The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii has opened registration for its upcoming Tanoshii Hawaii Keiki Summer Camp, where children can experience hands-on learning of Japanese American history, culture and traditions.
This will be the JCCH’s first summer camp since 2011, and it will include five days of activities geared for children entering grades three to eight.
“We are introducing the kids to parts of their culture that they haven’t gotten to learn yet,” said Devynn Kochi, senior program coordinator at JCCH. “Expanding that idea that it’s not just about Japanese culture, but what it means to be Japanese in Hawaii, or your local identity.”
This year’s summer camp will include activities similar to those featured in previous years, such as learning obon festival dances, and arts and crafts, as well as mochi pounding, taiko drumming and kendo martial arts, Kochi said.
Children can learn more about Japanese New Year celebrations, the Japanese immigration to Hawaii, and the sugar plantations. The camp will also include a visit to the Manoa Heritage Center, where children will learn about ahupuaa and the importance of community.
The emphasis on community, which will be integrated into various lessons throughout the camp, was a decision based on JCCH’s larger goal to build a comprehensive pipeline that helps children establish a sense of community, said Nate Gyotoku, JCCH president and executive director.
This goal is accompanied by the hope that these values and relationships will eventually help them transition into adulthood as they begin building professional connections in college or work settings, Gyotoku said.
While the summer camp introduces this concept to the youngest members of the community, Gyotoku said another program is geared to young adults, the Ho’ohaha Cohort Program, which teaches skills related to nonprofit work, community and how to be more involved.
“We used to do a lot more school groups that would come in tours … but we would only have them for maybe a couple of hours,” he said. “This way, we’ll have fewer kids, but we’ll have almost a full week with them. So hopefully they build stronger relationships.”
Camp registration is open to children of any ethnicity, with the goal to offer children in the community new and valuable experiences that will help them better understand their local identity, Kochi said.
“We’ll be teaching the kids that it’s not just our story that we’re talking about,” she said, “but the stories of many who arrived before us.”
Registration for JCCH’s Tanoshii Hawaii Keiki Camp will remain open until April 28. To register, go to bit.ly/3Ko2VQn. The camp is scheduled to run June 26-30, and registration is $300 per child. JCCH members receive a discounted rate of $275.
Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the Ho’ohana Cohort Program.
