Event Diaries: AANHPI Heritage Month CelebrAsian 2025
CelebrAsian 2025: A Gathering of Heritage, Healing, and Heart
This past Friday, we gathered at the Social Fabric Hub, led by Colorado Asian Culture & Education Network, for our AANHPI Heritage Month CelebrAsian event. The celebration was a choose-your-own-adventure kind of evening, where students could tap into creativity, community, or calm—whatever they needed most, held in honor of AANHPI Heritage Month and on the eve of AANHPI Mental Health Day.
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month—a time to honor the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of AANHPI communities in the United States. This observance began as a week-long celebration in 1978, recognizing significant milestones such as the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was built in part by Chinese laborers. In 1990, Congress expanded the observance to a month-long celebration, and it was officially designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in 1992.
While AANHPI Heritage Month is a time to celebrate our cultures and communities with pride, it’s also a powerful moment to gently turn inward and acknowledge the unique mental health challenges many in our community face. Because of cultural stigma, generational silence, or the pressure to always appear strong, Asian Americans are 50% less likely than other racial groups to seek mental health support. In fact, only 25% of Asian adults with mental illness report receiving care, compared to 52% of White adults. These numbers are more than just statistics—they're reminders of how much love, understanding, and culturally rooted care our communities deserve.
By holding space for open conversations, affirming one another’s feelings, and making healing more accessible, we begin to rewrite the narrative together—with compassion at the center.
Dinner from kid’s table🍴
We kicked off the evening with a comforting meal catered by Kid's Table (insert your description here). The menu featured delicious dishes like savory tofu pancit (rice noodles with vegetables), warm and fluffy pandesal (Filipino sweet rolls), sinangag (fried garlic jasmine rice), and crispy lumpia with a tangy garlic-vinegar dipping sauce.
As everyone grabbed a plate and settled in, the room buzzed with laughter, conversation, and that unmistakable feeling of being around “your people.”
Building Community Through yoga bingo🧘♀️
Our first activity was a “Community Knowledge Exchange,” a chance for students to reflect on their relationships—with family, friends, and community—as a pathway to deeper self-understanding.
Students partnered up and grabbed a clipboard, ready to start our Yoga Bingo activity! Students stretched, balanced, and giggled their way through a series of poses—while learning more about each other (and AGI staff!) along the way.
Here's a peek at the kinds of prompts that sparked connection:
Hold a tree pose for 45 seconds with your partner. Then write down your partner’s favorite hobby or activity to do in their free time.
Hold sukhasana pose for 45 seconds with your partner. Then show each other a dance move. Once you’re done with your dance move, put a smiley face below.
Hold a forward fold pose for 45 seconds with your partner. Then, find an AGI staff and ask them what daily practice they do to take care of their mental health.
Hold a half moon pose for 45 seconds with your partner. Then write down a food, drink, or snack that reminds them of their family.
Once completed, students gathered around Annabel to start their reflection:
💗 What emotion(s) did you feel when you asked each other these questions and/or learned more about each other?
✋🏼 How will you take care of your mental health moving forward?
Creating Space for Mental Wellness THROUGH ART AND SNACKS! 🎨
Every station throughout the night was built around an affirmation—an invitation to practice self-compassion and mindfulness in community:
Painting magnets & mini diamond dots: "It is okay to take my time."
Stamp making: "I can be fully myself and embrace my uniqueness."
Puzzle table: "It is okay to not know the answers."
Snack baskets: "I will nourish my body."
Students moved between these stations at their own pace—some quietly crafting, others deep in conversation—each engaging with creativity as a form of care. They also helped co-create elements of our summer program merch, infusing it with their energy and ideas.
Closing Circle and a mother’s day Surprise!⭐
To wrap up the night, we gathered once more in a circle to reflect on what the night meant. Responses from our earlier community yoga bingo—about emotions felt and hopes for caring for one’s mental health—were shared, reminding us that connection is healing.
“I journal every week.”
“I felt really happy to listen and hear from others.”
“I felt very understood.”
“I felt happy and I was laughing a lot.”
“I’m happy and I love everyone here.”
“I would like to take more time for myself at the end of the day.”
“I felt happy and open to new ideas.”
“It was fun and chaotic.😊”
“It was fun to meet new people.”
“I will sleep more.”
“I felt happy to learn more about people.”
As a heartfelt finale, Jadyn, CACEN’s Community Hub Manager, surprised our co-founders, Joanne and Mehgan, with a touching Mother’s Day tribute—honoring their care, leadership, and spirit that uplifts this work.
Why This Matters 💚
Mental health conversations in AANHPI communities are often shaped by cultural stigma, silence, or the pressure to appear “strong.” But our mental health deserves just as much celebration as our heritage.
Creating space for mental health awareness empowers students to embrace who they are, listen with empathy, and move at their own pace—reminding them that they don’t have to have all the answers or meet anyone else’s expectations.
Your full self is worth honoring. Your joy and your struggles belong. You are not alone.
Thank you to our sponsor, I Matter, for helping make this event possible.
We are so grateful for your support in creating a space where our students feel seen, valued, and empowered. I Matter is a Colorado-based program that connects youth with free mental health support, helping young people take care of their emotional well-being with access to therapy and resources—because every young person deserves to feel heard and supported.
Ignite Our Light!
When one of us shines, we all shine.
Together, we are building a future where AANHPI girls and gender-expansive youth feel proud of who they are, empowered to lead, and supported by a community that sees their full brilliance.
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About Asian Girls Ignite
Founded in October 2020, Asian Girls Ignite is a non-profit organization that provides educational programs for AANHPI girls and gender-expansive youth to celebrate their individual and collective power. We use storytelling to empower the next generation to write their futures in their own voice. Our programs and events nurture social-emotional learning to help our students grow in resilience, empathy, and self-awareness.
Our Event Diaries series was created to share meaningful moments with our community. We are incredibly grateful to have the support of our families and community members behind us. Sharing an inside look at our events is just one of the many ways we want to keep the AGI community informed of the impact of their support.
