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Thursday, February 28, 2008

“UnConference” - Mar 6 & 7 - noon

Spark the Dialogue! Speak Your Mind!

The Asian Canadian Cultural Organization (ACCO) is pleased to announce “UnConference” on March 6 and 7. This unique series of workshops will address the under-discussed issues affecting Asian Canadians in the greater community. Vancouver’s large Asian Canadian population is reason for celebration as well as study. Who are Asian Canadians? How do Asian Canadians feel about their part in Vancouver? Are stereotypes prevalent? Are Asian Canadians being fairly represented in the media? How about in business? Is interracial dating a source of conflict or cooperation? What are the issues regarding Asian Canadians in the queer community? Or queer Asian Canadians in the Asian community?

As a youth initiative, ACCO was established in January 2007. We are a non-profit student group celebrating Asian Canadian culture with the overall objective to create an Asian Canadian Studies Program at UBC. ACCO promotes youth outreach with academic dialogue and raising public awareness on campus. We advocate for safe space at UBC by challenging stereotypes and other social barriers that affect everyone in Vancouver.

Since our formation in spring 2007 some of our activities have included:

Film screening representations of Asian Americans and Canadians within popular media
Imagine UBC: First Week and mature students orientation
Outpost: Asian Canadians Reframed, an interactive art display consisting of peoples’ perception of Asian Canadians at UBC and SFU that addressed Asian Canadian stereotypes and challenges

We are pleased to have been supported in our activities by:
Access & Diversity Office, UBC
Perspectives, UBC’s Chinese-English bilingual student newspaper
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), A UBC education and social action student organization
Broadway Youth Resource Centre, Vancouver
Chinatown Next Youth Revitalization Committee, Vancouver

We also appreciated the advice and support from UBC faculty including Dr. Henry Yu, Dr. Colin Green, Dr. Jennifer Chan, and Dr. Christopher Lee; as well as that from Hayne Wai, Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC.

Key workshop components of the “UnConference” will include:
The Feminization of Asian Males and Asians in the Media
Asian Representation in Popular Sports and Asian Role Models
Interracial Families and Dating Relationships
The Bamboo Ceiling: Asians in the North American Workforce
Asians in the Queer Community

Everyone is welcome to join in the discussions running from noon until 5 pm!

On March 6th and 7th University of British Columbia students will be given the unprecedented chance to discuss with experts issues relating to the Asian Canadian experience.

Despite Vancouver’s sizeable Asian Canadian population, there has been a considerable lack of discussion and study on these crucial issues.
The Unconference, a series of workshops dedicated to exploring these issues, will highlight these issues, and ultimately UBC’s unique position to develop an Asian Canadian Studies program.

The group hosting “UnConference” is the Asian Canadian Cultural Organization (ACCO).

Composed of UBC students, the group strives to create an honest, equal dialogue in a city that seems reluctant to admit real differences. A significant step in this critical process of self-examination for everyone in the city is the creation of an Asian Canadian Studies program at UBC.

The conference will look at, and host workshops on, issues of:
Asian Canadian role models and identity problems
Media presentation of Asian men and women and the impact these presentations have on Asian Canadians themselves
Perceptions of Asian Canadians in the workforce and the effects these perceptions have on their ability to advance their careers
Interracial dating and families: problems and benefits
Asian Canadians in the queer community and explore stereotypes and fetishes, as well as family and acceptance of sexual diversity within Asian Canadian communities.

To achieve this, ACCO will host workshops with experts related to each topic, allowing students to discuss their own concerns in an informal environment.

The conference is as much about learning from each other as it is learning from those with experience with these issues.
These are topics on everyone’s mind, yet rarely discussed in the media or even among friends. ACCO feels that this is largely due to a lack of information about these issues.

Special guests at “UnConference” will include Rudy Chung, President of the National Association of Asian American Professionals Vancouver (NAAAP), Helen Ma representing the City of Vancouver, Newton Hoang from Broadway Youth Resource Centre, Shimpei Chihara of the Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS (ASIA), Karen Lind of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), as well as several others.

For more information, including complete schedules, commentary, and other materials, please contact:

Kepler Rotheisler, Public Relations of ACCO (kepler_rotheisler@hotmail.com) 778-865-6762

Noreen Ma, President of ACCO (noreenlma@gmail.com) 604-561-8974