As October slowly draws to a close, ACCO wants to let you know about an exciting event called DIWALI DOWNTOWN, brought to you by the folks of the Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival. This main event, conveniently accessible by the Canada Line skytrain (depart at the Roundhouse stop), will feature even bigger and better activities from last year – dance, music, multimedia and theatre for the entire family! Interested in volunteering? Check out their website: www.vandiwali.ca for details. Already in its seventh year, DIWALI DOWNTOWN promises to be another successful and well attended event once again. 

DIWALI DOWNTOWN

A Roundhouse Partnership

Part of the Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival

Sun Nov 7, 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Roundhouse Community Centre

Free Event (certain activities may cost)

Info: www.vandiwali.ca

Diwali is a time to celebrate the universal light

that exists in everyone, so come “Light Your Sprit!”

at the 7^th Annual Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival.

Our main event, Diwali Downtown showcases the best

of classical and contemporary South Asian arts & culture.

Bigger than ever this year as we take over the entire

Roundhouse, this day-long event brings dance, music,

food, crafts, comedy, film, visual arts and more all under

one roof, with plenty of new and exciting interactive

events for young and old. So come sing, create, laugh,

eat and dance with all your many friends and neighbors.

The purpose of this research study is to look at the role siblings play in cultural adaptation and psychological adjustment among Vietnamese and Chinese Canadian young adults.

To be eligible to participate, you must meet the following criteria:

1) Be Vietnamese or Chinese

2) Be between the ages of 18 to 29

3) Have a sibling between the ages of 16 to 29

4) Presently live in Canada

Participation is through web-based survey (by mail or in-person formats are also available). Participants will have the opportunity to enter a draw for gift certificates to Chapters/Indigo bookstore.

For more information or to participate in the study please contact

Trang Le at le4@uwindsor.ca or 519-973-4025.

The study is being conducted under the direction of Dr. Ben Kuo, University of Windsor, Department of Psychology, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4.

This study has been approved by the University of Windsor Research Ethics Board

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and to celebrate, QueerHistoryProject.com will be posting related stories all month long. We are now seeking stories on the theme Queer Asian Heritage in Vancouver.

Submissions can take many forms, including (but not limited to!) photos, first person accounts, or interviews. Tell us about an event you attended, a gathering place you’ve frequented, or a community group that’s inspired you. Dust off an old flyer or poster and scan it to share with others.

The recommended submission deadline is April 25th, 2009. However, we will be posting stories throughout the month, so if you submit after the deadline your story may still appear on our site.

Please visit: Queer Asian Heritage in Vancouver for more information!

The deadline is Friday, January 30, 2009.

For more details you can visit: Filmmakers Showcase by Shaw Multicultural Channel.

The significance of Flower Drum Song is that it is the first Broadway musical that featured an almost all Asian cast. Moreover, unlike other musicals such as King and I, Miss Saigon and South Pacific, this was the first musical that focused on Asian Americans.

The Vancouver Asian Theatre is looking for 22 actors for their production and will be accepting resumes for auditions until February 1, 2009. For more information, you can click on the photo or  Flower Drum Song Casting Call.

Using a new model for cultural identity, or “schema”, the magazine envisions individuals as dynamic identities that move through a complex web of cultures. Cultural Navigators see themselves as the product of these networks, available to them through immigration, family roots, and residency in diverse cities all over the world. The webzine explores this unique evolution and experience of Canada’s diversity, and the things–be it food, music, art, film or comic books–that we seek out, enjoy and produce as part of our diverse daily lives. We call this innovation ethnic cool.

Cultural Navigators crave this cultural innovation in the arts, media and public life , and Schema Magazine delivers in three formats:

* Your Daily Dose of Ethnic Cool, a fresh perspective on mainstream culture,
* Feature Articles & Interviews (currently being expanded), and a
* Podcast (currently in development).

Chances are, you’re a Cultural Navigator:

* Use their mobility in, through and around cultural spaces;
* Value their ethnicity, but are not defined by it; and
* Are at the heart of today’s mainstream

Why don’t you consider being one, too? Check out the internship opportunities:

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden offers unique cultural experiences for visitors and the community through a lively series of events, cultural exchanges, educational programs and garden tours. The Sun Yat-sen Garden is currently seeking Cultural Interpreters to present valuable and fascinating information with visitors through interpretive tours and informal question periods. Each year, over 1700 public tours are delivered by docents, providing 80,000+ guests from around the world an opportunity to learn and experience Chinese culture.

This is an exciting opportunity to build and fine tune valuable career skills in public speaking, presentation, and group facilitation. It is also great for those pursuing a career in the field of Education, Communications, Asian Studies, and/or History.

Responsibilities:

Share with the public information about Chinese history, culture and philosophy.

Lead 45-minute Garden tours for the public, including adults, seniors and children

Qualifications:

• Excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills

• Experience in public speaking and presentation an asset

• Interest in learning and sharing of Chinese culture and history

• Fast learner with a positive “can-do” attitude

• Enthusiastic and reliable

• Fluent in English, a second language such as French, German, Spanish or Chinese is an asset

The next training series will be held in March 2009, then in May 2009.