Opening + Community Warmup: Making the Most of AAWIL

1:00 PM- 1:30 PM ET / 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM PT

Ready, Set, Network: Into Your Authentic Self

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET / 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM PT

Speaker: Mary Cheyne

AAWIL's networking lunch has historically been the most well-received part of the conference. This year, we're excited to put this session front and center! The networking session is a chance to meet new people, develop connections, and gain insights on problems you have never had answers to. First, we'll learn how to speak up for yourself and why it is so important in your career. Then, participants will join small groups to talk through questions they have and discover how to be more authentic to themselves. We are working to create a safe space to have real conversations, and make meaningful connections.

Break

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET / 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM PT

Session 1

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM ET / 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM PT

Session 1A: Let's Talk About Mental Health!

Speaker: Michelle G. Garcia | Facilitator: Portia Chan

Mental health is commonly stigmatized and trivialized in the Asian American community. Discussions pertaining to this topic are often considered taboo, leading many to neglect, dismiss, or deny their challenges with mental health. In this workshop, we want to take a deeper dive into what mental health looks like in the Asian American community and how we can deconstruct this cultural narrative. This workshop aims to provide a safe space where we can spark honest and deep conversations about mental health and explore ways in which we can support our well-being and empower ourselves and those around us.

Session 1B: The Multi-faceted You: Intersectionality in Asian American Identities

Speakers: Akriti Bhambi, Alexandra Chandra, Crystal Kim, Melissa Shang | Facilitator: Lois Rho

Intersectionality accounts for the diversity in many frameworks of identities, particularly encompassing individuals who find themselves at the intersection of multiple backgrounds. Often, such individuals face heightened discrimination and face a unique battle in handling their identities; this experience is made especially difficult when their identities come in conflict with each other. Our featured panel of diverse speakers have different identity frameworks that will encourage conversation and self-reflection. We will address questions such as: 

• How can we manage the ways others see us and how we see ourselves? 
• How can we acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of the Asian American community? 
• How can we empower ourselves to talk more about the issues which plague those who stand at the intersection of multiple identities? 

Break

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET / 12:45 PM - 1:00 PM PT

Keynote Address

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM ET / 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM PT

Speaker: Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu

The keynote address will introduce the purpose and theme of the 2020 Asian American Womxn in Leadership Conference, Reimagining the Future: Becoming the Change. In these unprecedented and uncertain times, how can we take initiative, enact change, and reconstruct existing narratives about ourselves and our communities? The keynote address aims to answer these important questions and provide participants with concrete guidelines on how to actuate their vision, both for their personal and professional lives. 

To reevaluate and reshape the preexisting structures which govern our lives and our communities is a continuous process. Whether you have already begun this journey or are preparing to take the first step, we hope that the lessons, stories, and advice from the keynote speaker will help you on your path to becoming the change you wish to see.

Session 2

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET / 1:30 - 2:30 PM PT

Session 2A: Hackathon: Intergenerational / Intercultural Communication and Conflict Management

AAWIL’s first live hackathon will be around the overarching theme of “Intergenerational/ intercultural Communication and Conflict management”. This is a hands-on event where you'll spend the session working in small groups. Be a part of the change and create solutions with your AAWIL Activist Team! 

Sub-topics include: Racism, Work, Education (school), Family, and Intergenerational conflicts. In randomly assigned groups, participants with work with their team to: 

1. Identify a subtopic of the overarching theme to focus on
2. Brainstorm and ideate solutions and
3. Create a mini-presentation that will be shared with conference attendee. 

Session 2B: The 5 Rules of Improv That Will Transform How You Build Your Community

Run By Courtney Pong

Do networking events and conferences have you feeling like you’re on an interview? Are you tired of small talk leading to awkward conversation? Did you skip past this intro and just read the objectives? Come ready to laugh and play while learning how you can transform the way you approach building your network and community- using the same skills that improv comedians use. Valuable communication and relationship building tools are packed into this fun and interactive 1-hour workshop taught by CSz Boston owner and 19-year professional improviser and teacher, Courtney Pong. 

By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away knowing:

• How to confidently start meaningful conversations and bypass the dreaded small talk
• What you can do to make lasting, positive first impressions and thoughtful impressions beyond
• How to sincerely and authentically communicate and listen in an engaging, non-boring way

Join us in meeting your fellow AAWIL attendees while learning how to take your relationship-building skills to the next level. Note: Attendees should expect to have their video on for the entirety of this session. 

Closing Community Reflection: You Beyond AAWIL

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM ET / 2:30 - 3:00 PM PT