SAVE JAPANTOWN YOUTH LEADERS

Nakayoshi members involved with nihonmachiROOTS have been busy launching a weeklong campaign to lobby the Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, to reallocate funding for the JCYC's Japantown Youth Leaders program. Find out more on how you can join in the efforts, and how important this program is to Japantown's future.

SAVE JAPANTOWN YOUTH LEADERS (JYL)

Background: Recently, JCYC was informed by the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) that the only funding allocated for youth services in Japantown will not be cut in 2010/2011, but completely eliminated. For the past 12 years, the Japantown Youth Leaders (JYL) program, formerly known as JAYS, has brought hundreds of youth to Japantown on a weekly basis to participate in community service, leadership training, and personal development. The youth who consistently support our community festivals and events such as Cherry Blossom, Nihonmachi Street Fair, and Kodomo no Hi, are current or former participants of JYL.

Why You Should Care: Despite the city’s budget crisis, other communities will still be receiving funding from DCYF. In 2010/2011, DCYF will allocate $20 million for children and youth services and has decided that Japantown is not worthy of even a small amount of those resources. This decision demonstrates a blatant disregard for our community and sets a very dangerous precedent for the future. We believe it is in the best interest of our community to collectively take a stand and make it clear that the needs of Japantown can not and will not be dismissed by the city of San Francisco.

How Can You Help: The Mayor has the discretion to restore this funding until June 1st when his office, by law must submit a budget to the Board of Supervisors. We have the rest of May to let the Mayor know that it is not acceptable for the city of San Francisco to dismiss the youth of Japantown.

Continue to check back to JapantownNOW.com or visit nihonmachiROOTS' Facebook page to see how you can help us send this message to the Mayor.

Nakayoshi volunteering event at the Nihonmachi Street Fair!

For those of you who wanted to see more opportunities to volunteer at community events, here's Nakayoshi's first volunteer event!

Thanks to Lenna Onishi at the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC), we've been asked to help out in the children's area during the Nihonmachi Street Fair in Japantown the weekend of August 9th and 10th. Let us know at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you can come out to volunteer at one of the shifts. More details are below:

35th Annual Nihonmachi Street Fair

On August 9 & 10, the Nihonmachi Street Fair will take place in San Francisco's Japantown! Celebrating its 35th year, the first Nihonmachi Street Fair was a meeting ground for Asian American youth to address issues that were taking place in SF Japantown at that time. Today, the event is an opportunity for community groups, artisans, and local artists to come together to celebrate diversity and culture.

This year, the Nihonmachi Street Fair will run from 12noon - 6pm.

We are currently looking for volunteers to work in the Children's Village area of the event! Volunteers are needed on both Saturday (August 9) & Sunday (August 10)!

Volunteer shifts:

Shift 1: 9am -12 noon (set-up)

Shift 2: 12noon-3pm

Shift 3: 3-6pm

Volunteers will be asked to monitor game & crafts booths.

If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact 415 202 7909 or info@jcyc.org. Your help is greatly appreciated!

For more information on the Nihonmachi Street Fair, please visit www.nihonmachistreetfair.org

Thank you!

As always, we'd love to see you as well as some new faces come out to lend a hand. Let us know if you're coming out!