Here is a comprehensive report of CAPAA Commissioners’ activities between the months of June 2016 and September 2016:

Commissioner Dickinson
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders call about Immigrant Heritage Month 6/22/2016 Need to do outreach and education on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

 
Meeting with National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Leaders 8/5/2016

 

 Discussed outreach to communities, projects for upcoming year
Meeting with NAPABA President and other Affiliate Leaders 8/11/2016

 

 Discussed API summit in Las Vegas, discussed working with NAPABA, community engagement
Attended Asian Bar Association of Washington Board Meeting 8/11/2016

 

 Outreach to API students for scholarships and mentoring, discussed upcoming events and outreach
ABAW Summer Picnic 8/13/2016

 

 More funding needed for outreach activities, upcoming events with other Minority Bar Associations, outreach to smaller communities
Commissioner Dinh
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Meeting with community member

 

 7/3/2016

 

 The community member wanted to know the resources available to the community.
Community Conversation on Mental Health Awareness 7/25/2016

 

 Need more education on how to reduce the stigma of mental health.  Need more culturally relevant mental health services. Need more coordination of services.
Vietnam War Memorial Service

 

 7/30/2016

 

 Provided welcome comments as CAPAA Commissioner at the Vietnam War Memorial Site Dedication Event.
Torch Light Parade

 

 7/30/2016

 

 Walked with the VASA Vietnamese float as CAPAA Commissioner
Community Meeting

 

 8/11/2016

 

 Concerns about gentrification.  There is a lot of new developments happening in and around Little Saigon (LS) Business area.  Concerns are: 1) fear that Vietnamese small businesses will no longer afford new rent; 2) the area would lose its cultural look and identity; and 3) there is no support from local government to try to maintain identity and culture of LS.
Celebrate Little Saigon

 

 8/28/2016

 

 Attended as a board member of Friends of Little Saigon and also talked with attendees as CAPAA Commissioner.
Commissioner Finau
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Summer Youth Leadership Program

 

 6/28/2016

 

 API students were informed of the history of CAPAA and its mission. Family and community engagement is a vital part of student success and it must be intentionally designed. API students were encouraged to be civically engaged in their schools and community.
Education Roundtable Meeting

 

 7/8/2016

 

 Planning meeting with members of the Hispanic and African American Commissions regarding the Education Roundtable relating to the disproportionality in Student Discipline; educator cultural competence, recruitment, hiring, training, instruction and accountability for English language learners, and improve student data collection and disaggregation.  This is actively supporting the work of the EOGOAC to recommend policies and strategies to close the achievement gap.
Meeting with International Examiner Director of Public Relation Lexi Potter

 

 7/29/2016

 

 Trying to connect with Pacific Islander readers and writers. Up until a couple years ago, the International Examiner was primarily focused on East Asian and Southeast Asian communities but was billed as an “Asian Pacific Islander” newspaper. Meeting was to brainstorm ways for the paper to be more representative and visible to Pacific Islanders and their community. The readership should capture the diversity of both API communities and is a crucial change that needs to be made.
Burke Museum Tongan Project

 

 8/2/2016

 

 Tongan artifacts housed at the Burke Museum have been invisible and not utilized for decades. Community members came together and we analyzed all the items ready for both high school and UW college students to research. The end goal is to create a curriculum for Tongan artifacts.
Meeting with Dr. Anthony Byrd, Executive Director of WA Teach For America

 

 8/22/2016

 

 Meeting for the first time with Dr. Byrd. Discussions on how TFA program can help our API students and the concerns of qualified teachers from TFA. Collaboration in the future.
Commissioner Gaur
TBA
Commissioner Guerrero
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Distribute Commission board meeting flyers to businesses, cultural groups, families, and school districts Ongoing

 

 N/A

 
Connect with API organizations in Clark County as a CAPAA Commissioner Ongoing

 

 N/A
Commissioner Gurung
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Community Event 6/18/2016

 

 1. Community thanked CAPAA and the Governor for adapting the Nepali language in the Road Map World Language Credit Program.

2. They want to know more details about the program and Nepalese language.
Bhutanese Nepali community gather

 

 6/30/2016

 

 Positive feedback about adding Nepali to the Road Map World Language Credit Program.
-Do we have any opportunity to teach the Nepali language in high schools?
-Does this program apply to private schools?
North West Gurung Annual Program/ Picnic 8/15/2016

 

 Need community center, local media outlet in the Nepali language, add Nepali category to school enrollment forms
Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA (CIE) Annual convention and APA youth scholarship award 8/20/2016

 

 Event promoted science and technology to API communities at the national and international level.
North West Nepali Communities and West Americas Nepali Association join convention in Portland Oregon

 

 9/3/2016

 

 -How do we keep our community safe as first generation Nepali people in this country?
-How do we provide good education to our incoming generation?

-How do we preserve our culture, language, and heritage?
-How can we be financially independent?
-What will be the situation of our elderly lives?
Commissioner Nguyen
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Attended groundbreaking ceremony for Vietnam War Memorial in Auburn 7/23/2016

 

 N/A
APIC of South Puget South Meeting 8/24/2016 N/A
Commissioner Pen
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Provided presentations on “Personal Safety at Home” to 387 seniors of various ethnicities (Cambodian, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Samoan) July 19-22, 2016 Residents were grateful to receive the useful information. There is no follow-up on this topic.
Tabled, talked about CAPAA to many API residents and gave out brochures in their own languages at the East Side Tacoma Resource Fair at the Cambodian new temple. 7/22/2016 Residents were grateful to receive the useful information. There is no follow-up on this topic.
Provided presentations on “Personal Safety in the Neighborhood” to 361 seniors of various ethnicities (Cambodian, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Samoan) August 8-11, 2016 Residents were grateful to receive the useful information. There is no follow-up on this topic.
Was invited to speak at the 9th Annual Cambodian Cultural Celebration event and tabled, talked about CAPAA to many API residents and gave out brochures in their own languages at the Salt Water State Park in Des Moines. Over two hundred residents were attending. 8/27/2016 Residents were thankful that Commissioner was able to speak and to share CAPAA’s focus areas, especially with brochures in their own languages.
Commissioner Pen arranged to have Tacoma firefighters Lieutenant Grant Larsen and Russell Ivy talk about “What to do when there is an emergency vehicle with Sirens & Lights on” and handed out a full detail on the topic to 389 seniors of various ethnicities (Cambodian, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Samoan) September 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 2016 Residents were so thankful to Commissioner Pen to have important information and useful tips brought to/shared with them each month. There is no follow-up to this activity.
Attended the Asian American and Pacific Islander Civic Engagement Summit at Tacoma Dome and shared CAPAA’s focus areas with audiences. 9/15/2016 Talked to many young Asian Americans from Snohomish and King Counties about CAPAA’s focus areas. They would like to invite Commissioner Pen to talk to their group in the near future.
Commissioner Sinclair
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Working Together to Prevent Diabetes in Washington State

 

 6/21/2016

 

 Washington State Department of Health Diabetes Program Plan to expand access to the Diabetes Prevention Program for under- and uninsured Washington residents.
3rd Annual AI/AN Diabetes Data Institute 7/26/2016

 

 Need to coordinate health data collected from indigenous populations
APCC Luau 8/13/2016 Annual cultural event that highlights Pacific Island cultures
Commissioner Tufono
TBA
Commissioner Vue
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Summer Youth Leadership Program – IE

 

 6/28/2016

 

 -How do we educate the stakeholders in our school system to engage and support our students’ needs?
-How can our students advocate for their needs?
Meeting with Tony Byrd 8/22/2016 How can TFA support CAPAA’s work?
SEAeD Summit Planning 9/1/2016 Build mental health awareness
SEAeD Summit planning 9/8/2016 None at this time.
Commissioner Wada
Activity Date Issues & Recommendations
Youth Leadership Conference 8/20/2016

 

 More opportunities for API youth such as internships and civic engagement events.
Partnership meeting with Snohomish County 8/30/2016

 

 Create opportunities for CAPAA to partner with Snohomish county to educate API-owned businesses of various contracting and economic development opportunities.
Partnership opportunity with Korean American Chamber of Commerce 9/2/2016

 

 Established regular meeting with Korean American Chamber of Commerce to partner with CAPAA to exchange ideas and strategies to support API business owners.  Invited them to attend an upcoming CAPAA board meeting to educate our board members of their accomplishments and discuss ways to support each other’s missions.