Asian Americans for Community Involvement is a nonprofit advocacy, education, health and human services organization concerned with the welfare of Asian Pacific Americans. The AACI provides bilingual services to over 45,000 clients in Santa Clara Valley, most of which are low-income Asian refugees and Southeast Asian refugees. The missions of Asian Americans for Community Involvement are to: advocate for equal rights and opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans; provide human services that are language accessible and culturally appropriate; promote the history, culture and concerns of Asian Pacific Americans and understanding between all ethnic and racial communities. The staff at AACI speaks a wide variety of Asian languages as well as Spanish, and is made up of a number of professionals and paraprofessionals including physicians, teachers, social workers, counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, juvenile justice and recreation specialists. There are a number of AACI programs for both adults, seniors and children. Adult Programs: Parent Education-strives to improve family relationships through classes that focus on communication, inter-generational conflicts, self- esteem, as well as a number of other concerns. Family Preservation-provides information and education on issues such as child, spousal and elder abuse, sexual molestation and rape. Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment-includes a 24-hour hotline to meet the needs of victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. This program also provides counseling, parent education and independent living skills training. Women's Transitional Home-provides a transitional shelter for abused women and their children and teaches them independent living skills, providing them with parent education and social service referrals and assistance in finding permanent housing. Outpatient Mental Health Program-helps adults resolve emotional difficulties through therapy individually, in groups of with family, as well providing case management and psychiatric medication. AIDS Education Counseling and Support-provides education, counseling, support groups and case management to AIDS or HIV infected people and their families. They also offer education programs for schools, community centers and other organizations. Amerasian Counseling and Support-offers services to the offspring of American soldiers and their mothers and families, as well as promoting independent living through ESL classes and job training. Cambodian Social Adjustment-provides counseling and case management to help Cambodian immigrants cope with cultural assimilation, post-war trauma and survival difficulties. Tobacco Control Program-promotes healthy lifestyles through peer counseling, refusal skills training and smoking cessation clinics, as well as advocating non-smoking workplace policies. Drinking Driver Programs-provides education and intervention for convicted offenders on issues concerning alcohol and other substance abuse. Senior Programs: Senior Program-assists Asians age 59 and older maintain independent lifestyles and well-being through counseling, ESL and citizenship classes, social and recreational activities, field trips, nutritional lunches as well as many other services. Senior Health Project-promotes healthy practices among Asian seniors who many times have difficulty accessing the health care system. This program provides health screening, lectures, classes and support groups, etc. Children's Programs: Project Bridges-promotes interracial understanding through leadership development; cultural and family activities; and tutoring and other after school programs. Project Future-operates within schools and community centers to provide counseling, case management, tutoring and referrals with the goal of reducing truancy, academic failure and school drop-out among at-risk Latinos and Asian Pacific Americans. Project JET (Job Enhancement Training)-provides employment training and general education to gang and immigrant youths who have not completed high school through the use of classroom teaching, tutoring, social service referrals and workplace socialization training. Project Reach Out-coordinates with local law enforcement and city departments to provide substance abuse prevention and intervention services to Cambodian and Vietnamese teens through presentations, tutoring and group activities. Reproductive Health and Teen Pregnancy-addresses the issues of sexuality and pregnancy prevention through community programs and counseling. AIDS Education and Training-provides AIDS education through peer educators to prevent the spread of HIV among high-risk, hard-to-reach Asian youth. Tobacco Use Prevention-provides community education on the harmful effects of smoking through programs at schools and community and youth gatherings. School Based Counseling-provides children and youth with individual and group therapy, case management and psychiatric medication in 16 schools throughout the county. Project Alternatives-strives to link up youths who have committed minor offenses with human service programs. JPD Home-Based Counseling-provides mental health counseling to youth involved with the Juvenile Probation Department in their home or community. MOST (Mobile Outreach Street Team)-links potential and current gang members with community programs to motivate youth to choose productive activities with the goal of curtailing gang activities. Project YES (Youth Empowerment Services)-suppresses gang involvement through the use of outreach, workshops and rap sessions, community service projects, case management and counseling. Project Assist-provides needs assessments, service planning, referrals, counseling and case management for serious and violent adolescent offenders. Adolescent Day Treatment-treats youth ages 13-18 with severe emotional and behavioral problems through therapy, physical health and interpersonal skill training. Substance Abuse Prevention for Asian Americans (SAPAA)-provides services within Asian communities to prevent substance abuse amongst at-risk youth through various activities, cultural enrichment programs, leadership skills training and summer and day camps. Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment-provides intervention and outreach programs to teens who are experiencing drug and alcohol related problems. Project Success-offers to link at-risk youth and their families to health services through a Wellness Center. This is a 3-year, federally funded program. Youth Transition Home-provides drug-free residential shelter for runaway youth, as well as interpersonal and independent living training. Students are required to attend school, vocational training or work during the day. Asian Americans for Community Involvement is also an advocate for equality and action in all facets of life including education, health care, employment and law enforcement as well as many others. They provide referrals and information from a database of over 300 local service agencies in 20 Asian languages as well as English. AACI also has a multilingual library with books and periodicals in English and major Asian languages. For more information please contact the number above.
Erin Kimura
