Bayside Community Center
Immigrant arts and culture
Since 1932, Bayside Community Center has provided emergency services and advocacy to immigrants and refugees in San Diego who are limited by language, cultural understanding, knowledge of existing laws, and transportation barriers. In 1932 Bayside Settlement House began providing services to Italian and Portuguese fisherman and their families. Now renamed Bayside Community Center, the agency has resided in the heart of the Linda Vista community since 1978. Their programs and services are designed to strengthen individual potential and build a healthy, active community.
In 2008, the Bayside Community Center received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program for their Mixteco Culture Intergenerational Initiative focuses on the cultural traditions of this indigenous community from Oaxaca, Mexico, who now play a major role in farm and restaurant labor throughout California. The initiative provides an opportunity for Mixteco children to bond and build communication with their parents and grandparents. Mixteco children learn from their elders to appreciate their heritage, thorugh a number of activities, including language, cuisine, palm weaving, dance, and medicinal customs in order to strengthen the relationship between generations.