A new club is using art to support Asian American survivors of domestic violence.
Project Medusa, a student-led initiative founded in February, puts on creative workshops for domestic violence survivors in Los Angeles. The organization hosts events at the Center for the Pacific Asian Family, a domestic violence shelter in Los Angeles, said Edith Allyson Najera, the vice president of Project Medusa.
Felicity Nguyen, the president of Project Medusa, said personally knowing people who have experienced domestic and sexual violence inspired her to create safe spaces for Asian American survivors to heal.
“It does (the workshops do) give survivors the moment to just be present,” said Nguyen, a rising fourth-year human biology and society student. “We … create this artistic space for them and their children to bond.”
About 55% of Asian women in the United States have experienced physical or sexual violence, and 18% have experienced harm by an intimate partner, according to the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence.
Project Medusa hosts crafting activities – including making paper flower bouquets and paper fortune cookies – for the women at the center, Nguyen said.
“Older Asian Americans – they really don’t come out and seek resources when it comes to this stuff,” said Najera, a rising fourth-year biology student. “It’s not really talked about, … so we really wanted to focus on helping those who look like us, especially those who are older than us.”
Project Medusa club members, as well as other community partners and volunteers, undergo a 65-hour training led by the center on how to serve domestic violence survivors, said Alyssa Castrejon, a rising fourth-year biology student and Project Medusa’s secretary. The training includes educational sessions about confidentiality, crisis intervention and law enforcement response, according to the center’s 2026 advocate training document.
The club focuses on building emotional connections with survivors, Nguyen said. Project Medusa hopes to partner with additional domestic violence shelters in the future and host educational outreach campaigns at other schools, she added.
“Your presence reminds people that you still care about them,” Nguyen said.
Learning about the resources available to survivors and working within the local community has been a meaningful part of being in the club, Castrejon said.
“We’re welcome to any majors, any individuals who are willing to help,” Castrejon said.
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