MOTIVATION
CONFERENCE 21
MAY 1-3, 2015
what will i gain from MC?
KEYNOTE SPEAKER with Joseph Kim
JOE KIM was born & raised in the Bay Area. He received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. During his undergraduate studies, Joe developed a passion for social justice, student organizing, and Hip Hop music.
To expand and deepen his social justice work, Joe moved to Australia in 2011 to perform music and tour through South East Asia. During his time in Australia, he also worked as an Alcohol & Other Drugs (AOD) social worker at a residential withdrawal/detox unit for young people. His appreciation & respect for music & its historical significance in the resistance/resilience of youth culture continues to inform his work today.
For the past 2 years, Joe has been working at the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond where he has been supporting the clinical work of the Community Mental Health Department. He provides individual therapy & case management wraparound services for young people in West Contra Costa County who may not have access to affordable mental health services.
Joe currently facilitates the Young Men’s Group at RYSE that collaborates with the statewide Building Healthy Communities initiative/Sons & Brothers Campaign to reduce health disparities amongst young men color. He also has been integrating trauma-informed/Restorative Justice practices into RYSE’s integrative program model.
Most recently, he has been involved in supporting & presenting the model for RYSE’s Listening Campaign, a research project focused on acknowledging the lived experiences of trauma & coping mechanisms amongst young people in Richmond, at local, regional & national conferences.
EDUCATION WORKSHOP facilitated by Ursula-Ann Siataga
Participants will reflect on their experience in the education system & develop a greater sense of WHY & HOW education is important for the AA/PI community.
URSULA-ANN SIATAGA is of Samoan decent. Siataga was born in San Francisco and raised in the Southeast Sector of the city. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Documentation from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Bachelor’s Degree in Asian American Studies, and minor in Afro-American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her commitment to community work has never left her focus, and she has found ways to balance the work throughout her academic journey. As an emerging community filmmaker, she is working on a documentary entitled, “My Fa’aSamoa,” which is a personal documentary. The film examines the notion of Fa’aSamoa (the Samoan Way of Life/Living) as it is contested, forgotten, and remembered. She is currently a case manager for the Transitional Aged Youth for United Playaz, a violence prevention organization.
IDENTITY WORKSHOP facilitated by Justin Kalolo
Participants will acknowlege their cultural roots in order to deconstruct AA/PI stereotypes all while sharing & addressing identity & it's intersectionalities.
JUSTIN KOLOLO is a young Samoan man, currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Social Work at California State University, Long Beach. He has created, ¤tly supervises, the Pay It Forward High School Outreach Program through the Men’s Success Initiative at CSULB 7 works with 4 local high schools. Justin is also the Vice President of the Pacific Islanders Association at CSULB & has recently hosted the annual High School Outreach, catering to over 100 Native Hawaiian & other Pacific Islander students. Having spent his entire life in Long Beach & the surrounding cities, he has been exposed to the same elements that have often prohibited young men of color from attaining their goals & creating something positive in their communities. However, he has been fortunate enough to have family & friends that have believed in & supported him in breaking a cycle that has rid his community for generations. It is his hope to empower our youth & equip them with the necessary tools required to be successful with the message that they are the instruments of change that they are seeking for their lives, their families, & their communities.
EXPRESSION WORKSHOP facilitated by Gaynor Siataga
Participants will learn how their upbringing as an AA/PI has an impact on their physical, emotional & mental well-being.
**GAYNOR SIATAGA BIO TO COME**
