Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
It can be hard to feel part of community when you can’t physically be in community. However, organizations are stepping up to provide opportunities to connect virtually. To celebrate the wealth of online events out there, and to make content from these events accessible to folks who may not be able to virtually attend, AAOP is recapping 1-3 online opportunities each month! You can see our past and future recaps at http://aaopmn.org/tag/virtual-event-recap/
We at AAOP are proud to present We Care For Us, a workshop series every Friday in May providing space for our youth and young people to reflect and heal during these challenging times.
We Care For Us kicked off on May 7 with the first session, The Journey of Self. This session focused on turning inward to connect with and feed our own personal needs. As facilitator Clara put it, the focus was on “practicing self-love as a form of preservation and resistance.”
As we entered the virtual space, participants were asked to share how we wanted to show up in the session. Some answers included “to listen,” “to connect with myself and others,” “to reflect,” and “to be in community.”
Facilitators Vang Xor and Clara recapped the many heavy events we have been experiencing over the past year, including the murders of George Floyd and Daunte Wright in Minnesota, and the rise in anti-Asian hate nationwide. The rest of the session was devoted to engaging in intentional reflection, with the goal of providing the vital time and space for processing that is so often denied in our busy day to day lives.
Activities included journaling, a somatic awareness exercise, and several group discussions where people were able to connect with one another in a healing and solidarity-building way. One particularly memorable activity was a reflection that helped participants find an “anchor” memory, something that makes you feel strong and that you can turn to when you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Folks shared that some of the memories that made them feel most empowered and grounded were connected to family, community, and stories of personal and ancestral perseverance and joy.
During times of crisis, it can be hard to carve out time for self-care and self-love, but it is actually during these periods of hardship that noticing and respecting our individual needs is most important.
We Care For Us is a space created by Asian youth, for Asian youth. Together, we can nurture our community and personal health, which isn’t just an act of love, it is an act of profound and revolutionary liberation.
Engage in a self-love activity!: Sometimes, it’s important to not just feel self-love, but also demonstrate it. That’s why we encourage folks to write themselves a love letter. You can see the template below for prompts. And if you do write a self-love letter, and are comfortable sharing it, tag @aaopmn on Instagram when you do! This activity was inspired by a workshop facilitated in the past years by artist Tori Hong.
Please join us for the upcoming sessions of We Care For Us!
Learn more about We Care For Us and register here.
Special thanks to our amazing staff members Clara King and Vang Xor Xiong for creating and leading We Care for Us, and to all the wonderful youth who joined us for the first session!
Photo Credits: AAOP