A Time for Brainstorming

The meeting began with a recap of all of the events that led up to the Collegiate Conference on Saturday, November 14^th. We all had fun meeting and bonding with people passionate about fighting against Hep B. It is truly amazing to see our cause be supported across the country and the world! After our little brief recap of our exciting week we moved on to finalizing the Peter and the Wolf project (a skit the JRYC performs at libraries to educate children and their parents about our cause); however the real excitement of the meeting was planning for our Winter Outreach project. We started at the birthplace of all great ideas, a brainstorming session. Our ideas ranged from a mini gala to a Hep B boot camp at elementary schools to a fashion show with Tyra Banks (Tyra and the JRYC go way back). As we munched on our delicious Lacey cookies, we realized that we had to narrow down our ideas. After a lot of discussion and many lacey cookies later we finally narrowed it down to three ideas: a benefit concert/show, a publicity stunt, or a Facebook event; however, deep down we knew that there were many unmentioned ideas waiting to be discovered. So, the JRYC set a group goal of having each member bring an amazing idea to the next meeting.

  We concluded our meeting with a discussion about B-Linked, an online newsletter. Returning back to the birthplace of all great ideas, we attempted to find innovative ways to get more feedback from the readers.  Because B-Linked is an excellent way for the JRYC to stay in touch with the community and past JRYC and YLC members, we want to make it more interactive with our readers.  

 

Check back soon for updates on Peter and Wolf outings!

 

Angela Zhang

Monta Vista High School

Inaugural Collegiate Conference

Patrick and I have just returned from today’s collegiate conference, which lasted from 8:30 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. Jon and Matt stayed for the first half as well. This was actually livestreamed on Eastvillager’s homepage and created quite a few amusing echos on students’ laptops during the day. First of all, this was all pretty nostalgic for me. There were many familiar faces, Dr. So, Dr. Chao, Amy, Alena, team leaders and YLC attendees, as well as memories of the scavenger hunt. I estimated about 60 students attended and nearly half were China delegates. I definitely applaud their courage in presenting in English because I would speechless if I were to present in Chinese. The most memorable and funniest moment was when UC Berkeley’s Jen Wang spoke a short paragraph in fluent Mandarin after many English-speaking presenters, and the relieved China delegates clapped gratefully as she spoke. However, Jen quickly clarified that her Mandarin was not the best and that she would be speaking in English for the rest of the presentation. Through out the day, we heard from the college chapters in the U.S. and China about their unique projects, like the Jade Ribbon Dance and basketball tournaments. I also learned that Team HBV was expanding their social media. Teamhbv.org and sites.google.com/site/insideteamhbv are very attractive and informative sites that will increase collaboration. As the last presenters, we were asked to shorten our presentation because they were running an hour late. Thus, our presentation that had been lengthened to 10 minutes immediately shed five slides and amounted to an amazing 3 minutes. You can watch this amazing feat here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2559838 . Good night everyone! And by the way, this is my very first blog entry!

Until Monday,

Cindy Lam (Clam)

We’re here..at the conference..

I’m here. Cindy’s to my right. The Wang brothers (Jon and Matt) are to my left. Michelle and Cerena (Old JRYC’s) are behind me. We’re listening to Dr. So’s awesome speech about Hepatitis B. Okay maybe not. It’s awesome no doubt, but the old JRYC’s have heard this about a million times. So we’re here, but we’re not “here.”

It’s 10 minutes to 10am. We present at 5pm. There are a bunch of people (including myself) on laptops. Some on east villagers, others updating their blogs. (guilty) I see translating people in the back. Matt just asked me if we were supposed to take notes. Random (but important) quote: 1 in 20 people worldwide have Chronic Hepatitis B.

That’s essentially what we’re trying to stop. Sounds like an awesome mission statement: To reduce the number of people from 1 in 20 to 1 in 30..or is it increase?

Anyways, I’ll keep you guys, or as Mindy would say, “ya’ll,” updated. Just don’t expect me to be available around 5pm, because of the, you know, presenting part.

Another random awesome quote: 0.25 cents can get a child a Hepatitis B Shot.

I’m being reminded of something new everyday.

Patrick

11/10 Pizza Party with Chinese delegates

Hello Everyone,

Today was our first meeting with the Chinese delegates. Our meeting took place at the Clark Center, a very beautiful piece of architecture, Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 7:00. The people there comprised of Anne, Anna, Stefanie and myself. At first, I must say, I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, but after walking into the room, I felt both relaxed and excited. We started off with a little pizza (what better way to start off?) and some chatting with our overseas guests. After a little dinner, Meredith gave a spectacular presentation explaining the various projects that ALC has done in the past and plans to do in the future, going over both San Francisco Hep B Free and San Mateo Hep B Free. She also talked about prominent politicians who have taken notice of the Jade Ribbon Campaign, people such as Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newson, and Fiona Ma. Before we knew it, it was time for our presentation. In it, we gave a general overview of the Jade Ribbon Youth Council, addressing topics such as our mission statement, objectives, and accomplishments. Ultimately, our meeting had to come to an end, but not without a nice group picture (and exchange of business cards).

Jay Wang

Archbishop Mitty High School ‘11

 

Peter, the Wolf..and the rest of the JRYC.

Hey,

Patrick here. Alright so the clever titles won’t always be spot on, but I try Tonight’s meeting was as stellar as ever, seeing Dylan Kim (again) for about 5 seconds, and an awesome suprise visit (sorta) from Amy! Despite the lack of the facilitator/food, we grudged on with our rehearsal of the HBV version of Peter and the Wolf on 7/8th empty stomachs(thanks to Cindy’s fruit snacks). Everything went well during the run through, if you don’t count me wasting 4 times the paper from the copy machine and some members completely zoning out on their parts (Matt and Jon), but we totally got our acting faces on, and we’re ready to rock it out. Libraries beware!

Oh, and we also revised the entire script to make it more “4-year-old-friendly,” because words like “undignified” and “barbaric” don’t sound like they would be part of a toddler’s vocabulary.

We also established the suprisingly busy agenda for the week as the Chinese delegates and the collegiate chapters take a visit to Stanford to find out what the ALC and the JRYC are all about. Here’s what’s goin down:

11/10 JRYC presentation
5:30PM at Clark Center S362
11/12 Cupertino tour and dinner – Cupertino residents invited
Tour – 3PM-5:30PM
Dinner – 6PM @ Beausejour
11/14 Team HBV Collegiate Conference
8:30am – park/drop off at the Oval

So, busy busy week for everyone to say the least. We’re extremely excited to get the year started, and with all the plans for this year, that excitement will be matched.

P.S. Just found out one of our beloved members, Jessica Cheng, is having ACL surgery tomorrow morning. Keep her in your prayers, as we all will.

Cheers,

Patrick Domingo

Junipero Serra High School

Back In Action

The JRYC was back for yet another delightful meeting! As always, the room was brimming with the excitement and energy radiating from each and every one of the JRYC enthused members. Immediately we reached mutual agreement to begin planning our first semester outreach project–performing our favorite play, Peter and the Wolf (HBV version) at community libraries. Due to the new members of JRYC this year, we’ve chosen to broaden our horizons and expand to other libraries in the area. These include the libraries in Saratoga, Mountain View, and Oakland, in addition to the Cupertino Library and Martin Luther King Library in San Jose. After splitting into 3 groups according to location, there was much planning in the scheduling and character assignments. Then, we gathered together once again to plot our logistics and administer tasks involving contacts and supplies.

Our bustling meeting welcomed a most interesting digression from a JRYC alumni, Dylan Kim, who currently is an intern at ALC and happens to be a co-author of the Peter and Wolf HBV play. Although Dylan is not much older than most of the JRYC, he was friendly and caring enough to share with the current JRYC of his wisdom and experience from his own years on the council. The council further bonded by doing another break-the-ice activity. All we can say is that we are able to levitate our members just by lifting two fingers. Indeed, the JRYC knows how to work whilst having fun from amusing frolicking.

Unfortunately, the meeting had to come to an end as always, and the JRYC said their farewells. But the eagerness in setting forth in our outreach lingered in the air.

Yvi Le

Evergreen Valley High School, Senior

Ahh the smell of fresh.. Hep B Screenings?

Hello all,

This is Patrick D hittin ya’ll with some funkified knowledge (picture fly Dj radio voice). Fellow JRYC member Cindy “Clam” Lam and your very own Patrick “PDizzle” Domingo went to her first (and my fourth) Hepatitis B Screening Clinic. We met some bright faces including another fly cat named Patrick (best name ever) and gave a presentation (featuring Dr. Stephanie Chao) on Hepatitis B to the Filipino community of the Mater Dolorosa Church.

Although about 4 people showed up after the 10 o’clock mass (and two snuck past our security guards manning the door..just kidding..no security guards.. but they did manage to sneak past pretty much everyone) the 12′0 clock mass gave us about 2-3 times more people. Which is relatively a lot, but still not that many.

I absolutely enjoyed taking photographs (as I always do) and was as happy as a little school boy prancing around and clicking away with my Nikon d40. Cindy on the other hand, although she hasn’t explicitly said this,  after asking her, I’m sure never wants to man the registration table ever again.

Overall, it was an awesome experience, and I saw a lot of people from my ironically predominantly white all boys Catholic school (even my high school counselor… who, as of this writing, isn’t Filipino). Now being one of the first attempts at outreach in the Filipino community, I was expecting some hiccups, which there were, but that’s what the eval is for, which Nicole, if you’re reading this, I am diligently working on!

Well cool cats this was another “broadcast” from JRYC “Jerk” FM. Stay tuned for more super fly hits.

Patrick

A New Beginning

With the Jade Ribbon Youth Council gathering for the first time this year, our first meeting focused on important (but fun!) introductions and an overview for the year. The sixteen councilmembers, a diverse group of both returning and new students, gave brief and enjoyable presentations about their backgrounds, interests, and aspirations. Though some of us had never met before, the conference room was a place where everyone was open and friendly, sharing jokes and laughter. After the presentations, in which we learned of hair-eating cows and Wikipedia-based games, we played an exciting name game involving SAT vocabulary. The council then reviewed the basic logistics for future meetings (snacks are a must!) and our hepatitis B knowledge. Naturally, with many of the councilmembers having attend the Youth Leadership Conference, everyone was ready to spread awareness and accurate information. We concluded the meeting with an outline of our events for the upcoming year and even fit in a quick brainstorm for other potential activities. Expect to see successful events like the Peter and the Wolf storytime, B Inspired Multimedia Contest, and Hepatitis B Awareness Week return this year and look out for exciting, new activities as well. Having broken the ice early and with ideas being tossed around already, the JRYC is off to a great start to the new year.

Until next time,

Daniel Ki

Monta Vista High School

Winter 2008

After busting out some snacks and drinks, we began the meeting by first going over our Semester One outreach projects.

Because of a last-minute cancellation, the Peninsula Group was unable to do their outreach at Tanforan Shopping Center. “Team Awesome” (as they have dubbed themselves), however, was not deterred in the slightest way. Instead, the team acted quickly to confirm a different venue: After much emailing back and forth, they were able to set up a table at Westlake Plaza. Here, they dispensed attractive jade stickers, offered free brochures, and — most importantly — confronted busy shoppers about the importance of hepatitis B. Although they saw well over 200 people that day, the Asian American audience was very limited and unreceptive to their message about HBV. Reflecting upon their project, the team feels that picking a more strategic location for their table would have yielded better results.

Like the Peninsula Group, the East Bay Group had its own share of problems and obstacles. In the weeks leading up to the event, the East Bay Group had prepared an amazingly creative project: By collaborating with Tapioca Express, the team was planning to place informative stickers on cups of pearl milk tea. Unfortunately, the owners of Tapioca Express — worrying that the stickers would stigmatize their sales in some weird way — shot down the idea. Quickly carrying out the rest of their project, East Bay Group worked doubly hard to distribute flyers at local parking structures. (Since this portion of the outreach was not yet complete, the team will another update at the next meeting.)

After discussing our outreach projects, we began setting deadlines for the next publication of B-Linked. After getting a draft ready by December 15th, we hope to send out the issue by December 19th. So, for all our lovely readers out there, expect a mass email very soon.

Having taken care of all the Semester One projects, we had an entire hour left to start preparing for a more exciting Semester Two!

My Bittersweet Goodbye

June 1st. It’s supposed to be the start of a new month, like the birth of summer supposedly. Really, what student doesn’t look forward to hearing that June had rolled around? It either means you’re already out of school or you’re on the brink of ending school and that is much more exciting than presents on Christmas!

But for me, it was one of the saddest days of my life.

Because it was on June 1st 2009 that the JRYC had its last meeting of the year.

It was on June 1st 2009 that I graduated from my two years on the Jade Ribbon Youth Council.

It’s one of the those things that you try to prepare yourself from crying, but when you begin to remember, or when you realize that you’re losing a part of who you are, you cry anyways.  To be completely honest, I cried last year when my beloved friends of the past JRYC graduated, and I cried even harder on the drive home this past Monday.

The people I’ve met, the stories I’ve heard, the experiences that I have gained are irreplaceable. The smiles, the laughter, there isn’t a single moment I’ve spent on the council that I regret, nor is there a memory that isn’t bright associated with the JRYC.  From meetings, to screenings, to the Tet Festival, to the Chinese New Year Festival, to city proclamations, to Hepatitis B Awareness Week, to the Youth Leadership Conference, 2 years have gone quickly but overflow with such sweet recollections.

I keep wondering what I will do with my Mondays, how they will never been the same seeing those familiar faces.  I know I’ll miss, as Dylan, a former member of the JRYC who graduated last year, used to say, all the “inside-jokes” and desperately hold onto the ones I have. And since I’m off to college on the East Coast, I won’t have the luxury of traveling every month back to the Asian Liver Center to see how all my JRYC babies are progressing.

But then I realize I’m acting as if I’ve lost something, as if someone’s ripped out an important part of my heart and has kept it hostage in front of my eyes. And yet that’s not true at all.

Because, I haven’t lost the Jade Ribbon Youth Council and I’m not ever going to.  I can’t even begin to list all the happy memories being on the council have graced me with.  Or what it has done for me in the past two years.

Being on the council has made me more proficient in foreign languages. I’ve learned how to put together an entire event, not just as a leader, but just as part of an equal team.  It’s opened my eyes to a plight that has been blind-sighted, and handed me the skills to open the eyes of so many others. It’s made me confident enough to make a fool of myself in front of unknown high school peers and yell in an old Cantonese, unemployed male persona.

And someone I’ve managed to become the Council’s official photographer, though to be honest, it was the Jade Ribbon Youth Council that made me love photography even more and I’m not that fantastic at it.

It’s given me life-long friends, it’s given me perspective, it’s given me a family, and most importantly, it’s given me a cause to believe in.  And these are all points of character that can’t easily be taken from me as they’re who I am now.

So to my JRYC family, I want you to always remember how much I love each and every one of you and that no amount of words can express how wonderful you’ve made these past two years.

And know this, no matter what I do at U Penn or where the future might take me, you’ll always be in my heart and thoughts.

Always.

To Amy and Nicole, thank you for being so supportive and watching us like mothers to baby chicks.  I know I speak for all of us when I say that our endeavors could not have been made possible without you both. And Tini, having you as part of the JRYC has made Mondays such much more enjoyable, your unique personality of spirit and random loudness are your signature features I’ll carry with me forever. Don’t ever stop rockin’ socks!

To Amanjit, although we haven’t really got to know one another, the time we have conversed has been enlightening.  I know I sure won’t forget that when I tried to call you once, some man, I think it was your father, who picked up and I was so freaked out! What a weird memory, but it was really great being able to collaborate our ideas and make them into something amazing. Definitely looking forward to what you’ll accomplish next!

To Yvi, whose adorable, innocent beam lights the skies, I wonder what will happen to me not being able to see your smile. Every time I saw that trademark smile of yours, I melted because it’s so hard to explain, but there was just something, honest, something so pure about your smile that made me want to love the world, even when I was depressed or lackadaisical.  I think if I could bottle your smile’s essence in a bottle, I would, and it’s a shame that I can’t. Be sure to keep on smiling because I know that your smile will be as precious to others as it was for me.

To Jon, the more attentive of the Wang “twins,” it’s always a drastic contrast to Matt when I see your efficiency and professionalism, though it’s not surprising since you’re older. Although I can’t let go of the fact that you’re way taller than me but so much younger! But when you bring up an idea or report your findings, it’s so hard to remember that you’re so young because you display so much greater capability than your age deceives. Make sure to represent the male faction of the JRYC and East Bay as you have and keep Matt in check. And do me a favor, don’t grow any more by the time I see you again!

To Matt, my freshmen Team Sexy member who can’t pay attention, our memories together date back to the past Youth Leadership Conference and you haven’t changed one bit.  I’m glad that you have the same boy-ish sense of humor and personality as the first day I met you, but I’m even more looking forward to seeing how you progress as you’re only a freshmen. I hope you don’t forget our time together not only on the council, but as the only two members of Team Sexy to be on the JRYC. Do us proud.

To Sarah, my Eastie Bay carpool, your enthusiasm as a first-year JRYC member has for the past year inspired me to be such much more.  You are, to me, the passionate promise of the youth for this strengthening cause, diligent in all that you do.  I know that when I’m gone next year, you will be more than equipped to represent the East Bay in all that is to come as a part of the Jade Ribbon Youth Council and I will not forget our conversations and your tender determination.  Keep your flame ablaze and I know there isn’t anything you can’t accomplish.

To Patrick, my gangster photographer player, having met you is like having around a breath of refreshing air! It’s not just that we share a passion in photography (although you’re much better and your camera owns mine), but I love laughing with you at even the smallest things!  I think you brought out the ghetto nature in me, although being Asian kind of destroys that.  Between the serious, business Patrick, and the extrovert, ghetto Patrick, it’s hard to choose which one I admire more! Although the ghetto Patrick looks better in my photos! I will miss how you can always make me laugh with your silly nature or just being one of the few males on the JRYC, so never stop from sharing your warmth.

To Esther, my muse, your beauty and quiet grace has elegantly descended on me this year. My camera simply can’t get enough wonderful photos of you!  And although you’re in constant denial of this, I’ll be sure to remind you everyday! In my mind, you’ll always be the sweet and delicate girl who didn’t take me to see Epik High. Just kidding. I’ll never forget how fantastically caring you’ve been to me or the happiness you give simply by talking with me or how your virtuousness subconsciously makes me smile. I lament the loss of my muse but rest assured, I’ll be back to capture your adorable-ness in no time!

To Serena, my roommate and 1^st Jade Ribbon friend, you are the person I’ve been with the longest and it’s so strange that we’re now going to be separated in retrospect.  I’ll never forget how it all started and how we both were accepted onto the council and how you’re amazing at making library displays (even though you probably are sick of it!) I know that you’re going to represent the cause and Asians for that matter when you rock Berkeley’s world.  But still you’ll always be my #1 roommate.

To Cerena, my source of all things spontaneous and passionate, although we don’t many YLC memories, we sure made up for that with memories outside the JRYC, like the Caltech reception.  Your innovativeness (all mostly random but I love that about you too) and stubborn ardor has evolved the feminist in me. I can always hear your voice in my head urging me never to say “no” to anything that I know I can handle, to rise up and fight with a smile on my face and stick to what I believe in, no matter what anyone tries to say.  You remind always that there is beauty in strength and I know that’s the image of Cerena Chen I’ll keep in my mind to the end of time.  I know you’ll wow the world, just like you’ve wow-ed all of us.

To Michelle, the last remaining original member of Team Bootie, your sense of Korean pride and as well your keenness in just about everything has certainly made its mark on me. I’ll never forget how excited you are at every opportunity and that optimism is sure to be your legacy to me as I have learned to face every challenge or task with as much zeal as you always displayed in my presence.  I hope that your take-charge approach brings you to higher heights (many of them in law) and that you wave to me from the clouds once you’re there.

To Daniel Kim, my Harvard, romance boy who isn’t going to stay single for long, your way with technology and prom/ball stories will be with me for all of time. And seeing how amazing you are (I swear, you’re so talented) has taught me that I can be better, not just with my work on the JRYC, but in every aspect of life. I remember when I first saw you at the youth leadership conference two years ago, I thought you were much older than you really were, and that just proves to me, that maturity goes a long way, and that I myself, have I long way to go to reaching your status. I won’t forget you and I hope you don’t forget me either as you rock Harvard to the ground!

To Katherine, my sweetheart genius, your everyday compliments, mainly on Facebook, are much too valuable to be given to me, someone that isn’t worthy of your praise, but I love you to bits for being so thoughtful. Your words of encouragement, especially about my photography, cause me to strive to be even more creative, just to hear you say them once more. And even though you’ve only been on the council for this past year, in that short amount of time, I’m so glad we got to become friends.  One day, I promise I’ll be admirable enough to have you as my model and do your excellence justice.

To Evaline, my photo partner in crime, my photos will never be the same, not having you in there with me. Your bubbly personality and sense of humor has given my heart insight about how to smile each and every day.  I can’t even begin to count our adventures of ruining Daniel’s photos, or being utterly ridiculous but having the time of our lives in the process. And puppies, adorable puppies, that’s what I will attribute you to! Live, laugh, and love, that’s what you’ve silently shown me and it’s made me a better person because of that.  Lead the JRYC into a brighter potential as a senior next year and I can’t wait to continue our shenanigans when I come back to visit!

And to Daniel Ki, my former-freshmen, Cantonese, left-handed, counter part, although our memories have been bitter sweet, I would not have traded them for the world. Hm, what can I say about you other than that I didn’t haze you and that I only teased you because you teased me! So in essence, my final words to you are that I was the victim and I was wrongly accused. Sometimes. I’m just kidding. Although you still have to give me those pictures (have you no guilt that I’m leaving and you stole those pictures?!) You’ve made my time on the council more than fun than it ever could and you know that no matter what happened between us, we’re rock solid and that I will miss you immensely, more than I can honestly tell you.  I mean, you’re like my little brother. It’s my duty to fight with you on a casual friendly sense. I can’t wait to visit the JRYC and ruffle your hair the moment I get back so don’t change during that time, okay? It’s a promise.

To all of you, my eternal love and wishes. This past year with the current council has been more fantastic for me than you can imagine and to my seniors who I’ve known for these past two, some two and a half, years: the moon and the stars in your reach for the future.

Infinitesimal love,

Elisabeth Sum

Liz

Monte Vista High School ‘09

U Penn Jerome Fisher ‘13