Tanoshii Fun Camp 2017

By Lina Kwon, Patty Hori, and Christy Wong, GVJCI Social Media and Community Outreach Interns

What Tanoshii Fun Camp is 
For the last 10 summers, the Gardena Valley JCI has put together the Tanoshii Fun Camp, which gives children between the ages of 7 and 10 the opportunity to learn more about traditional Japanese culture and also learn about what it means to be a Japanese American.  Not only does this camp help elementary school kids, but it also gives high school and college students a chance to be in leadership roles as either counselors or senior counselors.  All of our counselors are volunteers and are willing to sacrifice two weeks of their summer (one for training and the one for camp) to help out and educate our community's legacy.   

​Not only are our counselors volunteers, but the teachers and organizers also volunteer their time to conduct lesson plans, create art projects, and organize the logistics of our field trip.  Without these incredible people and campers, Tanoshii Fun Camp could not be as amazing and successful as it is. 

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What they're learning ​
Every year, the campers are introduced to an entirely new subject about Japanese culture or about the Japanese American experience.  This year's topic was Japanese American Concentration camps.  While many may perceive this topic as one far too heavy for kids to handle, it is a very important moment in the Japanese American fabric. The Japanese American Concentration Camps were not dismal all the time. Tanoshii Fun Camp campers learned the many ways Japanese American children experienced joy and optimism among the dessert terrain or swampy surroundings.  They would play with cards, make-shift dolls, and create string bracelets; and from there, sports came to popularity and out blossomed sport leagues, which inspired many of the Japanese American leagues popular today.

Campers are also learning the serious repercussions following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signature on Executive Order 9066. His order was fueled not by objective reasoning, but by the country's fear following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  By acknowledging this fear-driven mindset, we can all learn how dangerous it is to judge a group of people based on characteristics that make them unique. ​

Tanoshii Camp and Counselors thoughts
Tanoshii Fun camp is a great place for both campers and counselors to have fun while learning. Let's see what they have to say about the camp! ​

Counselor Interview
​1. What do you like about Tanoshii Camp?

• “I love being able to interact with the kids and teach them about Japanese culture. It’s an amazing feeling to hear them telling their family what they learned here at camp.” (Kayleen, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Class of 2020)
• “It’s a great feeling to hear them say that they are having fun learning about Japanese culture and doing crafts.” (Jack, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Class of 2018)
• “The activities that we do are really fun and enjoyable.” (Nick, North Torrance High School, Class of 2018)
• “I feel fortunate to be able to teach them about their heritage and keep the Japanese culture alive for future generations” (Derek, University of California, Berkeley, Class of 2021)

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​2. How can you see things you’ve learned from being a counselor help you in the future?

• “Given that I’m interested in being a teacher, getting to be a counselor definitely has helped me learn how to work with kids, and help them learn.” (Katie, El Camino College)
• “Being assertive with groups of people that are unruly in general, especially defiant ones.” (Jake, North Torrance High School, Class of 2019)

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Camper Interview
​1. What do you like about Tanoshii Camp?

• Many campers, such as Austin and Tyler, like the fun games and the craft classes that we had during the camp. They found it very interesting in learning how to make key chains, bracelets, and origami.
• They enjoyed learning about traditional Japanese arts such as kendo and taiko.
• They really had fun in the Little Tokyo field trip.
• Lastly, they all agreed that the counselors are very nice and helpful throughout the camp. 

In this year’s Tanoshii Fun Camp, we introduced the topic of Japanese American Concentration camps to the campers. While learning about these history, the campers had a fun time here as well. We hope to teach the campers to have pride in their ancestors and be proud of what they had overcome!
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If you are want to know more about Tanoshii Fun Camp and interested in joining the camp next summer, come check out our website for any updates regarding application.
If you would like to see more pictures from our camp this year, come check it out at on our Facebook page!