Nikkei Community Internship Program

Dear Nikkei Community Organization:

In 2002, the California Japanese American Community Leadership Council (CJACLC), through support from the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Global Foundation and Union Bank of California, launched a summer internship program matching young Nikkei with Japanese American community organizations in the greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay areas. 77 interns and over 15 organizations have participated in NCI over the past six years. One of NCI's greatest accomplishments is that several of the interns have continued to maintain relationships with their respective organizations after the conclusion of their summer internships.

We are currently seeking organizations interested in hosting an intern for the summer of 2008. Organizations who are committed to developing the leadership potential of young Nikkei and can offer a high quality internship opportunity should complete and submit a workplan by March 7, 2008. To determine if your organization is a good candidate for this program please refer to the program requirements below. Please keep in mind that placement of interns depends on the availability of funds, the number of qualified applicants and the process of matching applicants' interests and skills to organizational requests in any given year.

For more information, please check the internship descriptions and past workplans. If you have further questions, please feel free to call Geoff Tsudama at the Little Tokyo Service Center or Erika Tamura of the Japanese Community Youth Council. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Please mail or fax completed workplans by March 7, 2008 to:

Los Angeles Area:	San Francisco Bay Area:
Geoff Tsudama LTSC 231 E. Third St. - G104 Los Angeles, CA 90013 Phone: 213.473.1687 Fax: 213.473.3031 gtsudama(at)ltsc(dot)org	Erika Tamura JCYC 1237 Van Ness Ave, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94109 Phone: 415.563.8052 x202 Fax: 415.921.1841 etamura(at)jcyc(dot)org

NCI promotes leadership development and cultural appreciation of its participants by:

Giving young people greater exposure to opportunities and needs in the Japanese American community,
Promoting interaction and networking between existing Nikkei organizations and institutions,
Connecting interns with mentors in the Japanese American community, who inspire and pique their interest in the work of our organizations, and
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.

NCI Host Community Organization Requirements:

Host organizations must designate a supervisor to work with the intern and Nikkei Community Internship program coordinators for the course of the summer. This will include developing projects with specific goals as well as progress checks throughout the program.
Community groups should provide space and supervision so that interns will have a full experience of the organization. Interns should be given opportunities for significant interaction with members of the organization.
The interns will be working with community groups four days each week. One day of each week is specifically reserved for leadership training and cultural activities to give interns broad exposure to their community and heritage.
Projects should allow interns to be a part of the planning process. While taking notes, making photocopies, entering data and serving coffee are important tasks in the day-to-day work of any organization, interns should be challenged in ways that are unique to serving our community.
Interns should come away from their summer experience with a sense of accomplishment. Therefore, we ask that they be assigned specific projects, or tasks within a project, that can be completed within 8 weeks. Please keep in mind the 4 goals of the program when developing summer project plans.
Community groups should take into account a reasonable amount to cover expenses that may come up in the course of working on a project. For example, please budget software for a web development project, printing costs for a directory, film for an historical project, refreshments for an outreach event, etc.
Since this is a paid community internship, we are asking community groups to contribute at least $500 toward the educational scholarship of $2,000 if possible. The internship is designed for students who prefer to work in the Nikkei community even though they could probably make more money working a summer job at a mall. Please try to think of any monetary contribution to the program as a scholarship with immediate returns.
The formal internship program lasts 8 weeks. If a community organization and intern develop a strong relationship, they are free to continue working together beyond the 8-week summer program, however, the terms and hours would be determined by the organization and the student.