Interning at GVJCI

By: Lise Tarui, GVJCI Program Development Intern

​My name is Lise Tarui, and I have been one of GVJCI’s Program Development Interns this summer. As a Japanese American who grew up in the United States, I lacked a strong Japanese community; I felt that the only resource I had to access Japanese culture was my family. Although I am lucky to be nisei, meaning I still have relatively close connections to Japanese culture and history, being born and raised in Los Angeles still gave me an Americanized upbringing. The result of this was feeling disconnected to my Japanese heritage.
 
My undergraduate education is what really ignited my desires to learn more about Japanese culture and history and to find pride in my identity. Despite feeling disconnected to my heritage in high school, I have since been committed to taking Japanese language courses and contributing to Nikkei Student Union (a Japanese culture club), and my dream for my future career is now to help strengthen U.S.-Japan relations. With that being said, I sought out this internship at GVJCI to help me reach my career plans.
 
My internship offered me more than I could have imagined. My main duties as a Program Development Intern included planning programs to help engage the South Bay Japanese American community, assisting in GVJCI’s Annual Matsuri Fundraiser, and drafting lesson plans and activities for the TANOSHII Fun Camp.
 
Through planning programs, I learned how to think creatively and to adapt plans. My first program I developed and led was the ‘Smartphone Photography Club’ that was part of the Tomodachi Program Series; this club provided a space for older adults in the community to learn more about smartphone photo, editing, and sending features, discuss any difficulties and questions they had, and share what they learned. This program was a great success and was the first time I felt very proud of my contributions to GVJCI and the South Bay Japanese American community in general.

​Another program I developed was not as much a success, but still taught me a lot. This program began as a way to connect South Bay Japanese Americans to Japanese individuals who were physically in Japan. However, due to logistical issues, this program was tabled and changed into a Scrapbooking Club. This club was meant for individuals to share and discuss their Japanese American experiences through scrapbooking. This club eventually changed to an art and writing program with the same ends, known as ‘Sharing Japanese American Experiences: Educating Younger Generations through Art.’ The pieces that were to be created through this program were meant to be shared with the campers at the TANOSHII Fun Camp. Despite adding an online submission option to the program, we did not get many submissions or participants and had to cancel the program. Although I was disappointed that this program couldn’t be executed, I still took with me the experiences of planning this program, adapting to difficulties, and thinking about ways to share the unique experiences of Japanese Americans in the area. Additionally, I learned that the best laid plans do not always work out.
 
My experience helping at GVJCI’s Annual Matsuri Fundraiser was extremely fulfilling. Starting with my article about this event, I learned a lot about the history of matsuri at GVJCI, the history of matsuri in general, and what this event means to people in the community. At the event, I worked with the other interns for the first time and learned how to fill in wherever I was needed. I was also able to see how thankful people were for how this event brings the community together.

The TANOSHII Fun Camp was my favorite experience of my internship. Drafting the plans for the activities and lessons weeks before and then watching it all unfold in the weeklong camp was an amazing experience. Being a counselor forced me to use my leadership skills. I found myself taking initiative, asking for help, and delegating with both the kids and the other counselors. The connections I made with the campers and the counselors made me wish that that exhausting week didn't have to come to an end.

Overall, I could not be happier with my experience interning at GVJCI and working with the GVJCI staff. I am positive that I will be returning to volunteer; I feel a deep connection to this community now and am committed to doing my part to contribute what I can.