San Tai San at the Terasaki Budokan was a Blast! 🏀 Thank you so much for having us last Saturday at the San Tai San basketball tournament. We had so much fun creating buttons with all of the players while they waited for their next games. Our basketball button template was especially a huge hit! Looking forward to next year~

Leadership in Action Program is in Full Swing Our teen leadership program has just finished Week 5 (halfway mark) and the 2025 cohort are on great paths of success, as they continue to plan their civil liberties group projects! We have 8 different group projects this year, including (but not limited to) documentaries, books, galleries, and more! Please stay tuned for more info on our Culmination Ceremony on March 29, where our students will present all of their hard work.

Special thanks to all of our community leaders, who come in to inspire and educate our teens. Workshops and tours so far have been led by: Bill Watanabe, Michael and David from Little Tokyo Historical Society, Todd Odagawa, Nikkei Progressives, Michelle Hanabusa from UPRISERS, Carrie Zhang from Asian Mental Health Project, and Dan Kwong. Thank you so much!

Introducing Our 2024 Annual Appeal! We’re in the home stretch of our year-end fundraising campaign, 100K for Kizuna! With $68,000 already raised from Taste of Kizuna and Giving Tuesday, we’re calling on our community to help us cross the finish line and reach our $100,000 goal by January 31st.

This is your last chance to make a tax-deductible donation for 2024 and sustain Kizuna’s programs and mission well into the new year. Let’s go the distance together—join the marathon and push us to the goal!

Anime Expo Chibi Workshop We had such an amazing time at Anime Expo Chibi 2024 in Ontario! 💞 It was such a fun and smooth workshop thanks to our participants, who really locked in and were not afraid to share their thoughts on perseverance, kansha (gratitude), and of course, their favorite spots in Little Tokyo!🍡🍜 We loved seeing everyone’s mini Koinobori (carp streamers) as well as teaching the cultural significance of the koinobori, Children’s Day, and the koi fish in general! 🎏

What would you say when I ask you to describe the world today?

Perhaps you’d talk about the increasingly modern and advanced society that we live in, constantly developing new technology and innovations. Or maybe you’d talk about an increasingly tense society, as our world is plagued with political tensions between nations.

I would’ve given you this response a year ago: “I see a world that is becoming increasingly violent, a world that is being overtaken by hatred, and a world that is losing humanity.”

Today, I give you this response: “I picture a world filled with hope.”

Leadership in Action Applications Open!

Leadership in Action examines civil liberties and civil rights issues by diving into past violations, surveying current challenges in our diverse communities, and determining a course of action to fight such infringements. Participants will meet in Little Tokyo to learn firsthand from community activists through guided tours, presentations, discussions, hands-on activities & more over 10 Saturday afternoons. Ultimately, participants will educate the public by collaborating, designing, and executing group projects which address civil liberties infringements that are currently happening OR have happened so as to prevent their happening again. Open to teens 13-18 years old. Deadline to apply is December 2nd.

2024 Summer Camp Season Has Ended! ☀️We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our 2024 Summer Camps! This year, we brought together nearly 300 youth across five locations in Southern California for a fun week of learning and cultural exploration. Our campers, ranging in age from 7 to 13, participated in activities that celebrated Japanese American culture and heritage, guided by our incredible team of Junior Counselors and Counselors. From Japanese Puppet Theater to Omamori to Undoukai, our new curriculum offered something for everyone. A huge thank you to our dedicated staff, volunteers, parents, and community partners, who made this year's summer camps an unforgettable experience!

I have always been proud to be American. Being American meant that I had certain, “unalienable” rights, such as the freedoms of speech and the press. And when I was younger, I thought everyone owned those rights and had always owned them. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Freedom is not guaranteed and has never been. There have been people who did not reap the benefits of our free nation. There have been people who did not have basic human rights. 

Summer Camp Registration is Still Open!

Our locations in Little Tokyo, Pasadena, Orange County, & West LA still have spots available. Register your camper (ages 7-13) today for an unforgettable cultural experience! ☀️

2024 Leadership in Action has come to an end~ HOWEVER, you can view their final group projects right now!

Our 2024 cohort graduated from our program with an unforgettable showcase of their civil liberties group projects aimed at uplifting our communities. We’re immensely proud of our high school leaders and their commitment to positive change!💡 View their inspiring work with the button below.

Our 2024 LiA Program is in Week 8 right now! Every week, our student leaders are learning from incredible community figures and meeting with groupmates to discuss their civil liberties projects. They are now in the home stretch! It's been a pleasure to personally see how far our cohort has come since Week 1, and we hope you all can join us to hear about their inspiring endeavors and group projects.

Summer Camp is HERE! ☀️ Register your campers (ages 7-13) for a fun cultural summer experience at any of our 5 locations. Let's celebrate heritage, create memories, and embrace the spirit of community. Reserve your spot today!

Early Bird sale ends March 31st!