Kapwa Kultural Center supports youth mental health

The Kapwa Kultural Center team includes (from left) Stephanie Balon, Mikey Herrera, Alaina Moguel and Christi Morales. Photo by Melissa de Mata

DALY CITY –  Kapwa Kultural Center (KKC) – a holistic wellness-focused program addressing the 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 Oct. 25.

The opening, scheduled from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., will feature a boba tea bar showcasing Filipino flavors.

Kapwa Kultural Center, the first wellness space of its kind in the County, addresses health inequities in Daly City’s most underserved and vulnerable communities, “especially youth and others at the intersection of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Filipinx/a/o identities,” the center’s press release said.

KKC provides innovative programming that combines leadership skills, job preparedness, entrepreneurial mentorship, ethnic studies to support cultural identity and mental health, and wellness education.

KKC is a labor of love led by three health practitioners: 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 in public health.

“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,” said Balon, co-founder and senior director of Kapwa Kultural Center.

“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.”

In addition to being a physical space, KKC serves as an intergenerational community center, with plans to add a social enterprise next year.  The center 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,” said the press release.

The importance of mental health and wellness centers for youth in Daly City

Daly City has a population of roughly 105,000, according to the 2020 US Census, and the Filipino community makes up nearly one-third of the population, making it the largest concentration of Filipinos  outside 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 support community members’ mental health and well-being.

More than 30 percent of Asians in the region underutilize mental health services, according to San Mateo County.

Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of Filipino youth in San Mateo County are at risk for depression and suicidal ideation or thoughts, KKC said.

Kapwa Kultural Center youth programming / Photo from KKC

In 2017, suicide was the second-leading cause of death in California among young adults age 15–34 years, according to the Demographic Report on Health and Mental Health Equity in California.

This report also cites that young adults, ages 18-24, in California face greater mental health burdens, compared to older adults, ages 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,” said Daly City Vice Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual.

“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.”

Interior of Kapwa Kultural Center. Photo by 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 the 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 and arts workshops

KKC offers a holistic and culturally responsive way of promoting wellness and healing through expressive arts-based activities and workshops that honor Filipinao culture and that are open to the broader community.

Community and event space

The Daly City space will be open to all community members and feature classes and workshops for all ages, 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,” wrote a youth participant from the KAYA program. “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.”

For more information, visit kapwakulturalcenter.org.