NCI Goals & Background

The Japanese American community has a vibrant history spanning more than a century and four generations in the United States. Japanese Americans have before them the tremendous task of defining and addressing the needs of the present community to ensure its future vitality. The participation of young people is one of the keys to sustaining the rich culture and traditions of the Nikkei heritage. This was the primary focus at Spectrum, a conference organized by and for young Nikkei in April 2001.

In response, the California Japanese American Community Leadership Council (CJACLC) funded an initiative to plan and implement a statewide summer internship program the following year. This pilot program, coordinated by the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) in San Francisco and the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) in Los Angeles, grew into the Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) program.

The goal of NCI is to develop the next generation of community leaders by:

1. Giving young people greater exposure to opportunities and needs in the Japanese American community,
2. Promoting interaction and networking between existing Nikkei organizations and institutions,
3. Connecting interns with mentors in the Japanese American community who inspire and pique their interest in the work of our organizations, and
4. Providing a fun learning experience that creates energy and a desire to participate in the Japanese American community and other communities to which they belong.

77 college-aged students have been matched with 15+ Nikkei community organizations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area over the past three years. Although participants exhibited a high level of interest in the Japanese American community and its non-profit organizations, most had little exposure to the organizations or their histories and missions. "My immersion in the non-profit has opened my eyes to the valiant and sometimes unsung efforts that are made in order to preserve and support our community," said Sarah Sasaki of her summer experience in Little Tokyo during 2002.

Jamie Lee, a native of Hawaii who interned at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, shared that, "Unlike what I can be taught in the classroom, this valuable learning experience has given me a hands-on opportunity to not only interact with a very vibrant community, but to learn more about my own heritage and place within the community."

The personal relationships that formed between the interns and supervisors/leaders of the participating organizations was by far the most significant outcome of the program. Because of their exposure to the Nikkei community and the connections they developed with their respective organizations, many interns expressed a desire to continue their community involvement in the future.