International
Student Conferences, Inc (ISC). Washington, DC.
64th Japan-America Student Conference
$10,000
Objectives of the Japan-America Student
Conference (JASC) set by the ISC board of Directors are to educate the future
leaders across all fields of Japan-US relations in order to promote peace,
mutual understanding, friendship and trust; and to create people-to-people
connections that grow into friendships and career opportunities. The 64th
JASC Roundtable Discussions include Post-Crisis Reconstruction, Environment
& Technology, Cultural Innovation & the Arts, Cooperative Security in
the 21st Century, Personal & National Identity, Business & Ethics in
the Modern World, and Human Rights & Responsibility.
Japan America
Society of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN.
US Cherry Blossom Centennial & JASM 40th Anniversary
Project Director: J. Bernard van Lierop
$5,620
As a way of commemorating the strong cultural relationship between
the people of Japan and the U.S, and the historic gifting of over 3000 cherry
trees from the people of Japan to our nation’s capital 100 years ago, the city
of Saint Paul has been selected to receive 20 cherry trees as an anniversary
gift and symbol of friendship between the two countries. Part one of this
project is to welcome the trees to the city and commemorate the event with
celebration and ceremony. The second part of this project is to increase
awareness and encourage partnership between JASM and other organizations
through cultural events taking place in honor of JASM’s 40th anniversary.
Center
for Architecture Foundation. New York, NY.
Japan/USA Educational Design Exchange
Project Director: Umberto Dindo
$5,000
This project aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices
between US/New York and Japanese architects and educators about the design of
school facilities. CAt, a leading Tokyo design firm, will present their
educational work to the New York design and educational communities. The
Education Director at the Center for Architecture Foundation will travel to
Tokyo to tour Japanese schools and explore the relationship between pedagogy
and design. CAt will provide tours of the schools they have designed and
introduce the Director to key individuals within the Tokyo education community.
Video and written documentation of the two programs in the US and subsequent
site visits in Japan will introduce a larger audience of US practitioners in
both the education and design fields to the advances and excellence in Japanese
educational design.
Chicago
Sister Cities International. Chicago, IL.
Osaka-Chicago Social Services Exchange
Project Director: Anel Montes
$9,900
Chicago Sisters Cities International will host a delegation of Osaka social
service professionals in Chicago as part of an ongoing Chicago-Osaka Social
Services Exchange, an initiative that convenes interdisciplinary professionals
from both cities to build relationships, deepen cultural understanding, and
share best practices related to work in the human services field. This
week-long immersion focuses on understanding the needs and supports for youth
and families, persons with disabilities, and older adults, with a goal of
improving systems and service delivery to these vulnerable populations.
National Association of
Japan-America Societies. Washington, DC.
All-Volunteer Societies Administrative Support Project Supplement
Project Director: Makiko Murotani
$9,818
Of NAJAS’ 37 members, 12 are all-volunteer, with no paid staff. Many are in
sizable cities, while others are in rural areas. Membership is the lifeline of
the societies; if they cannot add new members, they will eventually disappear.
Recognizing that much of the membership management issue is composed of
adequate software, dedicated personnel and effective websites, NAJAS aims to
help provide administrative support to four all-volunteer societies’ membership
management efforts by supporting membership management and growth, a critical
function for small societies. NAJAS will provide these all-volunteer societies
with strategy consulting sessions and webinars relating to the preferred
software program by NAJAS.
San Francisco State University, Dilena Takeyama Center. San
Francisco, CA.
Voices from Japan: Tanka – After the Tsunami Public Programs
Project Director: Jon Funabiki
$9,355
The Dilena Takeyama Center and the Art Gallery at the Cesar Chavez Student
Center are collaborating to mount an exhibition of Tanka poems written by
survivors of Japan’s Great Earthquake and Tsunami disaster. The exhibit also
will include original photography, video and calligraphy, all selected to
capture and express the sense of loss and hope felt by the Japanese people
nearly 2 years after the disaster. The Center and Gallery will host six public
programs designed to attract and engage representatives of the community,
nonprofits and philanthropies, faculty, students and staff. The goal of the
program is to generate continuing interest in the need to assist Japan’s
recovery efforts.
Japan America Society of New Hampshire. Portsmouth, NH.
Portsmouth Peace Treaty Living Memorial
Project Director: Dr. Charles B. Doleac
$9,773
The goal of this project is to create a living memorial in the form of cherry
trees and community cherry blossom festivals in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In
conjunction with the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and the NH Division
of Travel & Tourism, JASNH will coordinate a Portsmouth Cherry Blossom
event to honor the cherry trees in Portsmouth, including both the descendent
cherry trees of the original trees gifted to Washington, D.C. one hundred years
ago and the trees received as a gift from Sister City, Nichinan, Japan. As part
of the memorial, JASNH will design and install appropriate plaques identifying
the trees and their historical importance, and
identify cherry tree locations on the statewide Portsmouth Peace Treaty Trail
map. JASNH will encourage community participation in bell-ringing during the
public cherry blossom events in the spring and on Portsmouth Peace Treaty Day
in New Hampshire.
Japan-America Society of Oregon. Portland, OR.
Japan on the Road: Teaching Elementary Students about Contemporary Japan
Project Director: Sheryl Fuller
$10,000
Japan on the Road aims to introduce American students to the lives of their
peers in Japan. The program, designed by the Japan-America Society of Oregon,
introduces elementary school students to contemporary Japan and the lives of
Japanese children today. A two and a half hour
workshop utilizes maps from a Japanese classroom to introduce the geography of
Japan, an imaginary field trip designed for each class, a skit presenting a
typical morning in a Japanese home, a photographic presentation, and hands-on
activities to explore contemporary Japan as Japanese children experience it. A
team of four volunteers visits individual classrooms of 15-35 students,
creating an intimate experience for each class. The goals of Japan on the Road
are to 1) create the feeling that each class has actually spent their day
living in Japan, 2) underline and support classroom teachers’ efforts to value,
appreciate, respect and enjoy diversity, 3) reach rural communities throughout
Oregon and SW Washington, and 4) develop and extend the program to serve
younger children (kindergarten through second grade).
Citizens Housing & Planning
Council. New York, NY.
Making Room Museum Exhibition
Project Director: Sarah Watson
$5,125
CHPC is partnering with the Museum of the City of New York to present the
Making Room exhibition. The 3,000 square foot exhibition will present
innovative architectural solutions to the challenge of providing safe, legal,
and comfortable housing for New York City’s changing demographics, especially
the booming singles population. The exhibition will include innovative housing
types that are being built in other cities around the world with a strong focus
on micro-studios located across the greater Tokyo area. The exhibition will
promote architectural examples from Tokyo to a wide New York City audience,
enabling the best Japanese practices to directly influence the development of a
brand new housing policy direction for New York
City.