According to the recent Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS
Study (CYSHHAS), half of Grade 9 students and one third of Grade
11 students think that there is a cure for HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile,
the study reported that 23% of males and 19% of females in grade
9 reported having sexual intercourse at least once. By grade 11,
40% of males and 46% of females have had intercourse. Less than
two percent of the students surveyed said they abstained from
sex because they feared HIV or AIDS.
As Asian youth, we often struggle with many issues on top of
sex and sexuality: conflicts with our families, racism, sexism,
peer acceptance, isolation, self-esteem issues, and lack of information
and support.
HIV/AIDS and STI prevention education and outreach for Asian youth
can be challenging—Asian youth are a very diverse group!
Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Laotian, Thai,
Cambodian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean…we come from
all over the place!
From those of you who were born or raised in Canada, to newcomers
who are VISA students, new immigrants, refugees, or without status…there
are many different types of Asian youth!
Who:
East & Southeast Asian volunteers, 26 years old and younger,
with open minds.
We especially need volunteers who are bilingual (English and
east/southeast Asian language)
How:
1. Call the Youth Education and Outreach Coordinator to schedule
a MatchUp (see below). Periodically, we will also have Volunteer
Information Sessions for new volunteers.
2. Then you will go through a series of Volunteer Trainings—where
you will share, learn, challenge, and laugh with each other.
MatchUps
MatchUps are like interviews, except they’re not as formal
or scary as an “interview”! It’s a chance for
us to get to know you, and you will get a chance to ask questions
you have about us. We will tell you more about how our program
works.
If what you want matches with what we want, then we're on to
the next step!
Volunteer Training
Our version of a Volunteer Training, the purpose of it is to
draw out issues important to us, to become aware of how each of
us feel and what we know about them, to look at them from different
points-of-views, and then to relate them back to HIV prevention.
Trainings are a series of volunteer training workshops, discussions,
hands-on experiences, leadership & workshop development, demos,
scenarios, role plays, and other stuff.
Some key topics we will explore include: HIV/AIDS and STIs basic
info and treatment info, sex, sexuality, relationships, communication,
drugs, alcohol, harm reduction, oppression, workshop facilitation
and outreach…and much more!
What Taro Buddies/Peer Educators Do
Together as a team, Taro Buddies plan and conduct workshops and
presentations youth all over the city. We go to high schools,
community organizations, and youth groups and facilitate HIV/STI
prevention workshops.
Taro Buddies also do outreach—we go to different areas
of Toronto to hand out safer sex kits and talk to Asian youth
to increase awareness about preventing HIV/STIs. We go to community
events, health fairs, night clubs, and other places where Asian
youth hang out.
We believe that young people have a right to make their own choices,
and a right to any information they need to make those choices.
Taro Buddies take a nonjudgmental, peer-to-peer approach in giving
out information and answering questions.
Contacts
For more information regarding the Youth Program or to volunteer
as a Taro Buddies/Peer Educator, please contact the Youth Education
and Outreach Coordinator Chi Ching Hui at 416 963-4300, extension
29 youth@acas.org
