November 2023

KYCC Clinical’s PNA and PFF Program Celebrates Caregivers with Self-Care Event

On September 29, KYCC Clinical Services hosted a Prevention & Aftercare (PNA) and Partnership for Families (PFF) Program Self-Care Event for Caregivers, which was a collaboration between the two programs to provide a space for our clients and other parents in the community. We had 15 caregivers join us, both mothers and grandmothers, and eight clinical staff who helped volunteer for the event. Read more

KYCC Prevention Education’s Hosts 7th Annual Rise Up Speak Out

On Friday, September 29, KYCC’s Prevention Education hosted its 7th Annual Rise Up Speak Out event. Rise Up Speak Out began in 2017 and has become an annual event that is hosted for the Los Angeles community to tell youth stories through art, photography, poetry, and other creative outlets. Read more

2023 KYCC Holiday Carnival Volunteer Registration

If you’re in the spirit of giving, we need your help! Support KYCC’s Holiday Carnival by volunteering for the special day. ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST REGISTER ONLINE TO SECURE THEIR PLACE. WE CANNOT ACCEPT WALK-IN VOLUNTEERS. The deadline to sign up to be a volunteer is Sunday, December 3rd at 11:59PM.

1. Event day link for volunteers: https://kyccla.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/170 (currently limited to staff only)
2. Gift wrapping volunteer link: https://kyccla.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/175

Community Events

송강호: Song Kang-ho at the Academy Museum

One of the most prominent figures in the history of Korean cinema, no words can do justice to the incomparable legacy of Song Kang-ho. In the span of three decades, Song Kang-ho has cultivated unprecedented trajectories in his practice and contributed to the expansion of Korean cinema since his debut in the mid-1990s. The Academy Museum is honored to present the first retrospective series of Song Kang-ho, celebrating his dynamic career and genuine love for cinema. 

Song Kang-ho will be in-person for pre/post screening conversations at the first four screenings! The series will run from Dec 7 – January 13, 2024. The full lineup of screenings and more information HERE.

The Academy Museum has given KYCC 10 complimentary tickets to each screening. If you are interested in attending any of the Song Kang-ho screenings, please email Alexa at alexakim@kyccla.org with your name and desired screening.

Participants needed for UCI Research on Asian Americans’ Stressors and Health

The DREAMS Project: a new UCI-led research project that is focused on improving health among Asian Americans living in Southern California. To explain the purpose and direction of our research, the purpose of this project is to understand how Asian American (immigrant) stress factors affect the health of Asian Americans and help inform future work to improve sleep and health in Asian communities. The UCI DREAMS PROJECT is in collaboration with Harvard Graduate School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. We think that people in your network might be interested in participating and would like to ask for your help to spread the word. 

This research is being led by Dr. Sunmin Lee, professor at the UCI School of Medicine, and her research team. Attached to this email are our flyers in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and English. We are trying to focus on recruiting US-born Koreans and males at this time, but all others that are eligible are welcome as well! 

For more information, you may visit the DREAMS Project website: https://dreams.som.uci.edu

If you or anyone you know are interested in participating, please contact: 

Sara Kim

ucidreams.kor@gmail.com 

949) 354-4185

Recruiting Bilingual Election Workers

The Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office is seeking the support of Korean bilingual election workers to support as we get ready for the 2024 election season. Please share this opportunity with your networks!

November is:

KYCC’s Open Enrollment is from November 1 to November 15

There are 2 benefits review meetings via Zoom:

• 1^st Meeting – Wednesday, 11-8-23 2pm-3pm.

• 2^nd Meeting – Friday, 11-10-23 4pm-5pm. 

You do not need to attend both meetings.

Please be advised these meetings are voluntary and informational, if you attended meetings last year the same information will be presented.

All KYCC Staff must complete Open Enrollment on the EASE Dashboard.  For questions, please reach out to HR.

**Open Enrollment Raffle- The first 40 staff that complete their Open Enrollment through EASE will be entered in a raffle to win a gas card!!!  Mr. Kim is the first person to complete his Open Enrollment, thanks Mr. Kim!

National Diabetes Month

Take the Diabetes Risk Test (The American Diabetes Association)

Diabetes Risk Test

Get an annual physical exam.

National Caregivers Month

Veteran’s Day – KYCC is open

Veterans Day, in the United States, national holiday (November 11) honoring veterans of the armed forces and those killed in the country’s wars. The observance originated in 1919 on the first anniversary of the 1918 armistice that ended World War I and was known as Armistice Day. It was commemorated in 1921 with the burial of an unknown soldier from World War I at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

November 11 became an official national holiday in the United States in 1938. In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor those who had served in all U.S. wars. Ceremonies are held each year at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and floral tributes are placed on the graves of service men and women and at memorials throughout the country. Naturalization ceremonies have come to be an important part of the day’s activities.

Diwali

Diwali is the Indian “festival of lights”—a holiday celebrating the triumph of good over evil. In 2023, Diwali is celebrated on November 12.

Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights” that celebrates the triumph of light over dark, good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night. 

Diwali occurs annually in autumn (or spring, in the southern hemisphere) during the Hindu month of Kartik. (In Western terms, Kartik begins around mid-October and ends in mid-November.) Specifically, Diwali occurs on the darkest day of the lunar month, which is the day of the new Moon.

The main celebration of Diwali takes place on the day of the new Moon when the sky is at its darkest, so a big part of the celebration revolves around light. Candles, clay lamps, and oil lanterns are lit and placed throughout the home, in the streets, in areas of worship, and floated on lakes and rivers. Fireworks are also set off on the night of Diwali—said by some to ward off evil spirits.

Another central theme of Diwali is family. Wearing their best new clothes, families gather together to eat sweets and other special foods, light diyas (decorative oil lamps), and pray for their ancestors. Businesses are generally closed (or close early) on Diwali to allow workers to celebrate with their families.

The feast can be quite extravagant, with special dishes and sweets filling the table.

Thanksgiving – 11-23 and 11-24 (KYCC is closed)

DEI Corner: Samhain/Halloween

By Kathleen Hobkirk, Youth Services

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the USA; people celebrate by going trick or treating, dressing up in costume, and carving jack-o-lanterns. This time of year, many cultures celebrate holidays honoring their loved ones and ancestors who have passed on from this life to more life. This year, I would like to share with you all the ancient history of Halloween, which I know as Samhain. 

Here is a video that I used when I was an instructor for our Youth Services programs to help my students understand the cultural history of Halloween:

History of Halloween – Animation

Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is an ancient celtic holiday originating in Ireland. It was a festival day when people would celebrate the customs and traditions of their ancestors and come together for the end of the harvest season/beginning of winter. It fell between the autumn equinox (Mabon, celebrated September 19-23rd) and the winter solstice (Yule, celebrated on December 19-23rd). “For the Celts, their ‘new year’ was marked on the first day of November; the arrival of winter symbolised death and darkness, and with that, it was believed that on the eve before the new year, the barrier between the land of the living and the Otherworld was at its thinnest and could be broken. Stretching back to early Celtic Ireland, between 500BC and 500AD, Samhain’s significance in Ireland’s cultural heritage is mighty” (Irish Experience Tours). 

As an Irish American, my family celebrated November 1st very similarly to the way that folks would celebrate Dia de los Muertos. We had an altar where we would display pictures of all our loved ones who had passed on, and we would light the candles on the altar together as a family before dinner each night in the week leading up to November 1st. We would even set an extra place at the table for the dearly departed (always left respectfully empty). Our altar looked different than the traditional Dia de los Muertos altar would; for example, we usually decorated with white, green, and gold rather than reds and oranges, and we decorated with plants, flowers, and pictures but no food items. However, the spirit was the same: to keep our dearly departed loved ones alive in our memories and to remember that they are always watching over us. 

I think it is important to share that Irish culture has a very different mentality about death than most cultures. When I visited my family in Ireland, I was surprised that one of the first places they wanted to take us was the cemetery! It was important to them that we visit all of our family members who were not with us in life. The Irish do not treat death as a taboo, but rather a natural part of life to be celebrated. This shows even in the visual difference between American and Irish cemeteries. Irish cemeteries are treated like public parks. It is common to see people there with their children playing. The lawns are not mowed because the natural flowers that bloom in cemeteries are seen as an extension of the life of those buried there. I loved walking through and seeing all of the old headstones, and my cousins could name the people and their stories of nearly every headstone in the cemetery. Even funerals are seen as social community events. “The bald fact of the matter is that Irish people love nothing better than a good funeral. The funeral has always been a central social ritual in Irish society, outranking even marriage and baptism as a community rite” (The Irish Times). 

Samhain is one of the 8 major pagan holidays on the Wheel of the Year. As a pagan, I celebrate the natural cycles of life including the changing of the seasons, the balance of light and darkness, passing through different stages of life, and more. Here are three ways to celebrate Samhain: 

1. Honoring our ancestors ~ remembering those who came before us
2. Light the darkness ~ candles and firelight to encourage stillness and reflection at Samhain
3. Bring the season indoors ~ it’s time to bring out those pumpkins, mini squash, fallen leaves and natural autumn foliage

Sources:

Irish Experience Tours “Halloween and the Celtic Festival of Samhain”

Irish Times, “The Irish Way of Life with Death”

History on Maps, “The History of Halloween” 

The Smallest Light, “Samhain Traditions: Three Simple Ways to Celebrate” 

If you are interested in writing a segment showcasing your culture for our DEI Staff Newsletters, please reach out by emailing kyccdeicommittee@kyccla.org

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Electronic Recycling Companies

There are electronic recycling companies that collect and dispose of old, unwanted items properly. We have scheduled an E-waste pick-up this month, which is the perfect opportunity for you to eliminate non-working electronic items like computers, monitors, televisions, fax machines, copiers, telephones, CD players, radios, and microwaves in an earth-friendly way. If you have any electronic items that no longer work, bring them to our KYCC Wilton site and have them recycled. You have until November 16, 2023, to drop off your unwanted items.

Thank You

The next one

When asked what his favorite composition was, Duke Ellington said, “the next one.”

This is the essence of the artistic process. When we’re in the liminal space between now and what is about to come, we’re fully alive.

–          Seth’s Blog