Youth Program

Program Coordinator: Dany Ko

Peer Educators: Cameron V., Cece, Winsome T.

Program Goal and Activities

ACAS’s Youth Program is a wonderful community space created by, for, and with Queer and Trans Asian Youth (QTAY). Our programming aims to bolster the community and provide opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive together.

When You’re Ready, our main workshop series, runs for eight weeks and provides a small group of QTAY the opportunity to come together on a weekly basis to learn about, discuss, and bond over topics such as anti-oppression, mental health, mindfulness, sexual health, harm reduction, and community building. Moreover, it is a great time to build social support networks, meet community mentors and leaders, and connect to various queer and Asian cultures.

Along with other educational workshops and social drop-ins, we aim to curate a community space that is accessible, meaningful, and engaged. Previous events have included a youth arts showcase, food-making workshops, sexual health discussions, and financial literacy sessions.

Program at a Glance

From October 2021 - September 2022, we hosted 4 cycles (8 sessions each) of When You’re Ready. 39 participants overall (averaging about 9-10 participants per cycle) helped create a fantastic community-inclusive space, with 89% of participants agreeing that it was a wonderful experience. These participants reported feeling grateful for the resources shared, the safe(r) community-centered space, and the opportunity to learn new things together. They also reported an increased understanding and appreciation of sexual health topics (such as HIV/AIDS and consent), the ideals and practice of harm reduction, and community connectedness.

Our open drop-ins provided space for 125 participants to come together and learn about, discuss, and celebrate our identities, skills, and community. 84% of participants reported being more than satisfied with these events, with many appreciating the opportunities they have been given to learn and grow with other youth. By gaining new knowledge, building on their skills, and a rming their experiences, they felt an increased sense of community solidarity and resilience.

Testimonials

"I feel so grateful to be able to participate and help with the event. [It] me feel so proud of, seen by, and connected to my queer Asian community. The workshop series was also a welcome respite at the end of the workday.... I gained more appreciation for my own work as well."

“[I’ve learned] how much love and community can be found with other Asian Queer people, and that we are all so expansive in how we can support, uplift and educate one another about personal and safe practices, as well as find laughter and happiness in these sessions - we can approach informative knowledge, community and safety in an open and encouraging environment when amongst others that understand and relate.”

“Just thank you - thank you so so much for creating this program and letting me be a part of this. This was a great program to be a part of, and I’m extremely grateful for its existence.”

“I was able to gain a sense of belonging and openness I have always struggled to deal with, so it was a nice change of pace to hang out in a super positive and open space. It also gave me insight into other Asian perspectives I had not thought of before.”

“Having spaces like these allows us to safely discuss topics that are often not accessible within our own families; I appreciate having this community to connect with, as there are a lot of assumptions that we do not get to challenge or explore with a shared sense of cultural background.”

"[I appreciated] having communal space and time, both free time and directed conversation. Having both was a nice balance! I appreciated being asked hard questions and then having the space and care afterwards to think through it."