Holding Conversations That Save Lives

Our new podcast episode with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is out! In this powerful roundtable, host Victor Armstrong spoke with members of our team about elevating voices for long-lasting change and bridging the generational mental health gap in AAPI families.

When parents and children are raised in different cultures, their understanding of mental health can differ greatly, making communication difficult and stigma harder to break. Our executive director, Lily Chen, shared how community struggles inspired her to found WAVES. Dr. Jennifer Tu, child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at UCLA and WAVES board secretary, reflected on how the loss of a friend to suicide shaped her advocacy. Naialie Lor, a pre-nursing student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and administrative assistant at WAVES, brought the perspective of second-generation AAPIyouth navigating cultural expectations.

We were so beyond grateful to be given the space to hold such a meaningful discussion. A big thanks to AFSP for all the amazing work you do. We’re continuously touched by your commitment to ending stigma and creating lasting change in respect to mental health.

Watch the episode below!