We had the good fortune of connecting with Jiyoon Mary Chung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jiyoon, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Apex for Youth is a nonprofit organization that empowers Asian American youth from low-income and immigrant backgrounds to unlock their potential and a world of possibility. We serve 2,500 youth a year with the support of 700 amazing volunteers. By helping our youth cultivate positive self-identity and transformative relationships with adults and their communities, they develop a vision for their future and the resources and networks to support them in achieving their goals.

There is a wide-spread misconception that Asian American youth do not need support, resulting in a lack of social services and resources targeting this population:
1 in 2 Asian American youth in NYC live in or near poverty (100,000+ youth), creating obstacles and risk for them in their educational and career attainment, and their health and well-being.
Asian Americans make up 18% of the population in NYC, but only receive 1.5% of social service dollars.

We envision a world where Asian American youth from low-income and immigrant backgrounds are free to pursue futures of their own making and create positive change in their communities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
During my college years, I was very involved in student activism and diversity issues. After a few years in the for-profit world, I decided to pivot and work for an Asian American civil rights organization. I got to witness the incredible work of my colleagues advocating for the rights of marginalized groups in NYC and it solidified my commitment to community-focused work. Most of my career has been in youth development and supporting communities of color, and I’m so grateful to be serving in a role, organization, and community that I love and find meaning and inspiration in every day.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A few activities on our itinerary would be a visit to the Getty, a hike and view of LA at Griffith Observatory, a walk in Little Tokyo, and Santa Monica Pier for beach and boardwalk. For food, so much to choose from! — El Taurino for Mexican, Soowon for Korean bbq, Koabawoo for Korean bossam, Ruen Pair for Thai, Grand Central Market for variety and pupusa, and Langers Deli for pastrami. We’d end the night with drinks at Library Bar in downtown LA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out my mom, who modeled care and love for people, whether family members or strangers on the street, for me at a very young age. Even when we didn’t have that much materially growing up, we learned to be generous with what we had, including our time, and we always had an abundance of love and fun-loving in our home.

I also want to shout out a young person named Vicki whom I’ve known for a decade since she was a 6th grader in our mentoring program. Last week, she graduated college on the dean’s list with a double major and multiple awards after facing many obstacles growing up. Perhaps even more significantly, I’ve witnessed her approach her participation, leadership, and activism at Apex and other organizations throughout the years with the utmost care, thoughtfulness, and determination. I’m so excited for her to continue exploring all that is possible for her and I couldn’t be prouder of her.

My last shoutout is for Send Chinatown Love, which started during the early years of the pandemic (some of them were Apex volunteers) to support and save small businesses in Chinatown that were being hit extremely hard in NYC. They work with many mom and pop businesses to help them develop tools, improve online presence, and spread awareness on social media. They also work with different community partners and donors to purchase meals — and created a cookbook!. We’ve partnered with them many times in the past and they do incredible work.

Website: https://apexforyouth.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apexforyouth/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-for-youth/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApexForYouth/

Image Credits
Courtesy of Apex for Youth

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