Workshops Block A 10:15-11:15
Disrupting the Model Minority Myth at Home by Prioritizing Asian American Wellness
Anna Kim
|
The American Dream has been a powerful, intoxicating myth for Asian Americans. Many Asian immigrant families today strive to sustain the legacy of the American Dream through their children by, unfortunately, enforcing the Model Minority Myth. We want to explore the detrimental effects that these myths have on Asian American children. Specifically, we want to address the toxic pressures that Asian American families will often place on their children for the sake of academic success at the expense of their children’s health, well-being, and embrace of their racial and ethnic cultures. Ultimately, we want to brainstorm ways that teachers can work effectively and empathetically with Asian (American) families in cultivating a flourishing learning environment for students at home.
|
Rehearsing the Revolution: SWANA Diasporas and Intergenerational Healing in the ClassroomSepideah Mohsenian-Rahman
|
Complex migration narratives from South West Asia and North Africa have left diaspora communities on equally complex healing journeys. Our recent hxstories (occupation, colonization, revolution, war) paired with current experiences can manifest as intergenerational trauma, which when partnered with cultural aversions to mental healthcare, compound as increased risk for mental illness. To succeed by the standards of the model minority myth, we are required to uphold and perpetuate white supremacist values in our relations with ourselves and others. To reject or not live up to this myth, we face the potential of rejection. Rehearsing the revolution builds upon a value in Shiism that calls upon us to focus on the inner work as a prerequisite for the external revolutionary struggle. This workshop invites participants to engage in a de-colonial learning and healing journey.
|
Intergenerationally Asian: A Conversation Across Years (and Years) of Being Asian-American
Alison Park
|
Age matters when you’re Asian. Yes, we appear to be ageless ;) and so many norms across so many of our cultures are anchored in and reinforce Asian age-isms: respect for our elders and ancestors, the pre-determinations of birth order, and rules like staying out of the sun and not smiling too hard (so you don’t get wrinkles!) In this conversation across generations of our experiences of being Asian in US America, we’ll have space to reflect on: Age and life stage-driven differences, timeless themes (playing on repeat) and quantum leaps/ modest hops since “back in the day”; What we’re all dealing with here and now in 2023; and Our possibilities, as a multi-generational family with the cumulative strength and wisdom of our years
|
The Wave Is Also Water: Enacting Change through Precepts of Engaged Buddhism
Annie Phan
|
Limited representation of Asian Americans impacts not only whether we see ourselves in film or media; it also impacts how we engage (or don't) with social movements for justice and liberation. What works as embodied activism for other people or color may not map neatly onto those of us raised with Asian cultural values and behaviors, so who can we look to for inspiration? In this workshop, participants will learn more about Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, the Order of Interbeing, and the Precepts of Engaged Buddhism that were developed in response to the horrors of the US War in Vietnam. We will then examine how Thich Nhat Hanh’s actions and these precepts can support Asian Americans in our journey to be both rooted in our histories and culture and also forge a new path for future generations.
|
