2026 Families of Immigrants: Strength, Resilience, and Leadership Social Work Annual Conference:
One of the pioneering API social workers, Diana Ming Chan was a bilingual practitioner who helped bridge language gaps and expand access to services for families with migration experiences.
This annual conference is designed to support the clinical needs and macro practice needs of bilingual social workers, while also centering the experiences of multicultural BIPOC professionals.
We also recognize the unique challenges faced by ESL social workers and first‑generation community members, ensuring the conference remains inclusive, empowering, and responsive to the communities we serve.
Families of Immigrants: Strength, Resilience, and Leadership Social Work Conference Annual Summer Conference/ Congrats New Graduates
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Korean Community Center of East Bay
Registration: We are currently awaiting approval for the NASW Foundation donation link. Once finalized, attendees will be able to contribute directly to the Diana Ming Chan Student Scholarship.
Cost This annual conference is offered primarily free of charge. We invite attendees to support our fundraising goal for the scholarship. If at least 40 participants contribute $40 each, we can replenish $1,600 to continue supporting future bilingual social workers.
Admission Options
*** only limit to 40 people. Please only sign up if you are 100% sure you can make it.
Conference Objectives
Statement on Diversity and Social Justice: This conference centers diversity, equity, and inclusion by elevating the lived experiences, voices, and leadership of immigrant families and multilingual social workers, particularly within Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Through clinical, ethical, and macro-focused sessions, speakers address systemic inequities such as language barriers, cultural stigma, and limited access to culturally responsive care, while promoting language justice and inclusive service delivery. Presenters integrate culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive frameworks to support equitable clinical practice and workforce development. Additionally, the conference fosters inclusion by creating space for early-career professionals and multilingual clinicians to build leadership, advocate for structural change, and strengthen representation within the social work field.
Agenda9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Registration & Networking
10:00 – 10:20 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
10:30 – 11:30 AM
Tips for New Social Worker Panel
Panelists: Sherry Zhou LCSW from VA medical social work, Fiona Cheung, LCSW Kaiser
11:30 – 11:40 AM
Break
11:40 AM – 12:30 PM
Ethical Practice, Language Access, and Clinical Dynamics in Multilingual Social Work
Panelists: Susana Fong, LCSW, UCSF Outpatient Palliative, Tiffany Yu-Lee LCSW Chinatown North Beach Mental Health Clinic, Wah Chong, LCSW from Alameda Health System/Highland Hospital Camila Baum, LCSW from Alameda Health System/Highland Hospital, Kathy Huynh, LCSW (Asian Health Services and AACI)
12:30 – 1:30 PM
Lunch on own
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Trauma-Informed Clinical Work with Immigrant Communities
Panelists: Pysay Phinith LCSW and Sonnara Sen ASW
2:30 – 2:40 PM
Break
2:50 – 3:50 PM
Advancing Language Justice and Equity for Immigrant Families
Panelists: Irene Hoang, MSW, Asian Health Services, Annette Wong from Chinese for Affirmative Action
3:50 – 4:10 PM
Closing & Reflection
Networking dinner
One of the pioneering API social workers, Diana Ming Chan was a bilingual practitioner who helped bridge language gaps and expand access to services for families with migration experiences.
This annual conference is designed to support the clinical needs and macro practice needs of bilingual social workers, while also centering the experiences of multicultural BIPOC professionals.
We also recognize the unique challenges faced by ESL social workers and first‑generation community members, ensuring the conference remains inclusive, empowering, and responsive to the communities we serve.
Families of Immigrants: Strength, Resilience, and Leadership Social Work Conference Annual Summer Conference/ Congrats New Graduates
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Korean Community Center of East Bay
Registration: We are currently awaiting approval for the NASW Foundation donation link. Once finalized, attendees will be able to contribute directly to the Diana Ming Chan Student Scholarship.
Cost This annual conference is offered primarily free of charge. We invite attendees to support our fundraising goal for the scholarship. If at least 40 participants contribute $40 each, we can replenish $1,600 to continue supporting future bilingual social workers.
Admission Options
- Free General Admission
- Free Student Admission
- $20 CEU Registration (deadline is Sat June 20th to pay for CEU's)
*** only limit to 40 people. Please only sign up if you are 100% sure you can make it.
Conference Objectives
- Increase awareness of clinical issues when working with families of immigrants and multilingual social workers
- Elevate multilingual social workers
- Promote leadership development for early-career social workers
- Introduce ethical & clinical considerations of multilingual social work
- Introduce ethical & clinical considerations of trauma work with families of immigrants
- Introduce macro social work affecting policy change with families of immigrants and multilingual social work.
- Fundraise for scholarships that promote work with multilingual social workers:
- Diana Ming Chan Scholarship (via National Association of Social Workers Foundation)
- Learning Springboard Scholarship and similar initiatives
Statement on Diversity and Social Justice: This conference centers diversity, equity, and inclusion by elevating the lived experiences, voices, and leadership of immigrant families and multilingual social workers, particularly within Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Through clinical, ethical, and macro-focused sessions, speakers address systemic inequities such as language barriers, cultural stigma, and limited access to culturally responsive care, while promoting language justice and inclusive service delivery. Presenters integrate culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive frameworks to support equitable clinical practice and workforce development. Additionally, the conference fosters inclusion by creating space for early-career professionals and multilingual clinicians to build leadership, advocate for structural change, and strengthen representation within the social work field.
Agenda9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Registration & Networking
10:00 – 10:20 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
10:30 – 11:30 AM
Tips for New Social Worker Panel
Panelists: Sherry Zhou LCSW from VA medical social work, Fiona Cheung, LCSW Kaiser
11:30 – 11:40 AM
Break
11:40 AM – 12:30 PM
Ethical Practice, Language Access, and Clinical Dynamics in Multilingual Social Work
Panelists: Susana Fong, LCSW, UCSF Outpatient Palliative, Tiffany Yu-Lee LCSW Chinatown North Beach Mental Health Clinic, Wah Chong, LCSW from Alameda Health System/Highland Hospital Camila Baum, LCSW from Alameda Health System/Highland Hospital, Kathy Huynh, LCSW (Asian Health Services and AACI)
12:30 – 1:30 PM
Lunch on own
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Trauma-Informed Clinical Work with Immigrant Communities
Panelists: Pysay Phinith LCSW and Sonnara Sen ASW
2:30 – 2:40 PM
Break
2:50 – 3:50 PM
Advancing Language Justice and Equity for Immigrant Families
Panelists: Irene Hoang, MSW, Asian Health Services, Annette Wong from Chinese for Affirmative Action
3:50 – 4:10 PM
Closing & Reflection
Networking dinner
