The Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) is an eight-week summer program. Interns are placed at a Japanese American community-based organization in the Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Areas for four days of the week. One day of each week is reserved for a training meeting and debriefing, including field trips and speakers for cultural and community exposure. In addition to the weekly training meetings, interns will also participate in three statewide retreats.
With the help of Southwest Airlines, interns from Los Angeles Little Tokyo, San Jose Nihonmachi and San Francisco Japantown will be given the opportunity to visit and meet community leaders in both regions to further their discussions on Japantown preservation and community leadership. Each intern will receive a $2,000 educational scholarship in additio to training and experience in community work. Availability of funds and the willingness of mentors determines how many interns can participate.
The Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) and the Little Tokyo Service Center are the lead agencies for the program, with support from the Japanese American Citizens League Pacific Southwest District. Since the number of internships is limited, the key to having broader impact and outreach through this program is to select a team of young people who can effectively organize and inspire their peers.
Requirements
- A strong interest in the Japanese American community or non-profit community work.
- Age 18 by the start of the program.
General Information
- The full-time, eight-week internship program runs from June 20, 20 through August 13, 2010.
- The Little Tokyo Service Center coordinates the program in Los Angeles and the Japanese Community Youth Council coordinates the program in the Bay Area.
- The internship has a “four plus one” format. Interns will spend four days a week at a community organization, and one day in an NCI group meeting, cultural/community training and leadership development activities.
- Includes two or three weekend commitments.
- Interns will receive a $2,000 educational scholarship for participating in the full program. Scholarships will be adjusted for days missed.
- Teams of interns will be selected through an application process to work together in the two locations
Download the 2011 NCI Application
For more information:
Northern California
Erika Tamura
Japanese Community Youth Council
etamura@jcyc.org
Southern California
Stacy Toyota
JACL Pacific Southwest District
etoyota@jaclpsw.org