
1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
As transgenders, we deal with many particular issues and obstacles in our daily lives. We often find ourselves lost for answers with an issue or two and seem to be stuck with unsorted feelings. ATE Support Group is a transgender social/support group. It provides a safe and nurturing space for making new friends, companionship & uninhibited discussions. Partake in discussions and talks about topics that interest you as an individual and issues affecting our community. Learn from each others’ experiences and acquire more knowledge about how our community is moving forward with different aspects of life, like legal issues, transition issues, referrals to TG resources, relationships and healthy living.
ATE Social @ TRANS THRIVE
Second Monday of the Month, 4:00pm–7:00 pm
A Drop-In group once a month at our TRAN THRIVE facility, in which weto provide another venue for A&PI transgender individuals to relax and unwind and socialize! Aside from a relaxed space, we also provide different group activities that everyone can participate in! We offer computers, shower facility and a library for our A&PI transgender clients.
Peer Leader Program
So you think you’d like to do work with your community to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the TG community? This is the perfect opportunity. Participants will go through trainings and are assigned to do outreach to specific venues, give useful referrals, and give support to community events and peers. Step up and be a leader in your community.
Needle Exchange
Tuesdays, 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Venue: A&PI Wellness Center
This service provides A&PI transgenders in high risk situations, especially MTFs, with culturally and linguistically competent needle exchange services. We provide clean needles to injection hormone users in San Francisco. The program incorporates needle exchange as a tool to assess community needs and discover and share role model success stories, as well as reinforce consistent clean needle use for hormone injection users. For more information, e-mail tginfo@apiwellness.org
Community Outreach
TG health workers, peer leaders and volunteers go to venues where A&PI TGs congregate, such as DIVAS Club and other events and gatherings, where we distribute condoms, lube and other safer sex materials. We do community outreach at DIVAS Club every 2nd and 4th Saturday and 1st and 3rd Friday, as well as street outreach to sex workers in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.
Special Events
Keeping in tune with the trends and development of the TG community, we also host and organize culturally specific special events that mobilize and keep members of the A&PI TG community together. Such events are Miss Universe Party, ATE Picnic and three-day retreats, and others.
|
