Asian Americans and Pacific

Islanders
Alyssa Andrews
Michael Johnson
Paul Sarsfield
 Overview
• Ancestral roots represent over 50% of the world, extending from East
Asia to Southeast Asia, and from South Asia to the Pacific Islands and
Polynesia.
• Roughly 93,000 (82,000 Asian/11,000 Pacific Islander) students in the
Washington public school system and make up only 8.6% of the
student population (7.5% and 1.1%).
• 1700 Asian and 157 Pacific Islanders make up .02% the 63,500
certified teaching staff.
• Community support is important!
Who are Pacific Islanders?
• Provides services for the 800 students in Tacoma and surrounding school
districts (services for all Asian/PI families in the area).
• Open communication with deputy superintendents and principles
• Instills cultural background as assimilation progresses, which has been
attributed to increased self-esteem, worth and pride.
• 25% of families are homeless, many have expired visas. APCC works to help
get into shelters, food stamps, relocation assistance.

https://www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org/home
Tacoma School District
 Take-a-ways for counselors
• Do not mail credit check/progress reports home. Call.
• Most 13-18 year old's are already working under the table jobs which
attributes to absents and poor work performance.
• LGTBQs are well accepted by families.
• High abuse at home due to frustrations of poverty or not putting
family 1st.
• Marijuana and ICE are the top drugs of choice. Parents are not
typically involved with drugs.
ASIANS: How you see me?
Asian American Health Facts
• A record 20 million Asian Americans trace their roots to more than 20
countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent,
each with unique histories, cultures, languages and other
characteristics
• Nearly half (45%) of U.S. Asians live in the West, with about one-third (31%) in
California alone
• The three leading causes of death among Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders are cancer, heart disease, and stroke, all of which can be
caused by cigarette smoking.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Asian
Americans/Pacific Islanders.
APICAT
• Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Advocating Together for Healthy
Communities
• To build capacity in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community by
supporting culturally relevant leadership development, education and policy
change for social and health equity.
• http://apicat.org/
• Projects
• Together Our Voices - Asian American and Pacific Islander youth are invited to
share their beliefs and thoughts about health and marijuana
• Don’t Be Fooled - a campaign to promote education on the health impacts of
e-cigarettes and other emerging products
APPEAL
• Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership
(APPEAL)
• National health justice organization working to achieve health equity for Asian
Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities.
• https://appealforhealth.org/
• Reaching Asian Americans Pacific Islanders through Innovative Strategies to
Achieve Equity in Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention (RAISE)
• RAISE aims to accomplish its goals by using evidence-based, public-health models
and strategies that are community competent and population specific to prevent and
reduce tobacco use and other cancer-related health disparities in the diverse Asian
Americans, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities
Stats on Depression and Suicide for Asian Americans
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI)…….

• More than 15 million Asian Americans live with depression; it’s the second
leading cause of death for Asian American.
• Asian American girls have the highest rates of depressive symptoms of any
racial/ethnic or gender group.
• Young Asian American women ages 15 to 24 die from suicide at a higher rate than
other racial/ethnic groups.
• Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death among Asian Americans overall,
compared to the ninth leading cause of death for white Americans;
• Older Asian American women have the highest suicide rate of all women over 65.
• Among Southeast Asians, 71 percent meet criteria for major affective disorders
such as depression.
 Asian Counseling and Referral Service

SERVICES PROVIDED

 Aging services for older adults

 Behavioral health and wellness
 Employment and training services
 Child and youth development
 Citizenship and immigration
 Civic Engagement programs
 Recovery services
Child Youth Development
Services include….

Youth Mental Health

• This service is meant to provide mental health counseling services to address the
social, emotional and behavioral issues of AAPI children, youth and their families.
Culturally appropriate counseling services are tailored to individual needs,
interests, strengths, and goals of each child or youth and his or her family.
Southeast Asian Young Men’s Group

• Serves high school and middle school-aged students. They support students in
achieving academic success, and help them strengthen their connections to family,
culture, school and community through in-school support groups that take place
after-school, during the summer.
• Cover topics such as healthy decision-making, barriers to school success, drug and
alcohol use, racism, youth violence, cultural and generational gaps, generational
trauma and the exploration of their bi-cultural identities.
• Provides homework help, tutoring, job-search skills, resume workshops, college
application and financial aid assistance, community service hours and recreational
activities.
Teen Peer Advocate Program

• TPAP promotes peer advocacy through weekly educational support groups at

high schools in Bellevue, WA. We also hold a weekly leadership and advocacy
group, and participants learn by giving peer outreach and education
presentations. TPAP Advocates receive 40 hours of training on oppression,
gender roles, dating violence, sexual assault, rape prevention and healthy
relationships. Through training and advocacy, they develop leadership skills
and healthy cultural identities.
Youth Job Readiness Training

• Youth Job Readiness Training program is offered in Seattle and South King
County. Program curriculum includes job readiness, academic success, career
exploration and internships. Youth attend workshops, field trips, campus tours and
work on community service learning projects.
• YJRT works with high school students and their parents/guardians.
Parents/guardians concentrate on understanding the local public school system
(grading, attendance, and graduation requirements), parenting techniques and
financial literacy. Both programs support participants with their transition to the
US and assist students to find their path towards a self-sustaining livable wage
career.
Youth Substance Abuse Program

“Get Real” (Anti-Bullying program)

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, early patterns of
abuse and participating in bullying may contribute to violence later in life.
Middle school youth learn about communication skills, conflict resolution,
how to build healthy and respectful relationships and how to navigate out of
troubled relationships through activities and role-playing. Get REAL recruits
and trains high school youth to mentor and co-facilitate sessions at the middle
schools.
 Walk For Rice
• https://acrs.org/events/walk-for-rice/

• Community event held every year where over a thousand people gather at Seward
Park each year on the last Saturday in June to take part in the Walk for Rice to
support our Chinatown-International District food bank!
 Washington State Commission on Asian
Pacific American Affairs
https://capaa.wa.gov/

• Over 3 dozen sites throughout Washington State dedicated to helping

the Asian/Pacific Islander Community
• Offers Financial Aid for students
• Shows their elected officials
• Has small business assistance programs
• Community access to career opportunities with listings and
preparation courses.