Home Programs & Advocacy Listening Sessions

Listening Sessions

One of the flagship programs of the AAPI Commission is its Listening Sessions. They are generally focused on specific communities, though occasionally there will be issue-based listening sessions. The AAPIC has held listening sessions from Quincy to Lowell to Springfield, as well as online. 

 

Each listening session is different, and designed to best serve the needs of the community it is centering, though all listening sessions include the opportunity for members of the community to share their experiences, time for organizations and elected officials to share resources, and the chance to network and socialize, increasing ties between the Commission, organizations, and the many AAPI communities throughout Massachusetts.

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Previous Listening Sessions

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Afghan Community

Lowell, March 2024

This listening session played a pivotal role in making the voices of the Afghan community heard, as members of the community shared their experiences, concerns, and hopes. The Listening Session included representatives from the Asian Caucus, Tackey Chan and Vanna Howard, Chair Gary Chu and Commissioners Moana Bentin, Meena Bharath, and Ekta Srinivana. We were additionally joined by the City of Lowell’s head of housing, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, City of Lowell DEI Officer Ineabelle Dominguez, and a Pollard Memorial Librarian. Multiple organizations came together to provide support, resources, and aid to those who attended. Key issue areas mentioned included housing, access to short- and long-term resources, employment programs, and culturally competent health care.

 

Bhutanese Community

Lowell, February 2024

The AAPI Commission held a series of two listening sessions in Lowell, MA with Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries, Inc. (MBMM) and the ACE Center for New Americans. MBMM is a 501 (c) 3 organization created in 2010 to fund support for New Americans, and worked with the AAPIC in 2023 to host a listening session with the Burmese community of Lowell. The first listening session held in 2024 with MBMM was with the Bhutanese community in and around Lowell, which is primarily composed of refugees of Nepali descent who fled ethnic cleansing in southern Bhutan, largely in the 1990s. Primary challenges discussed were the immigration process, cost of living, and resource accessibility.

Mental Health Listening Session

Virtual, June 2023

On June 13th, the AAPI Commission held a Mental Health Listening Session to discuss the challenges and opportunities impacting the mental health of the AAPI community. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have the lowest help-seeking rate for mental health services of any racial and ethnic group. This may be due to the many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment, including the poor availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health service providers. Cultural identity, faith, stigma, immigration status, and fear can also play a role.

 

Tongan Listening Session

Framingham, April 2023

On April 15th, 2023, the AAPI Commission held a listening session with the Tongan community in Framingham, MA. Community members had the opportunity to introduce their families and their journey of how they settled in Massachusetts. Two youth community members performed a maulu’ulu, a traditional Tongan dance. Representative Donaghue (19th Worcester District) attended the listening session and encouraged the Pacific Islander community members to register to vote, research and get to know candidates, and vote for candidates who best align with their values. The AAPI Commission shared resources and opportunities for the Pacific Islander community to stay engaged with the Commission. In closing, community members and the AAPI Commission had an informal discussion to get to know this Pacific Islander community and for the Commission to provide support.

 

Older Adults Listening Session

Quincy, April 2023

On Friday, April 14th, the AAPI Commission held a listening session at Wollaston Senior Center, with a focus on the experiences of AAPI older adults. We heard from community members and representatives from six community organizations. State Representative Tackey Chan and State Senator John Keenan also attended and spoke with the community about legislative fronts to combat the obstacles faced by AAPI older adults. The primary topics discussed were language access, housing, transportation, and mental health.

 

Burmese Listening Session

Lowell, January 2023

The Lowell Listening Session, held at Lowell International Church, brought together members of the Burmese community to express the concerns and issues they saw impacting their community. This listening session served as a space to collectively brainstorm programming and resources to support members of the Lowell Burmese community. Attendees and presenters shared the issues facing them and their communities, including housing affordability, lack of transportation, and access to resources. The main issues raised were access to resources, price of living, and discrimination.

 

Western Massachusetts Listening Session

October 2022

The Western Massachusetts Listening Session, held in October at the UMass Amherst Center at Springfield, was one of the most impactful programs run by the Commission in 2022. Building off of two virtual listening sessions in the spring, this listening session provided a voice to AAPIs in Western Massachusetts, connecting AAPI communities in Western Massachusetts to resources and with each other. Main topics brought up were access to resources, representation and curriculum in schools, and anti-AAPI discrimination. This successful listening session led to the creation of a full Western Massachusetts program, including quarterly meetings.