Event Diaries: Community Care 101 w/ Hue Helen Nguyen from The Abolition Garden
The space buzzed with curiosity as high school students walked in, greeted by the smell of warm bánh mì and soft music. Community Care 101 invited Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 9 - 12 to explore activism, identity, and the power of showing up for others.
Lunch came first, catered by New Saigon Bakery and Deli. Students gathered around the table, excited to eat as the room settled. Annabel, Asian Girls Ignite’s Program Coordinator, and Helen, our storyteller for the day, sat with them and shared a light conversation about everyone’s go-to boba orders. A playlist filled with songs students had requested played in the background, adding to the relaxed, easy energy. These simple moments opened the door for connection before the workshop even began.
Beginning in Community
Annabel opened the session with a grounding activity. Students paired up to share a community they are part of. They wrote what they needed from the group to feel safe and supported, then added what they could offer in return. These community agreements set a tone of care and accountability. This part of the session happened without Helen, allowing students to meet each other on their own terms first.
The room felt gentle and open. Chairs shifted closer. Voices softened. The group eased into a rhythm of belonging.
Meet the Storyteller
Helen introduced herself once the agreements were shared. She invited students and staff to do the same while eating lunch.
Huệ Helen Nguyễn (she/her) is a Vietnamese American Caregiver of Plants and People and is part of the team at The Abolition Garden, a space rooted in care, connection, and liberation. She believes it is vital for AANHPI youth to have spaces where they feel represented, loved as they are, and free to grow into their most authentic selves. This is why Asian Girls Ignite’s mission resonates so deeply with her.
Helen identifies as the daughter of immigrants and a caregiver to both plants and people. She finds joy in sharing meals with loved ones, spending time outdoors, making bouquets, and practicing mutual aid. A food that feels like home to her is a Vietnamese wrapped dumpling made by her parents and grandparents, bundled in banana leaves and wrapped in love.
Her presence grounded the room in compassion and intergenerational connection.
The Role of Storytelling in AANHPI Communities
Storytelling is central to many AANHPI cultures. It preserves history and honors lived experiences. It helps young people build connection across generations. Helen’s story invited students to reflect on their own communities and the moments when care held them through change, stress, or uncertainty.
Storytelling Through Reflection
The storytelling session unfolded slowly and intentionally.
Students began with a partner share, defining the word “community” through their own lived experiences. Each pair wrote their combined definition on a chart paper. These became stations for a gallery walk. Students moved from definition to definition, discussing what resonated and sketching or journaling about the images and feelings each one sparked.
Community looks like support.
Community sounds like laughter and care.
Community feels like trust, even when life is difficult.
The group gathered again to share what they created. Each drawing and sentence offered a window into how students experience belonging.
Helen then shared her story. She talked about her mother’s childhood in Vietnam, where neighbors cared for her family when they had no home. She shared how different communities held her through different seasons of life. Fundraising. Cooking meals. Distributing donations. Asking friends to show up for her grandmother’s funeral. She spoke about how care is a practice. Something shaped through choice and consistency.
Her reflection for the students was simple:
If you want to be part of a village, you must be a villager.
Community Care Workshop
The next part of the session asked students to look inward and outward at the same time.
Students reflected on:
🤔 Who and what they care about, and why
🤔 How they build connections with each other
🤔 The difference between self-care and community care
🤔 Why mutual aid is an act of trust and belonging
🤔 How young people can take action in ways rooted in their strengths
🤔 How they see themselves in community
What is Community Care?
Community care is the practice of supporting one another through shared responsibility, connection, and trust. Students explored how care moves through friendships, families, and neighborhood networks. They discussed how young people contribute to community support by offering time, attention, creativity, and kindness.
Students named the skills they bring to others. Art. Writing. Listening. Organizing. Kindness. Some realized they care for people more than they realized. Others identified places where care already lives in their families and friendships.
This part of the workshop helped students see that activism is not one thing. It is many small choices that strengthen a community over time.
Care in Motion
The energy shifted from reflection to action.
Tables were filled with supplies.
Gloves. Wool socks. Hygiene items. Snacks. Sticker labels for affirmations.
Students lined up and moved down the table to assemble community care kits for unhoused neighbors in Denver. The room filled with quiet intention. Some students paused to choose the right items. Others handed supplies to friends. A few took extra time with their written messages on the labels.
Every kit held warmth, dignity, and a reminder that someone cared enough to gather these items with thought and compassion.
Each student also took kits home to give to people in their own communities. Care continued beyond the room.
What We Learned Together
At the end of the workshop, students gathered in our closing circle to reflect.
If you’re unfamiliar with closing circles, it’s our way of wrapping-up in community by sharing a collective breath and voicing our head (something we learned), heart (something we felt), and hands (something we’ll take action on).
They shared:
💬How they will practice community care
💬What shifted their understanding of community
Students voiced:
💬 “I want to be more patient and kind when caring for my grandparents.”
💬 “Giving a care package feels more personal than giving money.”
💬 “Mutual aid means trust. It is not charity. It is community.”
💬 “Opening up felt scary, but it made me feel connected.”
💬 “Community can be inside your home too.”
💬 “Someone will always want to help. I can ask for support.”
Each reflection held honesty, vulnerability, and a growing sense of belonging.
What This Space Made Possible
AANHPI girls and gender-expansive youth often navigate pressures and expectations that go unseen. Community Care 101 offered a warm space where they could explore identity, build friendships, and experience the power of mutual care.
Students left feeling grounded and supported. They learned that care is a collective practice. They saw how shared stories build connection. They experienced how simple actions can spark activism. They recognized that they already hold the skills needed to support their communities.
Moments like these reflect what Asian Girls Ignite strives to build. Spaces where identity and culture are honored. Programs that celebrate youth leadership. A community where young people learn that they matter, and that their care carries weight.
💜 Thank you to Helen and every student who helped shape this gathering. And thank you to New Saigon Bakery and Deli for providing the Vietnamese dishes that supported our time together and honored the cultural threads woven through Helen’s story.
Stay Connected
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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.
About our High School Program
Community Care 101 is part of Asian Girls Ignite’s High School Program, which builds on the foundation of self-discovery students begin in middle school. The program supports AANHPI teens as they step into authentic leadership in their schools, families, and communities. Students examine identity and culture, practice youth leadership, and strengthen skills in advocacy, storytelling, and community engagement.
We work to create safe, culturally affirming spaces where AANHPI teens feel valued, connected, and supported as they explore who they are and the futures they want to build.
