Korean Churches for Community Development

Korean Churches for Community Development

KCCD Announces Resource Directory:

A Guide for Asian American Parents and Community
 KCCD President Hyepin Im, holding the Directory
On April 26, 2007, KCCD announced a new publication: Resource Directory: A Guide for Asian American Parents and the Community. The Resource Directory provides helpful contact information and description on various services and agencies ranging from mental health, probation, employment and internship opportunities, and other resources for at-risk and adjudicated youth.
 
KCCD's President Hyepin Im stated, "We are excited about introducing this valuable directory to the community at a critical time when there is heightened awareness of the serious challenges and barriers that exist in the  Asian American communities. Due to the model minority myth, Asian American communities are often not considered a priority group by policymakers or funders. As a result, existing services or agencies are not  "Asian friendly." This guide is unique in that it was produced to help Asian American parents and agencies navigate the system and connect them with key contacts and agencies that are familiar and supportive of serving Asian American youth." 
 
Probation Officer Hans Liang, President of Asian Pacific Probation Association who participated in the press conference said,  "KCCD's efforts in producing the Resource Directory should be commended. There is much need for such resource in the community. A lot of times, people are seeking help but they don't know where to go. This Resource Directory will make it easier for people to find help when they need it."
 
The Resource Guide is organized according to following sections:
  • Workforce Development: includes City of Los Angeles Community Development Department, State of California Employment Development Department, Work Source/One Stop Career Centers, Workforce Investment Boards, and Job Preparation Programs. 
  • Juvenile and Criminal Justice System: consists of County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles Police Department, County of Los Angeles Probation Department, and District Attorney and Public Defender.
  • Social Services: includes Mental Health Services/ Counseling, Substance Abuse Treatment, Asian American Youth Service, and Childcare Services.
  • Employment/ Internship Opportunities

The community resource directory will also be available soon in Korean. The Resource Directory will be available on KCCD website at www.kccd3300.org.

Asian American Youth and Community Statistics:
  • Asian gangs are the fastest growing gangs in Los Angeles County with 20,000 members.
  • Although national trends show that juvenile arrests have decreased in the last 20 years, when examined by ethnicity, Asian youth are the only group to show an increase in arrests (11.4.%).
  • Asian youth also have the highest adjudication (conviction) rate (34.2%) among all races.
  • Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese Americans have the three highest language barriers
  • Koreans are one of four communities who have the lowest media income with African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.

This Resource Directory is made available as part of KCCD's Youth Workforce Program that focuses on improving the employment outcomes for Koreans and Asian adjudicated and at-risk youth and young adults in Los Angeles and Orange County.  In partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, KCCD is involved in the distribution of grants to faith and community-based organizations.  The goal of this grant is to launch and create a workforce development program providing job training and placement opportunities for Korean and other Asian American adjudicated and at-risk youth.

 
 
Korean churches for Community Development
35350 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 922 Los Angeles, CA 90010
Office: (213)985-1500  Fax: (209) 391-4310