Our Services

The Action Center’s work in advocacy is crucial in San Diego as The Action Center continues to be a voice for Asians and Asian American communities.  The Action Center not only provides a platform for Asians and Asian Americans but continues to be a model of what advocacy can look like in civic engagement, organizing, and charity through an intersectional and racial justice lens.  Additionally, The Action Center’s advocacy in issue areas of mass incarceration, public health /mental health, immigration and deportation are seen in The Action Center’s campaigns. Furthermore, The Action Center were heavily involved in the 2021 redistricting efforts to ensure community members were actively participating in defining and submitting a map of their community as The Action Center continues to be actively engaged in GOTV initiatives.

Initially, the alternatives to interventions & reentry initiatives (AIR) program was inspired by one of ASC’s members turned staff member who engaged with community members with the reentry process with planning for successful return to the community voluntarily.  Since then, AIR has been officially developing it’s infrastructure the past year as it currently provides resources and referrals for reentry, trauma-informed healing spaces and community discussions including “Breaking Free” a peer-led community care group for individuals who have been affected by issues related to incarceration, community violence, trauma, substance use/abuse, and/or addiction.  In this coming year of 2024, AIR hopes to expand its programming with offering career/trade workshops for justice-involved/impacted communities.    

The Action Center’s work has always been on the ground.  The Action Center in collaboration with ASC’s large membership base are volunteers who are always on the ground ready to serve the community.  The Action Center provides Community Safety Trainings including trainings in partnership with the Nonviolent Peaceforce.  The Action Center are also rapid response community organizers and ready to provide aid if and when there is a need.  To sign up to be a volunteer visit here.

In 2022 San Diego Workforce Partnership released a report that “San Diego County is facing a significant behavioral health worker shortage” and estimated that there are 8000 workers short of the 25,000 behavioral workers that are needed.  This was quite alarming, especially considering the rise of anti-Asian violence since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and not to mention, ASC community pulse surveys indicated that 49% of the 200 Asian identified survey participants were in need of mental health services.  It was then that our organization realized we needed to develop and expand our infrastructure to meet the community’s increasing need for programming that would include mental health services while also continuing to keep to our mission by building solidarity through a political education lens of racial justice programming.  In the last two years alone, ASC and The Action Center has provided over 18 robust programs related to wellness, healing, community safety and mental health.  In addition, ASC and The Action Center officially became a Site Learning Agency with San Diego State University’s School of Social Work Field Education with an MSW Intern which opened up The Action Center’s pathway into providing mental health programming & The Action Center’s future in direct services as The Action Center continues to develop its infrastructure of alternative to incarceration & re-entry services.

The Action Center opened up its office doors and space to the community in February 2023 and since then organizations and community members have utilized the space to reserve rooms for community meetings, film documentaries, host events, hold discussions and strategize sessions.  Our 2010 sq foot space which has a multi-purpose room, 2 small meeting rooms, lactation/meditation room, and a mini break room which The Action Center equitably offers to disabled LGBTQ2IA+ BIPOC communities with aligned values to reserve our space during non-office hours.  The Action Center also hosts weekly study hours Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 pm.

Currently under development