NEW YORK (April 27, 2022) -- The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and eight of our Members and Partners are pleased to announce the launch of our much-anticipated Healing-Centered Youth Workshop Series, a first-of-its-kind initiative that focuses on racial healing and mental health for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) young people.

There are few opportunities for young people to develop their racial literacy skills and understand the complex layers and intersections of the AAPI identity that are necessary to navigate in order to develop a strong voice that can support the health and safety of our communities.

CACF believes racial literacy is a practice and a way of seeing yourself in the world in a way that includes:

1. Developing a healthy sense of who you are, along with the ability to see yourself as part of your family and communit(ies)

2. Grappling with how your community is similar to and different from other communities of color

3. Feeling a sense of connection, shared responsibility, and care for other communities’ wellbeing

4. Cultivating the language, knowledge, and skills to talk about race and racism, along with the ability to challenge racial injustice

“New York City’s AAPI young people must be informed and equipped in order to develop an impactful voice, and to be a part of transforming our communities. In the past few years, young people have struggled with remote learning, an increase in anti-Asian harassment, pandemic-related job losses and health scares in their families and neighborhoods and more.” said CACF’s co-executive directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “The Healing-Centered Youth Workshop Series will enable our teens to explore their identities as AAPI young people, and their self-care in a safe and nurturing environment. We are honored to bring this innovative program to life, and hope that it can be an example nationwide on how to center healing and identity in youth programming.”

The launch of the Healing-Centered Youth Workshop Series is made possible with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and essential funding from the New York State Department of Health.

Over the course of the next eight weeks, workshop leaders at CACF’s partners South Asian Youth Action (SAYA), Apex for Youth, Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC), MinKwon Center for Community Action, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) and Mekong NYC will lead diverse AAPI high school aged youth through a unique curriculum developed in collaboration with CACF’s partners. These activities and discussions will promote racial healing and mental wellbeing.

Each partner organization will lead select cohorts of youth in their communities through this five-module curriculum that explores themes of identity and personal reflection, AAPI family and community history, community advocacy and cross-racial solidarity, self-care, and visions for transformative change. Partners will also work with CACF to develop materials for guided conversations between parents, educators, and young people that address cultural responsiveness and identity development among Asian American youth.

“Apex for Youth is excited to collaborate with CACF and other youth organizations. This opportunity invites young people into an exploration of their racial identities by examining the histories and systems that shape the communities they live in,” said Shirley Chen, LCSW, the Middle School Social Worker at Apex for Youth. “This work is foundational for our youth to develop the insight to identify forces of social injustice, their own agency to impact change, and shape the kind of world they want to live in. They can become the change-makers we imagine in a more just, and equitable society.”

"The Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) is thrilled to partner with the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) to bring healing-centered youth programming to our community,” said Rawaa Nancy Albilal, President and CEO, Arab-American Family Support Center. “We know that the immigrants we serve have been disproportionately impacted socially and emotionally throughout the pandemic and AAFSC remains committed to creating paths towards healing."

“CPC's goal is to ensure that New York City's Asian American community members feel safe, respected, and included in their neighborhoods and across NYC. Since January 2020, over 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian harassment have been reported nationally, with women twice as likely as men to be targeted. Asian American New Yorkers have experienced over 1,100 bias incidents, causing fear and trauma,” said Kevin Tse, Deputy Director of Education & Career Services, Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC). “The CACF Healing Hub is very much needed in our community right now and CPC appreciates CACF for spearheading this initiative!”

"KAFSC is thrilled to be part of this first-of-its-kind workshop that is focused on healing young people and its collaborative process with other AAPI youth in the community. With the recent rise in hate crimes targeting AAPI communities, KAFSC's youth participants have been deeply involved in finding preventative measures that are provided by community-based solutions,” said Jeehae Fischer, Executive Director, Korean American Family Service Center. “KAFSC believes that the workshop will provide the knowledge, tools, and skills for youth to begin to be more engaged in their healing and also in efforts to achieve racial equity in the long term. The Healing-Centered Youth Workshop Series’ transformative and holistic practices provide our youth of today with a reason for hope.”