July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month
We shared a presentation about mental health during our July meeting. Thank you for joining us in an engaging community conversation in our efforts to normalize mental health conversations and help dispel myths and stigmas that make them so difficult within the ANHPI community! If you would like to facilitate similar conversations in your own social circles or agency, we’ve made the presentation with embedded videos available on our HAPPEN website for your use. If you need help or someone to talk to, please reach out and know that you are not alone.
HAPPEN Executive Leadership Team
|
 Nominate yourself or someone you think would be a great addition to the team by July 31, 2024. Nominations are now open for the following positions:
Visit the specific descriptions above or HAPPEN website for all of the job descriptions.
In case you missed the July meeting, here are the resources shared:
We had a request from a HAPPEN member, Chalia Stallings Alailima:
- If you have recommendations of community groups in less-visited parts of the state who might be interested in outreach from the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division, please contact Chalia directly.
We look forward to seeing you at the next general membership meeting scheduled for August 14 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.
HAPPEN general membership meetings are scheduled the second Wednesday of the month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 810 6147 0109 Passcode: 571168
One tap mobile +12532158782,,81061470109#,,,,*571168# US (Tacoma) +16699009128,,81061470109#,,,,*571168# US (San Jose)
|
HAPPEN mentor applications are now open! This 9-month mentorship program will run September - May and promotes ANHPI leadership, personal and professional development, and cultural connections through peer to peer mentorship across state agencies. This year we will have mentors sign up first, and then open up sign ups for mentees (people who want to be mentored by others) in August.
Scan the QR code to the right or complete the HAPPEN mentor application and sign up to be a mentor today!
|
|
 |
When: Thursday, August 8, 2024 beginning at 9:30 am PST
In January 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration launched a series of regional economic summits to connect Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander small businesses, entrepreneurs, and community members with critical resources and opportunities. Over the past year, we’ve hosted convenings in cities across America—including Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City, Seattle, Honolulu, Atlanta, and Saint Paul.
Today, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders is announcing its next event on August 8, 2024, in Irvine, California, which will be open to the public. The summit series is hosted in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, other federal agencies, the National Asian / Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, and local leaders.
Individual registration is required.
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), established by President Joe Biden through Executive Order 14031, is charged with coordinating a whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities. Learn more.
 The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the sites for the 2026 Census Test, the first of two major on-the-ground tests planned in preparation for the 2030 Census.
The 2026 Census Test will evaluate the viability of innovations and enhancements planned for the 2030 Census, with particular focus on improving the count of hard-to-count and historically undercounted populations.
The 2026 Census Test will focus on six operational areas:
- Making it easier for people to respond on their own online, by phone or by mail;
- Improving in-person household data collection;
- Improving methods for counting people living in group quarters;
- Enhancing outreach efforts to create awareness, build trust, and encourage response;
- Enhancing the infrastructure that supports census operations; and
- Processing data concurrently with data collection.
Additional Resources
Also This Week...
Tuesday, July 23: Webinar on Release of 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B
Join the US Census Bureau for a prerelease webinar to discuss information about the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B scheduled for public release Augist 1.
Thursday, July 25: Small Area Health Insurance Estimates
We will release new data from the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates Program, the only source for single-year estimates of the number of people with and without health insurance coverage in each of the nation’s 3,143 counties.
Upcoming Census Academy Webinars
CAPAA Announces Interim Director & Project Manager
The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Nam Nguyen as the new Interim Executive Director and the hiring of Negheen Kamkar as the new Project Manager. Both bring extensive experience and a shared commitment to serving the Asian American & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities in Washington State.
|
Nam Nguyen, Interim Executive Director
Prior to his role as Interim Executive Director for CAPAA, Nam Nguyen served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Revenue and Finance Division. His legal career also includes positions in private practice with law firms in Bellevue, WA, and Houston, TX. Nam graduated from Boston University School of Law and holds a Master in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington.
Nam has a rich history of community service. Following law school, he volunteered in Bayou La Batre, AL—famously known as the birthplace of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company from the film Forrest Gump—where he addressed economic and social issues caused by the BP Oil Spill. There, he developed and implemented youth development programs, social services for those with limited English proficiency, and work training programs for displaced workers.
Nam has also volunteered as an assistant scoutmaster and troop leader for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in Alabama, Massachusetts, Texas, and Washington. Currently, he serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Family Support Center of South Sound, a non-profit organization providing coordinated supportive services to families in the Olympia area. Additionally, he is on the board of Seattle University School of Law’s Judicial Institute and was elected as a Governor on the Washington State Bar Association’s Board of Governors for a three-year term in April 2022.
A Seattle native, Nam now resides in Tumwater, WA, with his dog, Vader. His appointment as Interim Executive Director brings a wealth of legal expertise and a strong community-focused approach to CAPAA.
|
Negheen Kamkar, Project Manager
Negheen is honored to join CAPAA as project manager. She brings over 10 years of experience working in the Washington State public sector.
Negheen first served State Representative Judy Clibborn as a Legislative Aide on key statewide transportation projects. During this time, she institutionalized ‘Open Pathways,’ a mentorship program offering professional development and recruitment strategies to invest in a more diverse government workforce. Later, she served Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez as a Policy Director. Negheen managed Seattle’s work plan to combat the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples epidemic. By following the lead of community experts, together their office successfully launched the nation’s first piece of legislation detailing concrete solutions. Additionally, Negheen staffed the newly formed Indigenous Advisory Council dedicated to advising city leadership and departments on policies impacting indigenous communities.
Negheen is a proud first-generation Persian American residing in Seattle, WA. In 2017, she helped coordinate the first Norooz celebration (Persian New Year) at the Washington State Legislature. This was a heartfelt and significant moment for the community to be acknowledged in a culturally-attuned way.
It is the shared passion to make government more accessible and bring about positive change for diverse communities that brings Negheen to CAPAA.Negheen holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington and lives with her dog Leia in Seattle.
|
Student Loan Borrower Survey
The Office of the Student Loan Advocate (SLA) and the Office of Financial Management (OFM) are sourcing feedback from Washington public service student loan borrowers about their experience with the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
SLA and OFM are asking student loan borrowers to complete the student loan borrower survey. The survey is short and should only take a few minutes to complete. Survey responses are anonymous.
Your feedback will help Washington State continue to address barriers and expand access to the PSLF Program through the PSLF statewide initiative (RCW 43.41.425).
Do you have questions about qualifying for PLSF? Please contact LoanAdvocate@wsac.wa.gov.
Please also share with others about the student loan borrower survey and help us expand access to the PSLF program in Washington State!
|
Have Something to Share?
We try our best to curate meaningful and relevant content, opportunities, news, etc., we think will be of interest for our members and allies. Representing over 100 countries and more than 50 communities makes it difficult to stay apprised of everything HAPPENing related to our collective community. We greatly appreciate when opportunities are shared from our members.
This is your bulletin. Feel free to send articles, resources, event information, etc., to be included in future bulletins, and eventually, our website and social media.
Process:
- Submit items by emailing them to HAPPEN@ofm.wa.gov by Thursday morning for the following week's bulletin.
- Time sensitive items submitted will be reviewed and included in the next bulletin.
- Non-time sensitive submissions will be added to the list to be included in future bulletins when we may be looking for content to share.
- Bulletins will usually be distributed on Mondays. Special bulletins will be sent only as needed to provide an update on something already shared or of an urgent nature.
Thank you in advance for sharing, uplifting, and elevating our voices, culture, and opportunities! This is what community looks like.
|
