Vote for Wellness Initiative
NAAPIMHA’s Vote for Wellness Initiative is a voter engagement campaign supporting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities to get out the vote while centering their mental health and well-being during Election season.
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The goals of the initiative are to increase voter participation within AANHPI communities by 1) providing voter education and community spaces to support AANHPI individuals with mental disabilities & mental health challenges and/or the loved ones who support them during the Election year and 2) providing voter education through the lens of mental health education and increasing awareness around the importance of centering mental health & wellness during election season and being in touch with how elections and civic engagement impact our mental health & wellness.
Join us for our FREE Virtual Wellness During Election Season Spaces!
Are you looking for spaces to process your thoughts, emotions, & center your mental health and wellness this election season? Join us for one of our clinician facilitated listening sessions or monthly check-in spaces!
Session Date:
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What is "wellness"?
For many, our first thoughts about wellness might have something to do with individual health, happiness, and personal self-care. NAAPIMHA hopes to expand our understanding of wellness to also be a measure of community and societal wellness that is a direct reflection of the world we shape through our civic engagement!
Why does "voting for wellness" matter?
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The American Medical Association recognizes voting as a structural determinant of health.
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Civic health is just as important as physical/behavioral health:
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Without a strong and healthy democracy, civil liberties, protection from discrimination, and just systems, there is no way for our communities to feel secure, safe, hopeful, and effective.
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Voting and elections shape the quality of and accessibility to healthcare systems.
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Elected officials offer differing levels of good and bad representation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
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Elections have direct impacts on our mental health and health outcomes as communities of color.
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Voting can increase our sense of efficacy, agency, and empowerment, which contributes to strengthening civic health.
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Voting and civic engagement can counter anxiety and hopelessness by helping us feel heard, like we are making a difference, and that political progress is shaped by our choices, increasing our personal health.
Webinar Recap
AANHPI Voting Rights and Voting with Lived Experience + Launch of Vote for Wellness - 11/7/2023
Upcoming Work
Get involved and take part in the following projects we will be rolling out throughout the upcoming year in preparation for the 2024 Presidential Elections!
Voter Guide Webpage
Ongoing resource sharing highlighting mental health voter issues, candidate platforms, and amplifying partner voter issue platforms.
Community Engagement Events
Virtual Vote for Wellness listening sessions held during the fall of 2024 and early 2025 as spaces for folks to process their emotions and center their mental health during election season.
Resources
Informational handouts to be shared as they are created, with a focus on
translating materials into AANHPI languages and continuing to center folks with lived experience.
Questions?
Contact the Vote for Wellness team at vote@naapimha.org for more information