As Yarrow continues to grow as an organization, so does our staff team. Within the last two months, we have welcomed Jancis Wong, Celyne Asnani, Sunny Chiu and Katherine Cheng to our team. To better serve our community, we have added three new positions to our team, including the Outreach Assistant, Grocery Program Coordinator, and the Disability Justice, Aging & Access Coordinator. Jancis is our new Outreach Assistant. Working alongside Outreach Worker Carven Li, she is strengthening our crucial casework program. Jancis is a Cantonese speaker who was born and raised in Hong Kong. Engulfed in the migration diaspora, Jancis makes meaning of her identity from Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and is currently an uninvited settler in the beautiful land of the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She holds a BA in Social Work from UBC, and has experience working with the diverse populations in the DTES neighborhood. Jancis has interests in the third culture experience, finding belonging and community organizations from the intersectionalities of various races, ages, sexual identities, and backgrounds in vibrant communities such as our local Chinatown in Strathcona. In her spare time, you will find her bullet journaling, baking and dog watching. Celyne is our new Grocery Program Coordinator, a part-time position made possible through our partnership with SUCCESS. As the pandemic continues, we have extended our COVID-19 Senior Support program to continue serving our seniors during this precarious time. Celyne is a queer Cantonese settler born on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She moved to Hong Kong with her family at the age of 4 and moved back to Vancouver when she was 10 years old. She continues to carry deep sentiments of these two places and often questions what it means to call a city home. Celyne holds a BA in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from SFU. Being 3/4 Han Chinese and 1/4 Indian, she understands the complexity of identity and uses this understanding to navigate her queerness through poetry. Sunny is one of our two new Disability Justice, Aging & Access Coordinators. Sunny is a multiply disabled immigrant-settler from Taiwan. They currently live on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Sunny holds a BDes in communication design from Emily Carr University and has a background in textile arts. As a self-identified queercrip, Sunny dreams of access, liberation and the abolition of carceral systems (including the prison- and medical industrial complex). They love huangmei opera, collecting family recipes and making art with their community. Katherine is one of our new Disability Justice, Aging & Access Coordinators. Katherine is a Mandarin and Hokkien speaker born and raised in Taiwan, currently residing on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She is a PhD student in Philosophy at UBC, and enjoys community building, project coordination, hiking, photography, and animation. To learn more about Yarrow's staff team, visit our About page Thank you to our funders and partners, City of Vancouver, Health Ministry of BC, WorkBC, SUCCESS, and Canada Summer Jobs, and to our community members and donors for supporting the growth of our team.

Yarrow COVID-19 Work Safety Plan (English) 世代同行会“新冠”期间安全工作守则 (Simplified Chinese)

Yarrow’s annual fundraiser for 2021 is now live! Our goal this year is to raise $50,000, which will go towards reducing isolation experienced by low-income seniors through grocery deliveries, medical accompaniment and interpretation appointments, youth-led intergenerational programming, and housing support. ​ Donate to our crowdfunding campaign: FundRazr Participate in our Art Auction: Shopify Become a monthly donor: PayPal

As an organization who works with seniors, we encourage our community to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu as the pandemic continues. From Monday, Oct 25, more people will be able to come together at organized gatherings and events in parts of BC where vaccination rates are high. Full vaccination for everyone born in 2009 or earlier (12+) and presentation of your BC Vaccine Card will also be required to access certain events, services and businesses. At Yarrow, higher vaccination rate and lower case counts will inform our programming. We will be prudent to not host events that allow for 100% indoor capacity for the time being, while enforcing contact tracing, vaccine card verification, and mask-wearing. We encourage all unvaccinated and eligible people to get vaccinated ASAP, unvaccinated children to register for their vaccination, and those eligible for third dosage to register for vaccination. Those who are young and unvaccinated, who are elderly, and who are immunocompromised are a part of our community. Vaccination not only affects us, but everyone around us. Let’s take care of each other!

23 November 2021 Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice Stands in Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en First Nation Against Coastal GasLink Since 2019, Coastal GasLink (CGL) has invaded and destroyed various parts of Wet’suwet’en First Nation territories with the help of the RCMP. As an assertion of their Aboriginal Title, affirmed by the ruling of Delgamuukw v. British Columbia (1997), the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs issued an eviction notice to CGL in 2020. In the face of non-compliance from CGL, land defenders from Wet’suwet’en First Nation and beyond have continued to occupy their territories and physically bar RCMP and CGL from accessing their lands. In 2021, a crucial Wet’suwet’en waterway is at risk. CGL plans to drill under Wedzin Kwa, also known as Morice River, in order to build their pipeline. After a two-day violent raid by the RCMP, 32 people were arrested, including land defenders, journalists, Sleydo’ Molly Wickham, and Dinï ze’ Woos’ daughter Jocey Alec. Many land defenders remain incarcerated in what’s colonially known as Prince George, BC. The conditions for release include denying arrestees the ability to return to Wet’suwet’en territories, which means some will not be able to return to their homelands. Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice (Yarrow) stands in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en peoples and their hereditary governance systems, who have not consented to CGL to build a pipeline through sacred waters on their lands. We support liberation, autonomy, and the ability to return to ancestral homelands for all Elders and marginalized peoples. As an organization for and by Chinese settlers, Yarrow operates on stolen Indigenous land. Our hosts and neighbours in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside are Indigenous folks that continue to face colonial violence in the forms of the foster care system, police profiling and brutality, poverty, sexism, MMIWG2S, and racism. We recognize that the sources of funding we receive, as a non-profit organization, from the provincial and federal governments, are supported by profits gained from major resource extraction projects like the CGL liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline. The LNG transported by the CGL pipeline will be sold to countries in Asia, including China. In these ways, we recognize how we are entangled in the project of settler colonialism. As members of the Chinese diaspora, Yarrow stands against the ongoing violent dispossession of Indigenous land and rights for settlers’ profits, including the removal of Indigenous peoples from their lands for resource extraction and the escalation of police violence across Canada. We condemn the RCMP invasions of Wet’suwet’en territories and we support the demand for the immediate release of Indigenous land defenders and their allies who have been arrested in defense of Wedzin Kwa. We urge members of the Chinese diaspora and supporters of Yarrow to stand in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en peoples and their eviction of Coastal GasLink from their territories. Sincerely, Lydia Tang, Chair of the Board of Directors Eleanor Yang, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors Todd Huang, Treasurer of the Board of Directors Sydney Li, Secretary of the Board of Directors Melody Wise, member of the Board of Directors Yao Sweden Xiao, member of the Board of Directors On behalf of Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice To support, please donate to: Wet’suwet’en Legal Defence Fund E-transfer and PayPal: yintahaccess@gmail.com E-transfer: denzelswilson@gmail.com. Gitxsan land defender Denzel Sutherland-Wilson, who was recently a target of police brutality from RCMP while blocking CN Rail tracks in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en For more information, please follow: Website: yintahaccess.com Instagram: @yintah_access Twitter: @Gidimten Facebook: @wetsuwetenstrong Youtube: Gidimten Access Point TikTok: GidimtenCheckpoint Correction: 24 November 2021 An earlier version stated that 20 people were arrested by the RCMP over two days. 32 people were arrested, not 20. Download the PDF of Yarrow's solidarity statement here.

Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice is currently hiring for the part-time Chinese Seniors Hub Coordinator position. The Chinese Seniors Hub Coordinator runs an outreach and recreational program to build new and existing leadership and networks in the Chinatown, Downtown Eastside, Strathcona, and Oppenheimer communities. The Coordinator offers basic social services to Chinese-speaking seniors such as letter reading and regular weekly check-ins, as well as empowering seniors to become leaders in their buildings and communities. The Chinese Seniors Hub was formed to prevent and decrease senior isolation, encourage seniors to check-in on each other and advocate for themselves, and promote healthier lifestyles and communities. The Coordinator will work closely with Yarrow’s Outreach Team to ensure that housing, health, and income requests are addressed, and will also connect with similar neighbourhood organizations for referrals and collaborations. The position includes grassroots organizing and outreach, and is a mix of remote work and in-person programming. If you're interested in applying or know someone who would be a good fit, you can learn more about the position here. Deadline to apply is 10 January 2022 at 11:59PM.

Yarrow is not hosting drop-in office hours in the month of January 2022. In light of the concerning transmissibility of the Omicron variant in B.C., we will evaluate at the end of January 2022 whether we postpone or re-open our drop-in hours. For seniors' services, please email casework@yarrowsociety.ca.

On Thu, Mar 24th from 5-8PM, join Massy Arts Society and Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice for the in-person launch and exhibition of our community zine: “Dreaming Hand-in-Hand: An Intergenerational Chinatown Zine”. This self-published zine is a collection of collages created by Chinese youth and seniors depicting their hopes and dreams for Chinatown. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/zine-launch-dreaming-hand-in-hand-by-yarrow-society-tickets-278036132557 At the event, the original works featured in the zine will be exhibited and the zine will be available for purchase. Please bring cash. The contributing youth and senior artists will be in attendance. The event will be hosted at the Massy Arts Gallery, at 23 East Pender Street in Chinatown, Vancouver. The zine launch and exhibition is free + open to all of our community, and registration is mandatory. Each visit is limited to 50 minutes, and the capacity limit per hour is 35 people. COVID Safety Protocols: For all in-person events, attendees must provide proof of vaccination, wear a mask (N95 masks are encouraged and recommended as they offer the best protection), and consent to having their temperature checked at the front door. We ask that if you are showing any symptoms, that you stay home. Thank you kindly. Accessibility info for Massy Arts Society (23 E Pender St) Entrance: The door is not automatic. Push to enter, pull to exit. The width of the doorway is 100cm / 39.3in. The path from the street to the doorway is flat. When entering the space, there will be two tables on either side of the entrance. There will be a narrow path when entering the space that is the same width as the doorway and ~4ft long. The space widens after the narrow entrance path. Event space: The main gallery space is 627sq ft. The length of the gallery space is ~36.5ft and the width is 17ft. There are four support posts in the space. The distance between the posts is 9ft 7in. The narrow distance between the posts and the right-side wall is 5ft 4in. There will be seating available at the event which are plastic fold chairs. Bathrooms: There is one gender inclusive bathroom in the space. The door is not automatic. Pull to enter, push to exit. The width of the doorway is 90cm / 35.5in. The bathroom is 45sq ft. There are two sets of grab bars located behind and to the right of the toilet. There are usually chairs stored inside the bathroom, but they will be removed for the event. Scent policy: The space is a scent-free space. We kindly ask that event attendees refrain from wearing scented products in the space. Transit: Bus: #19, #22, N19 Night Bus. Bus stop ID: 50021 Sky Train: Stadium-Chinatown Station

Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice is currently hiring for the part-time Chinese Seniors Outreach Worker. The Chinese Seniors Outreach Worker is a multilingual, bi-cultural senior services provider providing free service to eligible clients who are above 45 years old, low-income, non-English speaking, and residents of the Downtown Eastside. The Outreach Worker supports clients by coordinating volunteers to provide language interpretation and facilitate cross-cultural understanding with health practitioners. The Outreach Worker also provides follow-up support for seniors who access our drop-in hours with health, housing, and income issues to meet their basic needs. The Outreach Worker builds close relationships with seniors as they navigate health and other challenges. They work with seniors to navigate and overcome language and cultural barriers to services, while supporting their independence and sense of agency. If you're interested in applying or know someone who would be a good fit, you can learn more about the position here. Deadline to apply is 11 February 2022 at 11:59PM. Yarrow strives to create a workspace that reflects the diversity of identities and lived experiences we work alongside. We strongly encourage applicants with lived experience of structural inequity to apply, and in particular those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour and/or LGBTQ2SIA+ people.

Learn more about the work Yarrow has done in 2020-21 and review our financial statements from the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Join our AGM this Sunday! Sunday, 26 Sep 3-5PM PST Online via Zoom Cantonese and Mandarin interpretation provided We will be celebrating and reflecting on our work this year and elect new Board members. All are welcome to attend to but only members are eligible to vote. Those who have volunteer or accessed Yarrow's services and programs in 2021 are considered members and will need to renew their membership. Please RSVP by emailing info@yarrowsociety.ca and we will send you the Zoom link and our membership renewal form, if applicable.

Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice is opening applications for its Board of Directors. If you are interested in becoming a board member please complete the application form by August 29, 2021. A nomination committee will convene to review all applications. Successful applicants will receive an email notification by September 5, 2021. Successful nomination applicants will be required to attend Yarrow's online AGM on September 12, 2021, as well as provide a short statement about yourself during the AGM. Nominated candidates will be elected during the AGM with a majority vote from members in attendance. We welcome experiences from professional work, volunteer work, and lived experiences. Passion is a key element and we welcome applicants who are open to learning and developing skills in any of these areas! Please email board@yarrowsociety.ca if you have any questions.