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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2023)
OPINION Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER December 4, 2023 Volume 33 Number 12 December 4, 2023 ISSN: 1094-9453 The Asian Reporter is published on the first Monday each month. Please send all correspondence to: The Asian Reporter 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, OR 97217 Phone: (503) 283-4440, Fax: (503) 283-4445 News Department e-mail: news@asianreporter.com Advertising Department e-mail: ads@asianreporter.com Website: www.asianreporter.com Please send reader feedback, Asian-related press releases, and community interest ideas/stories to the addresses listed above. Please include a contact phone number. Advertising information available upon request. Publisher Jaime Lim Contributing Editors Ronault L.S. Catalani (Polo), Jeff Wenger Correspondents Ian Blazina, Josephine Bridges, Pamela Ellgen, Maileen Hamto, Edward J. Han, A.P. Kryza, Marie Lo, Simeon Mamaril, Julie Stegeman, Toni Tabora-Roberts, Allison Voigts Illustrator Jonathan Hill News Service Associated Press/Newsfinder Copyright 2023. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication. Member Associated Press/Newsfinder Asian American Journalists Association Better Business Bureau Pacific Northwest Minority Publishers (PNMP) Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon MY TURN n Dmae Lo Roberts Youth files project Correspondence: The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. Please send all correspondence to: Mail: 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D Portland, OR 97217-2220 Phone: (503) 283-4440 ** Fax: (503) 283-4445 News Department e-mail: news@asianreporter.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES (U.S. rates only) Individual subscription (sent bulk rate): q One year: $16 q Two years: $26 Individual subscription (sent first class mail): q One year: $24 q Two years: $44 Office subscription (5 copies to one address): q One year: $65 q Two years: $110 Institutional subscription (25 copies to one address): q One year: $200 q Two years: $350 NEW SUBSCRIBER / ADDRESS CORRECTION INFORMATION FORM: Subscriber’s name: Company name: Address: City, State, ZIP: Phone: Fax: E-mail: Mail with payment or Fax with credit card information to: The Asian Reporter, Attn: Subscription Dept., 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, OR 97217-2220 Phone: (503) 283-4440 * Fax: (503) 283-4445 q q q For VISA or Mastercard payment only: Name (as it appears on the card): Type of card (circle): VISA Mastercard Card number: Security code: Expiration date: Address of card: The last four issues of The Asian Reporter are available for pick up free at our office 24 hours a day at 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, Oregon. Back issues of The Asian Reporter may be ordered by mail at the following rates: First copy: $3.00 Additional copies ordered at the same time: $1.50 each Send orders to: Asian Reporter Back Issues, 922 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217-2220 The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. If you have a comment on a story we have printed, or have an Asian-related personal or community focus idea, please contact us. Please include a contact name, address, and phone number on all correspondence. Thank you. y artistic projects have always been a personal response to the world around me. During the pandemic, a longtime friend went through a tragic loss when her grandchild passed away. She didn’t talk about it much, but I surmised it may have been because of the stress and isolation many young people underwent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as previous generations experienced war trauma and economic depression, the last few years will forever leave an indelible mark on our youth. What they went through created lasting mental health challenges. Suicide and depression rates are still rising, especially among BIPOC youth. Through a nonprofit I run, MediaRites, we started The –Ism Youth Files project to highlight the mental health of BIPOC youth and youth with disabilities. We issued a call for submissions for a new book collection as well as a docuseries podcast. Of the 40 submissions received, we selected 20 youth writers. They hailed from Oregon and Washington, as well as Indiana, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in the U.S. There was also a selection from Kolkata, India. Each writer received an honorarium payment. During the two-year project, I got to know and respect the contributors. It became a mentorship project as we worked with the writers to polish their work. For the docuseries podcast, I interviewed each writer about the motivations behind their submissions and the effects of the pandemic. Their honesty and lived experiences moved me and the project became a complex and credible depiction of today’s youth. I heard stories about anxiety, depression, fear, and worry about the future. They shared devastating, yet ultimately hopeful stories of recovery from eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and assault. They talked about the cultural barriers within their families that prevented them from getting immediate help. In fact, the majority of the teens said their friends or siblings knew they were in trouble before their parents did. The goals of The –Ism Youth Files were to create more awareness about youth mental health and to break the silence that still exists in communities of color. I continue to stay in touch with and have grown close to many of the youth. I have written M letters of support for college admissions and passed along information about other writing opportu- nities. The title for the book and podcast, Speaking Our Truths, was inspired by one of the personal essays. It was titled “How We Speak Our Truth.” Over and over, the young people referred to speaking their truths. After what they went through, honesty and transparency were high priorities for them. We worked with professionals in mental health, book editing, and publishing. I’m very proud of the book because it has personal stories of overcoming trauma, including helpful strategies the youth learned. It has beautiful artwork and brief graphic novels, as well as fine writing. Alongside the personal stories in both the book and docuseries are mental health tips and solutions. The podcast series was hosted by Asian American youth and featured many interviews. I’m pleased the docuseries is starting to be picked up by public radio stations across the country. Through the project, we created a lasting document of what young people went through during the pandemic — going back to school, reflections on what the experience meant to them, and what they learned. I wanted the collection of personal essays, poetry, and graphic novels to be a chronicle about life during and after the pandemic, perhaps encouraging more awareness for a taboo subject — especially for the BIPOC communities — and spotlighting the lack of resources for mental health help for youth with disabilities. One thing rang clear: all of our young writers affirmed that they turned to writing and artistic creativity as a form of comfort and healing, and as a way to gain a more optimistic window toward their futures. I’m currently in talks with a suicide-prevention coalition through Multnomah County and I hope to create a new season of the Speaking Our Truths docuseries podcast. It would focus on peer-to-peer training for teens so they know how to help their friends and peers who are going through a crisis and need access to professional help. The Speaking Our Truths book is available for purchase at <www.mediarites.org>, where a free mental health toolkit is also available for download. Proceeds help support a new season of the podcast. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.
