GAPGay Asian Proud

Using a non-traditional educative method for working with Asian gay men from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Asvin PhorugngamHealth Educator

Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre

OUTLINE

• Issues • Background• What is GAP?• Workshop’s model evolution • Successes/outcomes• Lessons learnt

ISSUE

In 2002, nearly 60% of Asian gay men who participated in the Asian gay community periodic

survey, Sydney, reported they’ve experienced some discrimination based on their minority

ethnic background in gay communities in Australia.

They still are!Stigma & Discrimination

BACKGROUND

• 1996/7 – AFAO, Gay Asian Proud, first Asian MSM HIV/AIDS national awareness campaign.

• VAC/GMHC - GAP workshop originated from the campaign.

What is GAP?

VAC/GMHC’s perspective

Increase health literacy: • STIs & HIV/AIDS education • Health seeking behaviour.

Participants’ perspective• Social/fun• Support• Friendship• Being with other Asian MSM

Integration = HIV/AIDS in lived contextAll Asian MSM 18+

Sounds great but is difficult to achieve!

Workshop’s model evolution

1997 - 1998• Structured, 6 weeks, HIV/AIDS prevention education

w/s in lived context.• Asian MSM.

Passive participation: we informed themChanged - small Asian MSM population

Workshop’s model evolution

1999-2002• Structured, once a month, HIV/AIDS prevention

education w/s in lived context.• Asian MSM

Close group to open groupPassive participation: we informed them

Changed: low level of interest

Workshop’s model evolution 2002 - 2004• Unstructured, once a month, HIV/AIDS prevention

education in lived context. • Education tools - movies• Asian MSM

More active participationNegative feelings/experiences/discrimination = Victims

Changed – unhealthy environment

Workshop’s model evolution

2005 – 2007• Unstructured, once a month• Education tools – yum cha, g/l cultural/art events,

movies, other cultural/art events etc…• Asian MSM & partners/friends

HIV/AIDS education is in the background

More participantsMore active participation

Workshop’s model evolution

2007 – Today• Unstructured, once a month• Education tools – yum cha, g/l cultural/art events,

movies, others cultural/art events etc…• Asian MSM, Yellow Kitties & partners/friends

Active participantsMore participation

2009 Applied a Community Development model

Successes/Outcomes

Active participation• G/L annual cultural: Pride March, Midsumma,

CNY • GAP Facebook• A letter in gay press to engage constructive

dialogue. • Australia GLBTIQ Multicultural Committee

LESSONS LEARNT• Used a Learner Centred approach, which creates a service that could

be tailored to the target group’s needs.• Education can take place any where, not just in a formal structured

format.• Move away from a “victim mentality” to be strengths focussed. Allow

participants to share their experiences and concerns, but they need to be managed and used in a constructive manner for their own and other participants’ growth.

• Encourage participants to take responsibility and be more proactive and assertive when encountering discrimination in order to engage in constructive dialogue.

• Conducting workshops in public spaces and free of agenda are much more difficult to facilitate, requiring a skilled facilitator.

• The current model is highly flexible.

LESSONS LEARNT• Education tools need to be clever, innovative and organic enough to fit

into the participants’ agenda.• Participants are there to be social, not to learn about HIV/AIDS.• An on-going workshop can risk participants developing a dependency .• An on-going workshop can be a forum where participant development

and growth can be observed and itself become a change agent• Participants don’t realise they’re in a workshop. This could be seen as

an advantage (things happen in an organic way) and a disadvantage (difficult to evaluate).

• It’s highly time consuming. • Must be fun!