Asian American Center at Tufts University

Off-Campus Resources

Boston Chinatown and Dorchester Region

Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW)
Professionals and community organizers founded this agency in 1977 primarily as an educational resource. Today, AARW thrives on its mission to support the Asian American community. They organized the first Asian Lunar New Year and Asian/Pacific Heritage Week Celebration in Chinatown. Volunteer opportunities include Eating History (community and consciousness-building forum), and SafetyNet (hate-crimes workshops).
Website: http://www.aarw.org

Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC)
The Asian Community Development Corporation, a community-based organization, is committed to high standards of performance and integrity in serving the Asian American community of Greater Boston, with an emphasis on preserving and revitalizing Boston's Chinatown. The Corporation develops physical community assets, including affordable housing for rental and ownership; promotes economic development; fosters leadership development; builds capacity within the community and advocates on behalf of the community.
Website: http://www.asiancdc.org

Chinese Progressive Association (CPA)
CPA organizes the community around issues such as immigrant rights and political empowerment. Programs include the Workers Center, led by and for immigrant workers, Adult Education, providing ESL and citizenship programs, and the Chinese youth Initiative, promoting community responsibility through internships, workshops, and field trips.
Website: http://www.cpaboston.org

Asian American Civic Association (AACA)
Asian American Civic Association provides limited-English speaking and economically-disadvantaged immigrants with programs and services to develop the survival, literacy and employment skills needed to gain durable economic independence. Providing the right tools to these linguistic minorities will strengthen their ability to undertake their responsibilities in the larger community. This will in turn enable them to realize their potentials as contributing family members, productive workers and participating citizens.
Website: http://http://www.aaca-boston.org/

South Cove Community Health Center
The Community Health Center provides comprehensive health care for the Asian American community in the Greater Boston area, focusing on adult and children’s health care. There is another location within Chinatown that provides mental health and social services, while a third clinic serves the Asian American community in Quincy, MA. This Health Center offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities within the health care field such as community health, medicine, administration, and youth and family programs.
Website: http://http://www.scchc.org/

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC)
This multi-service agency provides bilingual child care, sponsors summer activities, teaches adult ESL courses, and runs an after-school recreational center. BCNC is committed to fostering a mutual understanding and respect for diverse cultures and ethnic groups.
Website: http://www.bcnc.net

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS)
Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) provides free civil (noncriminal) legal assistance to low-income people in Boston and thirty-one additional cities and towns. The help offered ranges from legal advice to full case representation, depending on client need.
Website: http://http://www.gbls.org/

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK)
Since 1987, the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence has worked with area social services, organizations, institutions, and community leaders to end family violence and strengthen Asian families and communities. Since 1994, ATASK has operated New England’s only multilingual emergency shelter and services for Asian victims of domestic violence and their children. The shelter program has served as a model for programs in Massachusetts, throughout the U.S., and internationally.
Website: http://http://www.atask.org/

Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, Inc. (VietAID)
Massachusetts has the 4th largest Vietnamese community in the U.S. due to refugee resettlement policies in the 1980s and/or secondary migration. The majority of the Vietnamese community migrated to the Greater Boston area, mostly residing in Dorchester. There are social service programs that serve Vietnamese constituents, but none that fosters community economic development. Concerned Vietnamese residents of Boston, however, met and took action to organize issues affecting their families and community in 1995 by founding Viet-AID. The organization is the first and only grassroots community development corporation founded and operated by Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in the U.S. Located in the Fields Corner neighborhood, Viet-AID seeks to build a strong Vietnamese American community in Boston and a vibrant Field's Corner neighborhood.
Website: http://www.vietaid.org/

Vietnamese-American Civic Association, Inc. (VACA)
The Vietnamese-American Civic Association, Inc. (VACA) is a multi-service Mutual Assistance Association (MAA) founded in 1984 by Vietnamese refugees. Our mission is to promote family self-sufficiency and well-being, and to facilitate community empowerment among the Vietnamese population of Boston and Greater Boston. Located in Fields Corner, the heart of Boston's Vietnamese community, VACA meets this mission by providing a wide array of services, including English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), citizenship and civics classes, health awareness education and outreach, youth programming, and employment services.
Website: http://www.vacaboston.org/

Dorchester House Multi-Service Center (DHMSC)
Dorchester House Multi-Service Center (DHMSC) is a full-service, state-of-the-art community health center offering primary and specialty medical services to people of all ages. The DHMSC, offers not only medical attention, but also numerous programs to help keep the mind and body in balance. To achieve that end, social and recreational services are offered, including pre-school daycare, after-school programs for K-12, a gym and a full sized swimming pool.
Website: http://www.dorchesterhouse.org/

The Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth (CAPAY)
The Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth is run by and for APA youth. Youth organizers direct the organization with the help of the YouthLearn Members, adult advisors and staff, and the General Members. Hundreds of General Members, Student Volunteers, and APA youth participate in CAPAY's initiatives.
Website: http://www.capayus.org/