Consisting of the Korean Women’s Center (KWC), the Korean American Association of Greater Philadelphia (KAAGP), Korean Community Development Services Center (KCDSC), and Woori Center (formerly KACC, Korean American Community Center), Korean Americans for Civic Participation (KACP) is a coalition of Korean American organizations in the greater Philadelphia area that seeks to empower the Korean American community through education, leadership development and civic engagement.
KAAGP was founded in the fall of 1970. KAAGP serves the Korean American community of greater Philadelphia through educational and cultural programming. KAAGP also assists community members with language translation, navigating legal services and supporting the Korean American business community.
Korean Community Development Services Center (KCDSC) started in 1985 with the mission to serve the Greater Only community, especially its low-income families, with comprehensive and individualized assistance for educational, housing and community needs. Over the years, KCDSC have diverse community service programs including job counseling and placement, an early learning center, an after-school program, summer youth employment programs, and adult literacy education, elderly social security and Medicaid services, a HUD approved housing counseling program, and a housing development program.
KWC was established in March, 1985, initially as a support committee of Montgomery County Women's Center. Now an independent 501(c)3 organization, KWC’s mission is to serve Korean women and their families with the difficulties of immigrant life. With offices in Lansdale, PA, KWC helps women lead independent and active lives through supportive counseling and educational programs that teach women skills and increase awareness of their rights and opportunities. Providing services free of charge, KWC specifically provides domestic violence and family counseling, language classes and other related social services.
Founded in 2018, Woori Center is a grassroots organization based in Greater Philadelphia. Woori Center empowers and mobilizes our community around the issues of the most vulnerable community members, including the low-income, recent immigrant, limited English proficient, undocumented, women, seniors and young people. Meaning “us” or “we” in Korean, Woori Center facilitates access to services for immigrants, organizes community members for immigrant rights advocacy, develops youth leadership, leads civic engagement campaigns, and provides arts & culture programs.
In 2019, Woori Center formed the Korean Americans for Civic Participation (KACP), and has been leading the coalition to address the barriers limiting Korean American civic engagement by providing in-language education and assistance.
Woori Center is an affiliate of National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC).
KACP is proud to be part of the Pennsylvania Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Power Table convened by SEAMAAC (Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, Inc.) and to work in close partnership with the Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition (PICC).
