WAVES – Wellness. Advocacy. Voices. Education. Support.
Who We Are
UCA WAVES is a youth mental health collaborative that seeks to provide support particularly among Asian American families. Chinese/Asian American youth often suffer “silently” with stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Stigma against mental illness, social isolation, cultural expectations, identity issues, low mental health literacy, and lack of available Chinese-speaking or culturally sensitive mental health professionals – these are only some of the barriers that stand in the way of getting help. In response, we as a collaborative community are here to stand together and work towards Wellness, Advocacy, Voices, Education, and Support (WAVES).
Please see our Vision and Mission below, as well as our Programs page for more information about our current initiatives: Mental Health First Aid, a professional film highlighting voices from the community, online webinars on topics of interest related to health and wellness, parent education toolkits, a team of Youth Ambassadors, and collaborative projects with other communities.
Vision
A Supportive and Engaging Community that Fosters Healthy and Holistic Development of Our Youths
Mission
- Raise awareness of the mental health challenges that young Asian Americans face due to familial, cultural, and societal factors
- Develop community support and resources for youth mental health
- Promote cultural sensitivity to psychological well-being and responses
- Encourage civic engagement in public policies to address mental health issues
WAVES programs are funded by Clinical Scholars, a program supported by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Want to support WAVES through a donation?
Donation through Zelle (bank direct transfer):
Please provide your email address when donating via Zelle.
Other ways to donate:
https://ucausa.org/uca-2022-holiday-fundraising/
Thank you so much for supporting us! Your generous donation helps UCA WAVES continue to lead our community in AAPI mental health work, through awareness, education, and discussion, while also helping us continue to care for our members and support their wellbeing.
