June Community Newsletter: community events, changes ahead

June: we're updating our website.

Hi there!

There's a lot that's changed at Shapes and Sounds over the last four years. But, one thing that's remained a constant is our website... our cute, home made, template website... that's somehow carried us through our growth and reach into many grown-up, professional spaces.⁠

Well, the time has come to finally update the site, thanks to the generous support of the City of Melbourne. The focus is to make the Asian mental health practitioner list a really easy to use and functional list that'll help you in finding a therapist that recognises your cultural context.⁠

👉I'd love to hear from you if you've tried to use our Asian mental health practitioner and, especially so if you hated it: can you tell me what was the worst part??? 

Please feel free to reply to this email with your feedback and we can try to address that in the new build!

❤️ Asami

🦉What's on in June:

Thank you to everyone who joined our creative arts therapy program for Asian international students -Creative Community Care. We will be running these sessions again in Semester 2, 2025 so stay tuned for more updates!

Community events this month include...

🌈 June 1: Join Asian queer social club Congee Club at their community potluck this month. Enjoy an afternoon of yummy congee and chatting with new friends! 

🌏 June 2: The University of Melbourne’s Wattle Fellowship presents Unconventional with Purpose, a series sparking sustainable change through bold leadership and creative thinking.

❤️ June 3: Unpack the unspoken relationship myths common in Asian cultures in a raw, unfiltered conversation with psychologist Christine Yeung. 

🖼 June 4-15: The annual festivities of RISING melbourne are back this month, featuring a range of events and artists such as pop band Japanese Breakfast! Check out their program here  

🎭 June 5-23: Experience friendship, grief, and identity through the Asian-Australian lens in LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches), a bold new play set at a Chinese funeral, blending myth, memory, and humour.

👩‍👧 June 6 - July 12: The Wrong Gods explores the generational clash between tradition and progress in India, focusing on a mother and daughter's struggle for self-determination amidst societal change.

☕️ June 12: In celebration of men's mental health awareness week,  Shakti, SHER Foundation, and Umeed Psychology are teaming up to present: Chai, Chat & Carrom, a night of fun chats, vulnerabilities, and delicious food 

🀄June 15: Enjoy an afternoon of Mahjong and snacks with Asian queer social club Congee Club! 

👘 June 26: Celebrate multicultural and LTBQIA+ identity and connection at the International Students PRIDE Fashion Runway.

Looking ahead...

🪭 July 3/5/8: Experience the infectious "TEENFRESH" energy and captivating vocals of STAYC, the rising K-pop sensation poised to dominate the global stage with their upcoming 2025 "STAY TUNED" world tour 

🏳️‍🌈 July 6: Enjoy a night of music and make new friends at the Asian LGBT social night! Allies are welcome 

🔊 August 19/21/24: Internationally acclaimed rapper, singer-songwriter and performer Jay Park is set to make his highly anticipated return to the stage. Tickets are already on sale on Live Nation.

🔎 Searching for a therapist?

Connect with our new practitioners below, or share this page with someone who may need this  

🎤 Therapist spotlight.

Get to know Clinical Psychologist, Summer Guo via our interview:

"We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are."

✨Thank you for reading up to this point!

We rely heavily on your generous support to provide ongoing and free mental health resources to Asian communities in Australia.

Support Shapes and Sounds HERE.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently in social media land,

We have shared snippets from our new season of the Asian Mental Health Podcast - which is focused on how work can affect our mental health. Check it out on your favourite streaming platform now!