The Kapwa Kultural Center (KKC) in Daly City, California, is set to open its doors on October 25, offering vital wellness services to underserved youth aged 16 to 24 and other historically marginalized communities. The center’s opening event will run from noon to 5:30 p.m., featuring a boba tea bar with Filipino-inspired flavors.
KKC is being hailed as the first of its kind in North San Mateo County. It aims to bridge health inequities affecting Daly City’s most vulnerable populations, particularly those within the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Filipinx communities.
The center’s innovative programming mixes leadership and job preparedness skills with ethnic studies to bolster cultural identity, mental health, and wellness. The KKC initiative is spearheaded by Stephanie Balon, a licensed marriage and family therapist; Christi Morales-Kumasawa, an associate marriage and family therapist; and Alaina Moguel, who holds a master’s degree in public health.
Balon, a co-founder and senior director at KKC, emphasized the center’s mission of collective healing rooted in shared identity, or “kapwa.” She described the opening as a “dream come true” for Daly City’s diverse communities.
KKC plans to function as an intergenerational center, with future projects including a social enterprise. Open to all community members, it also aims to serve as a gathering place for those interested in enjoying boba tea and celebrating Filipino culture. The center’s broad mandate underscores the pressing need for mental health and wellness services for youth in Daly City.
Daly City, home to about 105,000 people, has the largest Filipino community outside the Philippines. This demographic reality highlights the importance of culturally sensitive, socially relevant mental health services. KKC aims to address these needs. According to San Mateo County statistics, over 30% of Asians in the region underutilize mental health services, while more than 40% of Filipino youth are at risk for depression and suicidal thoughts.
In 2017, suicide was the second-leading cause of death in California among young adults aged 15 to 34. Young adults in California face greater mental health challenges compared to older adults. KKC aims to serve as a culturally relevant and responsive space to address these issues, according to Daly City Vice Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual.
Youth programming at KKC involves multi-week cohort experiences, offering on-the-job training and focusing on leadership, career preparedness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. The emphasis on cultural identity and mental health aims to equip young people with skills for coping and confidence-building.
The center also provides wellness and arts workshops, open to the broader community, focusing on Filipino culture. Besides classes and workshops for all ages, the space will also be available for private events.