Our Stories, Our Voices: January 2022

Heart to Heart: Family Conversations about Mental Health Bringing up mental health issues with family and loved ones can be hard, especially because societal stigma discourages such conversations. Many young Asian and Pacific Islander people experience this firsthand in their households and communities, where cultural, linguistic, and generational factors present additional barriers to bringing up the ‘taboo’ topic of mental illness. Varun Joshi will facilitate a conversation between filmmakers Thea Loo and Varundeep Chawla exploring the unique considerations of discussing mental health in AAPI families while offering insights into how we can approach these difficult, but necessary, conversations.

Keeping up with Your Cousins: Personal Impacts of Social Comparison in AAPI Communities Often we are taught to compare ourselves to members of our families and communities to see where we stack up. Comparison and competition are viewed as necessary sources of growth, without considering the negative consequences of such a mindset. This session will look at the perceived benefits and actual costs of social comparison on mental health, specifically within AAPI communities. Filmmakers Hao Zhao and Rosie Pidcock will be joined by mental health advocates Iris Chen and Amy Wong to examine how the collective pressure to evaluate ourselves against our peers impacts us as individuals.

Check All That Apply: Moving Past Labels, Embracing our Identities For many Asian and Pacific Islander people, the term ‘AAPI’ can elicit conflicting feelings. Although intended to unify and signal community, the acronym can also feel incomplete or inauthentic to some, especially those who hold other identities. This session will explore how people with multiple identities navigate the world and the labels thrust unto them and the mental health impacts of this constant balancing act. Amanda Lederle will facilitate a conversation with filmmakers Emilie Cheung and Rosie Pidcock, and art therapist Sharon Uy, using their films as a springboard for a conversation on the value of labels, redefining community, and the importance of self worth.

Passing it Down: The Hurt and Strength we Hold through Generations When we speak intergenerationally, we have to find a shared language to have meaningful dialogue. We need a meaningful dialogue to understand the damage done by those in power, and the legacy left to us by those fought and resisted before us. We welcome you to join this conversation with filmmakers Thea Loo and Hao Zhao and therapists Angela Zhe Wu and Lauren Salazar as they explore intergenerational trauma and wisdom, asking how can we learn cross generationally for the benefit of ourselves and our community?