A STATEMENT from APISWC Steering Committee:
​

Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council (APISWC) of Northern California urges NASW, Arizona Chapter, to take immediate action to communicate with Arizona Democratic Senator Krysten Sinema to protect voting rights for ALL Americans, especially people of color, people with disabilities, students, and first-time voters. As Senator Sinema had started her political career as a social worker and experienced homelessness as a child in her family, we implore Senator Sinema to return to her social work roots and support social justice policy reforms for her constituents, as well as for the country. At this critical time in U.S history, America has become more diverse with social justice issues that need to be debated and addressed openly and peacefully with the media, educating people in non-partisan ways to preserve our Democracy.

Many Senate filibusters have occurred since the 1900's to block the passage of a bill. If Senator Sinema voted for a carve-out to the most recent filibuster rule to join with both Democrats and Republican legislators to extend the debt ceiling to protect the solvency of this country, we ask her: Why can't she vote immediately for a carve-out to the archaic filibuster to support the Voting Protection Rights Act to support the fundamental Right to Vote and to know that one's vote will be counted and fairly reported? The state of Arizona, especially Krysten Sinema's constituents, deserve a non-partisan response from their duly-elected public servant.

We urge constituents in Arizona to write to your representatives on this important issue.

Sincerely,
Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council of Northern California
Steering Committee

A Word from Your Co-Chairs

Dear APISWC Community,

What a year it has been. Amid the pain and suffering that was highlighted more than ever earlier this year, we have also witnessed our community's resilience and connectedness. We are so grateful to those of you who have been long-standing members and continue to voice your feedback and support to help our Council improve. We are also grateful to have reached more of you on Facebook and our newsletter list-serv this past year, and are excited to bring you more events and networking opportunities in the year to come. If you have not already, please like our Facebook page and subscribe to our newsletter on the side panel, where we share job opportunities, resources, and announcements that might not always be featured on this site. We wish you a restful and gentle holiday season as we prepare to step into the new year, and also hope to see you at our coming events. 

Please look out for our first monthly networking forum to be hosted on January 16, 2022 at from 10 - 11 AM PST on Zoom. These monthly forums will be a regular place for members to meet and learn from each other. This first forum will be a mingling session focused on intention-setting and community-building; subsequent forums will feature a different social worker each month to share their thoughts and experiences. Hope to see you there!
WHEN: Jan 16, 2022 | 10 - 11 AM PST
WHERE: Zoom - Register at https://bit.ly/3DwTKGX
WHO: Anyone looking to meet other API Social Workers and network!
Questions? Email apicouncilnorth@gmail.com

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) News Updates


While it’s important to stay informed and remain prepared, we encourage our Council members to take care of yourself and seek support if needed during this time. Please be safe and stay healthy. API Social Work Council is here with you.

Latest Updates:

[DEADLINE EXTENDED] Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship

Our Steering Committee is pleased to announce that the deadline for the Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Scholarship has been extended to July 16, 2021 5PM PST, and some requirements have been modified as well to expand access for interested applicants.

Diana Ming Chan lived from 1929 to 2008 and was a well-respected social worker in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was one of the first Cantonese bilingual social workers in San Francisco Chinatown and advocated for the need of bilingual social workers. Diana was also known for her dumpling diplomacy where she invited top politicians to her home to discuss the importance of school social workers. Eventually, Diana was able to effectively lobby the San Francisco Board of Education to open up school positions for social workers.

Up to three scholarships in the amount of $500 - $1,000 each will be awarded at the NASW-CA Annual Conference in October 2021. BSW and MSW students are strongly encouraged to apply.

Individuals applying for the 2021 scholarship must meet the following criteria:
- Must be an undergraduate or graduate social work student enrolled at any of the following universities: San Jose State, CSU East Bay, San Francisco State, or UC Berkeley. This includes those who just graduated from or who will be entering these programs.
- Be bilingual in an Asian language, including any East Asian language, Southeast Asian language, or Pacific Island language.
- Applicants do not have to be a current member of the APISWC, but scholarship winners will be required to become actively involved with APISWC as follows: Beginning 2 months after graduation, recipients will be asked to attend 70% of Steering Committee meetings and 50% of events hosted by APISWC for a 12-month period.

The application packet must include the following:
1. Cover letter including applicant's name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
2. One letter of recommendation.
3. Limit of 500 words responding to: “How would you advance social work in the Asian and Pacific Islander Community?" and,
4. Limit of 500 words responding to: "How do you plan to or have you used your bilingual skills to help others, especially addressing challenges during difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic?”
All application packets must be electronically submitted by 5:00 PM PST, Friday, July 16, 2021 to apicouncilnorth@gmail.com
Winners will be notified by August 2, 2021.

Any questions can be emailed to apicouncilnorth@gmail.com
For more details, please visit the DMC Scholarship tab on this website or visit this document link.

Thank you!
Best,
Steering Committee
API Social Work Council, Northern CA, NASW

UPCOMING: REFLECTING AND RESTORING POWER FOR OURSELVES: SPACE FOR API SOCIAL WORKERS

NASW-CA API Social Work Councils of Northern California and Southern California are excited to co-host a Space for API Social Workers. This is NOT meant to be a psychotherapy group and will not be recorded  we aim to offer an affirming space for API social workers and students to discuss and explore ways to take care of ourselves and support each other in these challenging times involving increasing anti-AAPI hate crimes and violence. 
Time: April 18 1-3PM PST 
Location: Zoom - Register at https://bit.ly/3mlOsGZ
Cost: FREE

Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Scholarship

The API Social Work Council is proud to announce the availability of the 2021 Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship.

Individuals applying for the scholarship must meet the following criteria:
- Must be an undergraduate or graduate social work student enrolling in his/her final year beginning in Fall 2021.
- Be bilingual in an Asian language, including any East Asian language, Southeast Asian language, or Pacific Island language.
- Be enrolled at any of the following universities: San Jose State, CSU East Bay, San Francisco State, or UC Berkeley.
- Applicants do not have to be a current member of the APISWC, but scholarship winners will be required to become actively involved with APISWC as follows: Beginning 2 months after graduation, recipients will be asked to attend 70% of Steering Committee meetings and 50% of events hosted by APISWC for a 12-month period. 

Please click here for details and please help us spread the word about the availability of this scholarship.  Of course, please consider applying for the scholarship if you yourself are eligible.
 
Thank you!

APISWC Steering Committee 

UPCOMING: SELF CARE STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVING SOCIAL WORK

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It has nearly been a year into the pandemic, and social workers have been an essential part of the workforce, caring, healing, and helping so many. It's time we take care of ourselves, too. Please join us for our social work month event as we uncover radical self-care strategies that are essential to surviving social work: social workers are essential and self-care is not selfish. 

Sunday, March 7, 2021 | 1-3PM (PST) | ZOOM
Register at bit.ly/2LVUArO 
*don't forget to also click the link on the EventBrite page to obtain your Zoom meeting link.

​Hope to see you there!

Lunar New Year Celebration 2/7/2021

Some snapshots of our recent Lunar New Year Celebration event. We laughed, we played, we learned! What an opportunity to learn about how different cultures celebrate this holiday, honor our identities, and just connect with each other. Part of the beauty of this event was being able to make space to process recent pains in our community with the recent surge in anti-Asian violence as well. To be able to hold both joy, grief, hurt all at once - we are so thankful for the safe space in this Council, and are honored to share this space with you all.

Join Our Lunar New Year Celebration!

Happy Lunar New Year!
​The API Social Work Council invites you to join us for our annual Lunar New Year Event.
During the virtual celebration, in addition to networking opportunities, the Council will also be providing you with a series of fun games.
May the Year of the Ox bring Happiness, Good Health, Good Fortune, and Peace!
Please RSVP here. We hope to see you on February 7th!

API Social Work Council 25th Anniversary Video

Happy 25th Anniversary API Social Work Council!
Video created by our amazing Steering Committee member Vicky Guan!
Slideshow video produced by Vicky Guan.

Photos used in the slideshow were contributed by Janice Wong, Jenny Kwak, and Nancy Lim-Yee.

Other photos:
https://sites.google.com/site/apiswcgroup/
https://m.facebook.com/groups/72414893716/
http://apicsw.blogspot.com/
http://www.apiswc.org/ https://naswcanews.org/

APISWC does not own the rights to music in the slideshow. Below are references for music.

References
Bareilles, S. (2013). Brave. The Blessed Unrest [m4a]. Retrieved from
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-blessed-unrest/1440504715

Horton, B. (2008). Land of Rest. Homespun Songs of the Apostle Islands [m4a]. Retrieved from
https://music.apple.com/us/album/homespun-songs-of-the-apostle-islands/299913998

Little River Band. (1977). Happy Anniversary. Greatest Hits [m4a]. Retrieved from
https://music.apple.com/us/album/greatest-hits-expanded-edition/725831594
​
Platten, R. (2015). Fight Song. Wildfire [m4a]. Retrieved from
https://music.apple.com/us/album/wildfire/1061182666 

BIG THANKS to Past and Current Council Chairs and Co-Chairs!

API Social Work Council’s Virtual 25th Anniversary Celebration 

Thank you for attending the API Social Work Council’s Virtual 25th Anniversary Celebration on December 6th, 2020.  It was wonderful to spend the afternoon with you, reflecting on the Council’s accomplishments, reminiscing about special events and memories, and hearing from some of our members.  We had an opportunity to honor Janlee Wong for his 25 years of unwavering support and guidance to the Council and to wish him the best on his retirement as the Executive Director of NASW-CA.  We hope to continue our collaboration with Janlee in the coming years.  Thanks to Deborah Son, the new Executive Director, for her inspiring words. ​

Thank you again for joining us today! Please stay safe and healthy! Happy Holidays and we hope to see you in 2021!

2020 ​Walk to End Alzheimer’s!

Last Saturday, our council participated in another year of Walk to End Alzheimer’s!

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year we found creative ways to participate! Some of us went on a short hike at the Pacifica, some walked with their own small team of colleagues, friends, or family members, and some walked in place or do some other activities in the comfort of their own home!

Thank you, Victor, Jenny, and Nancy for organizing!

And much thanks to those who made generous donations, our API Social Work Council MPH Subcomittee team has reached this year’s fundraising goal again!
​
Please feel free to reach out next year if you are interested in walking with us! #walk2endalz

​SHOUT OUT to our Council Steering Committee member Jenny Kwak, LCSW, OSW-C for being featured on ASOW’s social media platform for their #KudosMonday campaign! ​

Webinar Panel Discussion:
Supporting International Students' Mental Health Needs in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

​Date & Time: Saturday, Oct 3, 2020, 2:00 - 4:30 PM PT
Cost: Free event. No CEUs.
RSVP by 10/2/2020: https://rb.gy/smxud1

Welcome Deborah Son, MSW
​NASW-CA’s New Executive Director!

​We would like to introduce you to Deborah Son, MSW, the new Executive Director for NASW-California! Deborah will start her position on this Monday, September 14, 2020.

Deborah has over 10 years of experience as an activist and leader in the fields of systems change, advocacy, and community engagement. Her work spans across various fields including trauma-informed care, anti-violence, children and family services, and public and behavioral health. She has dedicated much of her career to bringing various service platforms together in collaboration toward meaningful achievements in social justice.

To read our full statement, click here: https://naswcanews.org/welcome-deborah-son-msw-nasw-cas-new-executive-director/

Systemic Oppression Webinar Part Two
by Francis Joseph Gallego, LCSW
​July 26, 2020 at 2 PM

We touched on so many important topics related to systemic oppression, such as model minority myth, immigration, LGBTQ and mental health, transgender rights, linguistic discrimination, transgenerational trauma, etc. We also discussed how we can do as individuals to fight against systemic oppression.

Thank you very much, Francis, for putting your heart into this webinar! Also, many thanks go to the participants who went deeper into this uncomfortable but essential conversation with Francis!

More webinars on these topics to come! Stay tuned!

Systemic Oppression Zoom Webinar
by Francis Joseph Gallego, LCSW
6/14/2020 (Sunday) 2:00-3:30pm

Thank you very much for joining us today for APISWC's June Event: "Systemic Oppression" Webinar!

Our Council is so touched and empowered to see a number of great webinars and virtual discussions on racial injustice and BLM taking place during this critical time. We are honored to be part of this much-needed conversation about far-reaching social reform! To extend this conversation and respond to Pride Month, we were super grateful that Francis Joseph McCann Gallego, LCSW provided this introductory training on "Systemic Oppression" through the lens of API and LGBTQ. We encourage our partners and communities to participate in as many trainings and discussions on these topics as possible. We must stand together to continue to educate the public and advocate for social reform.

​Thank you very much, Francis, for guiding us to get deeper into this uncomfortable but essential conversation!

More webinars on these topics to come!

Webinars: Death and Grief during COVID-19 in Cantonese and Mandarin (5/24 & 5/31)

​Our webinars, Death and Grief during COVID-19, in Cantonese and Mandarin were indeed a success! Thanks a million to Mr.Arnold Leung and Mr. 冯以量for donating their time and sharing their experiences and expertise! Because of their compassion and efforts, nearly 1,000 people from the U.S., Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China learned more about the topic of death and grief! I am very grateful that these webinars were recorded with the permissions of Arnold and Yee Leong. I hope the recorded videos will benefit more people who are interested in this topic.
Special thanks to our partner of these webinars, AAMARS 香港中文大學宗教研究文學碩士課程校友會, and all behind-the-scene workers from Arnold and Yee Leong’s teams. Of course, deepest gratitude for our APISWC Steering Committee for their hard work and support!

Cantonese: https://youtu.be/Lk-bkMbQAcM
Mandarin: Processing. Please stay tuned​

＊＊＊＊＊
Reading recommended by Mr. Yee Leong Fong:
延伸阅读：
1. 如何规划善终
https://www.facebook.com/…/a.31864652816…/1243934502305936/…
2. 作为一个丧亲者，你最不想听到别人对你说哪一句话？
https://www.facebook.com/130028873696510/posts/2400788179953890/
3. 我如何看待哀伤这面貌
https://www.facebook.com/130028873696510/posts/2505253036174070/
4. 当病人患癌了.....
https://www.facebook.com/130028873696510/posts/2519532144746159/
5. 死亡并没有结束关系
https://www.facebook.com/130028873696510/posts/2640921395940566/

Free Zoom Webinar
A Physician's Perspective of Medical Aid in Dying 
​April 26, 2020, Sunday 1pm -3pm (PST)

Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/yp2iUyuoyewkpmcLA

​Social Work Month Celebration & COVID-19 Peer Support Group Webinar

API Social Work Council 2020 Lunar New Year Celebration

Members of our Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council celebrated the Lunar New Year with a luncheon at the Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant in San Francisco.

This restaurant was recommended by the Executive Director of NASW, Janlee Wong. Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant is especially interesting because it is not the typical Chinese restaurant, but one that focuses on Western China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, as well as one that prepares its dishes in accordance with halal or Islamic law. The restaurant presents the cultures of Chinese and Muslim. 

During the luncheon, in addition to networking opportunities, we also provided a brief update about recent and upcoming Council events.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workshop
​by Phillip Cha, LMFT

API Social Work Council hosted a great workshop on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Phillip Cha, LMFT, at Mission Hospice & Home Care. 👍

API Council Members in Action at NASW CA Annual Conference! 

API Council Co-Chairs Janice Huang and Dora Chen were at NASW CA Annual Conference exhibition table.
Thanks to our APISWC members for volunteering at this year’s California Social Work Hall of Distinction Reception and Induction Ceremony. Witnessing the induction of the 6 social workers into the Hall of Distinction and hearing about their accomplishments and contributions was truly inspiring!

Congratulations to the 2019 Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship Recipients：
Hiu (Fiona) Cheung and ​Julius Ervin Javier！

Congratulations to the two recipients of the 2019 Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship: Hiu (Fiona) Cheung from San Jose State University; and Julius Ervin Javier from San Jose State University.  ​
​Click here to learn more about Fiona and Julius! ​​
The scholarship awards was presented during a special awards ceremony at the NASW State Conference on Saturday, November 2, 2019.  

​API Social Work Council Co-chair, Janice Jiewen Huang and Dora Dui Chen introduced the awards winners at the NASW-CA Awards Ceremony where each of them were recognized.

Diana Ming Chan’s husband, Clarence, and their 2 children also attended the Awards Ceremony.

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2020 Social Work Month Theme 
Social Workers: Generations Strong 
Read more on https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Social-Work-Month

Upcoming Event: 

Previous Events:

2020

2019

2018

DACA and The Effects on API Communities: What Social Workers Need to Know

Thanks to those of you who were able to join us this past Friday evening at the Marriott San Mateo SFO Airport Hotel for a very interesting presentation by staff from Chinese for Affirmative Action on "DACA and the Effects on API Communities: What Social Workers Need to Know".  
The presenters, Hong Mei Pang and Annette Wong, brought a great deal of resources to share.  The Council is very grateful to them for sharing their time and expertise with us. 
Please go to Chinese for Affirmative Action's website www.caasf.org for more information about the services they provide.  The San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network (www.sfilen.org) also provides some great resources.  Please check them out when you have a chance.

Legal and Social Impacts of the Immigration Ban

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On May 6, 2017, The API Social Work Council invited immigration attorney, Nancy Hing Wong, from Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach to speak on the "Legal and Social Impacts of the Immigration Ban."  Ms. Wong gave a very informative presentation as well as made available a number of useful resources. Council co-chair, Richell Jose, and co-founding member, Nancy Lim-Yee, presented information about the API Social Work Council during the meeting. Our Council member, Jenny Kwak, talked briefly about her article "Standing Up", which recently appeared in NASW-CA News.

2017


​2016
2016 CEU events
​
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The Neuroscience of Addiction: Treatment Strategies to Build Brain Resilency
Presented by: Michael Liao, MSW, Director of Programs, NICOS Chinese Health Coalition












There is an ever-growing body of research to suggest all addictions – substance-based or otherwise, have shared causal pathways, and therefore have commonalities in disease maintenance, treatment, and recovery.  This workshop will present current neurological research on the process of addiction, and provide practical interventions for promoting brain healing and recovery.

For the past 9 years, Michael S. Liao, MSW has been providing problem gambling training and technical assistance to various groups throughout the state of California.  He has also authored various problem gambling training curricula and academic publications.

January 30th, 2016
12:00 to 3:00pm (presentation begins at 1:00pm)
Sunset Mental Health Services
1990 41st. Ave. San Francisco, CA 94116

Light lunch provided & 2 CEUs for LCSW/LMFT!
*Free* for members or $10 at the door.
$10 annual membership pays for itself!

2015

API Social Worker Council: 20th Year Anniversary Celebration!!

It's time to celebrate! APISWC is turning 20!  
Let's come together on August 22nd to share a meal, reflect together on our accomplishments, reunite with familiar faces, and look forward to the next 20 years!

Special guests:
Janlee Wong, MSW
Executive Director of NASW-CA

and co-founders:
Nancy Lim-Yee, LCSW
Janice Wong, LCSW
Dr. Susan Sung, PhD

Saturday, August 22nd, 2015
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Milbrae Avenue, Milbrae, CA

$20 purchase here!
Deadline is 8/8/15
2014 CEUs event