New ‘Kapwa Kultural Center’ Addresses Mental Health Needs of Daly City Youth and Community
Intergenerational community wellness space opens on Larry Itliong Day
Kapwa Kultural Center team (L-R), Stephanie Balon, Mikey Herrera, Alaina Moguel, Christi Morales photo credit: Melissa de Mata
Daly City, CA - October 3, 2024 – Kapwa Kultural Center (KKC) — a holistic, wellness-focused program addressing the core needs of youth, ages 16-24, and other members of historically underserved groups in North San Mateo County — will open its community event space in Daly City on October 25th, from 12pm-5:30pm, and feature a boba tea bar showcasing Filipino flavors to celebrate the occasion.
Kapwa Kultural Center is the first wellness space of its kind in the county addressing health inequities of Daly City’s most underserved, vulnerable communities — especially youth and others at the intersection of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Filipinx/a/o identities. KKC serves these communities in acknowledgment of their shared struggles, providing them with innovative programming that combines leadership skills, job preparedness, entrepreneurial mentorship, ethnic studies to support cultural identity, and mental health/wellness education. KKC is a labor of love led by three health practitioners: Stephanie Balon, LMFT, Christi Morales-Kumasawa, AMFT, and Alaina Moguel, MPH.
“As a second-generation Pinay-American and mother born in San Francisco and raised in Daly City, I understand the need for decolonial, intergenerational healing — that is, healing that is for us, by us and in the spirit of kapwa, or shared identity. We heal together, not in isolation. Opening our doors at KKC to the city’s Filipinx/a/o and BIPOC communities is not only a dream come true for me, but for all of us.” — Stephanie Balon, LMFT, Co-founder/Senior Director of Kapwa Kultural Center
In addition to being a physical space to support BIPOC and especially Filipinx/a/o youth in North San Mateo County, KKC serves as an intergenerational community center and will eventually add a social enterprise next year that will be open to all patrons who enjoy boba, in a space that celebrates Filipino culture and honors the solidarity among the many communities that make up Daly City.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTERS FOR YOUTH IN DALY CITY
Kapwa Kultural Center youth programming (photo courtesy of KKC)
Daly City has a population of roughly 105,000 (US Census Bureau 2020), and the Filipinx/a/o community makes up nearly one-third of the population (US Census Bureau 2019), making this concentration of Filipinos in Daly City one of the largest outside of the Philippines.
Mental health inequities and the diverse population of Daly City highlight the importance of culturally and socially relevant services — such as those that KKC provides — to ensure the community’s mental health and wellbeing needs are being met.
San Mateo County suggests that more than 30 percent of Asians in the region underutilize mental health services. Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of Filipinx/a/o youth in San Mateo County are at risk for depression and suicidal ideation/thoughts.
According to the Demographic Report on Health and Mental Health Equity in California, released October 2023, in 2017, suicide was the second-leading cause of death in California among young adults age 15–34 years. Since then, those numbers have risen especially in the aftermath of the ongoing pandemic.
This report also cites that young adults (aged 18-24 years) in California face greater mental health burdens, compared to older adults (aged 25-64 years).
“KKC offers our youth and community a culturally relevant and responsive space where they are reflected in the programming and where mental health is de-stigmatized. It is where they can have additional resources to work with professional staff with an expertise in understanding the Filipina/o/x American community and its specific needs. It is especially important for our youth to be engaged in centers that provide the opportunity to learn who they are, develop an identity, and purpose to build their confidence, develop skills to cope, and create a culture and legacy that cares, supports, and loves one another.” — Dr. Rod Daus-Magbual, Vice Mayor of Daly City
Interior of Kapwa Kultural Center (photo credit: Bryan Garcia)
YOUTH-CENTERED AND INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICES
KKC evaluated 40 participants from their 2023 youth summer program. All respondents identified their race as Asian/Asian American (100%), and nearly all respondents identified their ethnicity as Filipino/a/x (97%). Over half of respondents identified as female (59%), three-quarters of respondents identified as a cisgender woman/woman or a cisgender man/man (76%), and almost three-quarters of respondents identified as heterosexual or straight or queer (73%). Most respondents reside in Daly City (83%).
Youth Programming
The youth program is a multi-week cohort experience where youth engage in on the job training with KKC, as well as other partner job sites, while learning skills around leadership, career preparedness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. This program also emphasizes the importance of cultural identity, mental health, and how to stay well.
Wellness & Arts Workshops
KKC offers a holistic and culturally responsive way of promoting wellness and healing through expressive arts-based activities and workshops that honor Filipina/x/o culture, open to the broader community.
Community & Event Space
The Daly City space will be open to all community members and feature classes and workshops for varying ages at all stages, including elders. The space will also be available to rent for meetings, parties, or other events.
“It was really empowering to work side by side with my mentors. We got to work side by side to co create a workshop together. Despite the age gap they were able to value all of my ideas and my opinions and put action to it. It was interesting, for lack of a better word, and dynamic being in that kind of space. I felt really empowered.” – Youth participant from the KAYA program
For more information, to donate, volunteer or partnerships please visit kapwakulturalcenter.org.
Kapwa Kultural Center Opening
Friday, October 25th, 2024, 12pm-5:30pm
11-B San Pedro Rd
Daly City, CA 94014
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About Kapwa Kultural Center: The mission of Kapwa Kultural Center (KKC) is to integrate culturally affirming programming for Filipina/x/o youth and other community members in Daly City that combines leadership skills, workforce preparedness, entrepreneurial mentorship, and ethnic studies to support positive cultural identity formation and mental health education. Fiscally sponsored by the Daly City Partnership, KKC was made possible through a $2.6 million grant from the Mental Health Services Act’s Innovation Program.