Monday, June 28, 2021, kick-started our recruitment drive for the 2021-2022 AmeriCorps Program. Access California Services (AccessCal) is the only organization in the State of California to have an AmeriCorps program dedicated to providing health and human services to refugee and immigrant communities from the Middle Eastern, South Asian and Muslim-American populations.

By joining the AmeriCorps Program at AccessCal, members gain a slew of experiences from working on the frontlines to enrich the lives of the underserved community, including refugees and immigrants. They work as case managers in the Health Services, Mental Health Services, Employment, Education and Health and Wellness Services for Seniors Department. Members undergo numerous trainings such as in case management, marketing, communications, fundraising, operation management, budget and accounting among others. Under the guidance of the senior management team at AccessCal, AmeriCorps members get to learn firsthand the multi-dimensional approach to addressing the needs of those suffering from economic disparity and inequity.   

To join AccessCal’s AmeriCorps Program, please email Suzanne Baker, Director of Operations, at suzanne@accesscal.org.

The Refugee Forum of Orange County (RFOC) hosted its annual World Refugee Day event on Monday, June 21. This event saw refugee youth shine as leaders as they empowered the attendees with insightful knowledge about the life of refugees. Through short documentary films, the 70 plus participants watched four refugee youth’s journey in America. The films showcased different aspects of their life such as being the only English speaker in the family, having to take on a range of responsibilities at a young age, cultural barriers that hindered their progress, recreating their traditions in America as well as highlighting the role of parents. An inspirational panel discussion ensued thereafter, which witnessed youth answered a range of questions provided by the audience. This was followed by a motivation speeches by guest speakers, Dr. Clayton Chau, Director of the Orange County Healthcare Agency and Sheikh Yassir Fazaga, our Mental Health Advisor. Dr. Chau and Sheikh Yassir, shared their past experience as refugee youth and what they learned through their journey. They applauded the resiliency and bravery showcased by the refugee youth and commended them on gracefully tackling their hurdles to meet their goals and dreams. The youth thanked Dr. Chau and Sheikh Yassir for their guidance and advice.

This event also hosted an Advocacy through Artful Expression session featuring two youngsters. One of the youth sang traditional Bangla songs and the other entertained the audience with a live guitar performance. The event ended with a raffle and a discussion among the audience on how they can support refugee youth succeed in their home country. This event was extremely heartfelt. It brought tears to the eyes of the audience, who virtually sat in awe, listening to these youngsters narrate their struggles. They applauded them on their academic achievements and cheered them on their graduation news. Most of these refugee youth hope to be future doctors and public servants as they would like to help their community. They also hope to be role models and support new arrivals adapt to their surroundings. The members of Refugee Forum of Orange County look forward to hosting many such events that honor the bravery and resilience of refugees and supporting them as rebuild their future in Southern California.

California has reopened and 48% of the population has received the vaccine. Getting vaccinated will help end the pandemic once and for all!

To provide our community with easy access to the vaccine, we partnered with United Way of Orange County to host a pop-up Covid-19 vaccine drive at our office on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Our clients and members of the community, who haven’t received their vaccine, dropped by to get their shot. They received a free $25 Target gift-card and also put their names towards a Disney Resort Vacation raffle draw.

As proud members of the Refugee Forum of Orange County, we are delighted to welcome our community to our 2021 World Refugee Day event.

On Monday, June 21 at 3:30 PM, we will come together to celebrate refugee youth and hear from our future leaders. The event will feature a youth panel discussion, film screening and advocacy through artwork. Our guest speakers include Dr. Clayton Chau, Director of the Orange County Health Care Agency and Acting County Health Officer, as well as our Mental Health Services Advisor, Sheikh Yassir Fazaga. We will also be joined by Viktorija Mickute, Senior Producer and Maria Fernanda Lauret, Post Production of Al Jazeera (AJ) Contrast – the Innovation Studio of Al Jazeera.  

Participants will learn about the struggles and successes of refugee youth and what they can do to empower these youngsters in their community. To register, click this link

For any questions or concerns, please email Lilly Ahmed at lilly@accesscal.org.

Our Founder and Executive Director, Nahla Kayali, started AccessCal with the hope to one day provide culturally and linguistically sensitive mental health services to the underserved community. Since 1998, AccessCal has evolved and grown to providing close to 100 services in 16 languages. However, helping individuals uplift their mental and emotional well-being in a safe and sensitive environment stays core to our mission. We have a caring team of behavioral health professionals that offer marriage and family therapy, as well as group, couples and individual counseling services for children, teens and adults. We also aim to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness in the Arab-American and Muslim-American community. Mental health awareness is conducted year-round through workshops, classes and our annual wellness conference called, Peace of Mind. Through these interactive forums, we address issues of depression, anxiety, stress management, cultural adjustment, grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic violence, suicide prevention and parenting among others.

This Mental Health Awareness month, we are continuing our year-round efforts to break the stigma as well as to provide avenues for our community members to relax and de-stress. We have initiated a digital communications campaign to highlight the importance of mental health. Additionally, we have organized a range of activities for people of all ages, such as the youth, the elderly, families and individuals to participate in. To participate, please email our Mental Health Case Manager, Aliza Ahmed, at aliza@accesscal.org.