Wenkui/Jan
On November 12, the air was filled with the resonance of loud gongs and drums, a vibrant lion dance performance, and a stirring national anthem as the Asian Cultural and Educational Society USA (ACAESUSA) hosted “ACAESUSA Mental Health Day”. They extended sincere thanks to Mayor Bob Dubey of Richardson for proclaiming November 12, 2023, as ACAESUSA Mental Health Matters Day. Dignitaries and experts from the region gathered at the Dallas Chinese Community Center for an unforgettable commemoration of ACAESUSA Mental Health Matters Day.
The celebratory occasion unfolded in two parts. A heartfelt appreciation goes out to the ACAESUSA Youth Council, UCA DFW Youth Council, and USSDFA – DFW Youth Council for their invaluable support in making this event a success. Additionally, they distributed yellow whistles before, during, and after the event.
The first part focused on local health matters and was hosted by ACAESUSA, with support from Richardson City and Dallas City, alongside several supporting organizations such as UCA, UCA-DFW team, USSDFA, USSDFA-DFW, GAHD, and DCAA. Professionals including Kimberly Richards, Hao Zheng, and Ally Wang provided insights into addressing current mental health challenges affecting children and parents.
The second part centered on national health matters and was hosted by ACAESUSA in partnership with UCA WAVES. Lily Chen, director of the United Chinese Americans UCA WAVES Youth Mental Health Collaborative, delivered a powerful Big Idea Talk, urging the breaking of silences surrounding mental illness and suicide within the Asian American community. The projects were made possible through the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The event’s success was facilitated by the support of Texas State Rep. Matt Shaheen from District 66, Texas State Rep. Carl O. Sherman, Sr. from District 109, Cindy Tsai (Interim President of Committee of 100), Haipei Shue (President of UCA), Wang Huang (Board Chair of UCA), Jinli (President of GAHD), and Lizhi Wang (President of USSDFA).
Guiding the event were the Youth Council presidents from Highland Park High School: Jessica Wu, Vice President Amy Xu, and Eric Wang from Baylor University, who served as wonderful emcees. Molly Li led the youth group in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Mrs. Jan Xie, President of the Asian Cultural and Educational Society, expressed gratitude, saying, “Thank you all for your support and love for each other. A few weeks ago, a Chinese American friend of mine, Denial, passed away suddenly and alone in his home, and a few years ago his son, who was an Ivy League graduate student, died from suicide. In order to avoid a repeat of this tragedy, let’s all join hands and acknowledge the importance of mental health matters.”
美国亚洲文化教育联盟心理健康日
Shaorong/Jan
11月12日，美国亚洲文化教育联盟（ACAESUSA）在达拉斯华人活动中心举办了庆祝“美国亚洲文化教育协会心理健康日”活动。活动中，锣鼓喧天、舞狮表演热闹非凡，国歌声激昂。当Richardson Bob市长宣布2023年11月12日为“亚洲文化和教育联盟ACAESUSA心理健康日”时，现场的达福地区的心理健康专家和达拉斯华人都非常高兴，共同庆祝这个难忘的日子。
庆祝活动分为两个部分，感谢ACAESUSA、UCADFW和USSDFA-DFW青少年理事会对活动的支持。他们在活动期间和前后分发了黄哨子。第一部分是由亚洲文化和教育联盟ACAESUSA主办，旨在探讨当地心理健康问题的解决方法。活动得到了理察德市、达拉斯市、UCA、UCA-DFW团队、USSDFA、USSDFA-DFW、GAHD和DCAA等支持机构的共同努力，共同关注亚裔的心理健康问题。市长以及Kimberly Richards、Hao Zheng和Ally Wang等专业人士讲解了孩子和家长如何保持健康的心理状态。
第二部分集中讨论了全美范围内的心理健康问题，亚洲文化和教育联盟ACAESUSA与美国华人联盟UCA WAVES合作。UCA WAVES青少年心理健康合作组织的负责人陈健发表了一场极具震撼力的Big Idea Talk，打破了亚裔美国人社区对精神疾病和自杀的沉默。陈健以自己的亲身经历为例，鼓励其他人加入WAVES计划（健康、倡导、声音、教育、支持），拯救年轻人的生命。这些讲座类似于TED演讲，以医疗保健提供者合作推进健康公平为主题，得到了罗伯特-伍德-约翰逊基金会（Robert Wood Johnson Foundation）在2016-2023年期间的支持（https://ucausa.org/about-uca-waves/）。
在此次活动中，特别感谢德克萨斯州66区众议员Matt Shaheen、德克萨斯州109区众议员Carl O. Sherman，以及百人会临时主席兼执行董事Cindy Tsai、美国华人联盟主席薛海培、美国华人联盟理事长王华、和全美山东同乡总会会长王立智的支持。
孩子们在温暖的气氛中学到了很多关于保持心理健康的新知识。感谢来自高地公园高中的学生- UCADFW和ACAESUSA, USSDFA-DFW青年理事会为我们主持了这场精彩的活动。他们是Jessica Wu、Amy Xu和来自贝勒大学的Eric Wang。李语熹领着孩子们一起演唱了《星条旗》。河南同乡会会长李瑾带领着舞狮队伍（狮子队义工：郭晓斌、赵亚辉、曹倍源、宋小柱），程振刚给孩子们准备的队服和奖章，戴莉萍和王静雅给孩子们的三明治，都为参加这个沉重话题的孩子们带来了快乐。邓卫平老师的赠画和张长弓老师的字为我们的活动增添了浓厚的中华文化氛围。也感谢徐瑞，谢慧，常少容，杨笛，毕春燕，秋媚，江红红，尹伊，刘宝莉，小新，李琳，胡毓瑾，孔令华，邵创, 延东旭, 和蔡爽等很早来做义工并参加义卖活动。
亚洲文化和教育联盟的会长解健女士热烈欢迎各位来宾的到来。她说：“感谢大家今天聚在一起，感觉很温馨和很温暖。几周前我的一位华人朋友丹尼尔在家中突然离世，他生前一直痛念几年前还在读研究生的时候自杀的儿子。为了避免悲剧重演，让每个人都能感受到支持和关爱，今天让我们团结起来，在社区内推广心理健康的重要性。”