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 transgender 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
NEW LOCATION:
The ATE Program is now at TRANS THRIVE. Our new office is at 815 Hyde Street, Suite 200 (between Bush and Sutter Streets), San Francisco. Our general number there is (415) 409-4101 and our fax number is (415) 409-4105.
*Please take a note that our ATE Support Group, Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month continues to be held at 730 Polk Street, Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109. For more information contact, crystal@apiwellness.org or at (415) 409-4101 Ext 114.
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.
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: 4:00-8:00 PM (by appointment only)
Fridays: 1:00-6:00 PM (drop-ins)
Please call 415.292.3400 to make your appointment today.
OTHER SERVICES WE PROVIDE:
ATE Support Group (Held at 730 Polk Street Location)
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.
Employment Skills Workshops
Mondays, 1:00pm–4:00 pm. (Held at 815 Hyde Street, Suite 200), San Francisco
Participate in special sessions that provide practical arts and skills that could be used to gain employment, experience for work and utilize your talents. Workshops include, Singing for Profit, Basic Photography, Knowing Alternative Medicines, De-Escalation Training and many more. Participants are required to enroll. For more information, contact Crystal at crystal@apiwellness.org or (415)409-4101 Ext 114.
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: 815 Hyde Street Suite 200, San Francisco
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.
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