Young Leaders Conference

by Lisa Schoenhofer

This year marked the first official launch of the Japanese Canadian Young Leaders Conference which took place September 20-22, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario. The conference was designed to bring together youth in Japanese Canadian communities from across Canada to talk about issues faced and successes had and how to continue to make a positive contribution in our communities.

The Young Leaders Conference sparked from a youth meeting and digital storytelling workshop that happened at last year’s National Association of Japanese Canadian (NAJC) Annual General Meeting in Kamloops, BC. Although the participants were of varied ages, backgrounds, and levels of activism in their communities, many common themes emerged. We wanted to continue the discussion and find out ways to empower young community members to become better leaders.

Lisa Schoenhofer from Ottawa and Lindsay Tsuji from Toronto were this year’s co-chairs of the Young Leaders Conference. The conference ran concurrently with Annual General Meeting of the NAJC. It was attended by seven young adults from Calgary, Lethbridge, Kamloops, Ottawa, and Toronto, and also joined intermittently by additional guests.

On Saturday, participants had the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas through workshops and discussion in an intimate setting. Participants exchanged ideas on community programming and events that have been and could be successful. We also discussed our motivators, and what drives us to be involved in our communities – Some interesting revelations included cultural pride (from our parents, general societal perceptions of ‘cool’ Japan, and personal experiences traveling to Japan) and the feeling of guilt or obligation (if we don’t do it, who will?). The afternoon session included a simulation titled “A JC community needs your help” where we focused on Kamloops as our example city to try to provide some concrete actions to bolster the involvement of young people. Ideas flew around, and some had to be put in check because of the feasibility and resources of a small city like Kamloops. Also, the importance of self-care for a leader was evident, as young adults have limited time in their busy schedules. Leaders need to work on tasks that keep us motivated and interested long term.

The day was followed by the 25th Redress Anniversary Banquet with a reflection on human rights accomplishments for Japanese Canadians in the past, and the relevance to uphold human rights today. Guest speakers Art Miki and Joy Kogawa were both thought-provoking and inspiring, and participants were grateful to be a part of this momentous occasion.

On Sunday, artists from Toronto came to lead an art-based workshop where the participants drew pieces of art and passed it on for the next person to add onto it. This fun workshop showed how when a project is shared, it allows the responsibility to be spread out. When you make individuals accountable for one part of a project, they feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, encouraging future interest to participate.

The youth that participated in the Young Leaders Conference already show promise in becoming strong leaders in their communities. Many JC centers across Canada know that youth involvement is important for the sustainability of their communities. We encourage communities to actively make room for young people, and provide guidance and support when needed.

We are pleased to announce next year’s Japanese Canadian Young Leaders Conference will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia in September of 2014. If you would like to get involved, attend, or get more information, please contact Lisa Schoenhofer at JCYoungLeaders@gmail.com. A website will also be updated soon (www.youngleaders.najc.ca).