President’s Message, April 2010

March 26, 2010

Spring has arrived, bringing new hope and renewed energy to our lives. As a Japanese Canadian community, we have much to celebrate, not the least of which is the number of volunteers whose dedication and hard work bring so much life and spirit to our communities. Many thanks to all the volunteers across Canada.

The NAJC office is in transition. After a year at our temporary office, we are considering different options. The current building where we rent space has come under new ownership which has resulted in changes that the NAJC believes will impact on our operations.  With the assistance of resource people in Winnipeg, as well as the NEB, I will be pursuing various scenarios that will be presented to the membership at the AGM.  There are short term and long term issues that need to be pursued. Stay tuned!

Recently, I attended an event sponsored by the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute, which is piloting a program to train young persons in their community for leadership roles. Part of this program, involves dialogue with other ethnic communities. This dialogue is created in conversational cafes where the trainees and participants in other ethnic communities share their stories, with the objective of greater understanding and acceptance of each other. The ultimate goal is to build a stronger and more unified Canada. There are 5 other ethnic communities in Winnipeg and Ottawa that will participate in this endeavour. I will be asked to invite about 12 individuals in the Japanese Canadian community in Winnipeg to participate in these conversational cafes. It was a most inspiring occasion to be in attendance with such committed and capable young persons in the Muslim community.

The NAJC Human Rights Committee has been working on various projects, including the Human Rights booklet that was started several years ago but not completed. One of the intentions of this booklet is to assist newcomers to our community that may not be aware of some of their rights and responsibilities. The HRC is in the process of creating a design that would be available on the website, and would be presented in a concise manner to be meaningful to users.

The NEB is meeting in Toronto on March 27-28, 2010, for its regular quarterly meeting.  We will be meeting with the NAJC membership in Toronto, as well as touring the Cultural Centre and learning about their programs, including SEDAI. This will be an opportunity to hear from the community about their needs and activities.

The NAJC welcomes comments, suggestions, questions, etc. from all. Please contact us at www.najc.ca

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President’s Message, March 2010

March 10, 2010

In late January, 2010, I attended the round table discussion in Winnipeg, hosted by the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR), inviting the public, to “help write the story of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights”. There were many familiar faces in the crowd–human rights activists, faith-based organizations, ethnic groups, special interest groups, etc. Everyone had a story to tell and a voice to shape the content of the museum. Diverse opinions were expressed about a myriad of topics that define the field of human rights. One common thread wove through the discussions and that was that the exhibits would always be evolving. Participants added that the museum should not just be about the past, but about the present and the future. Participants liked the idea that the exhibits would be interactive and that student would benefit from this state of the art technology.

The CMHR is encouraging individuals, groups, organizations to submit written stories about their history regarding human rights. The NAJC will undertake such a proposal as it is crucial that our history be told accurately. As mentioned in last month’s article, an Ad Hoc committee of the NAJC, is currently examining the way our history is recorded and presented to the public. The NEB and the HRC are all part of this important work.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has recently opened its office in Winnipeg. The NAJC is committed to supporting the TRC in its mission to increase greater understanding between the Aboriginal peoples and the peoples of Canada, through the story-telling of survivors of the Residential School system. The first national hearing of the TRC will be held in mid June/2010, in Winnipeg. There will be 6 other national hearings across Canada, as well as numerous community gatherings that will provide the Canadian public to attend and to listen. The NAJC will be having an election this year, at the AGM, in October 16-17, 2010 in Ottawa, ON.

We thank the Ottawa Japanese Community Association for hosting the AGM. I would like to ask the membership to consider nominating community members to the Board, as well as the Endowment Committee. I would also welcome any members who would like to serve on any of the standing committees of the NAJC. Please contact us at: national@najc.ca Thanks to all the membership organizations that submitted applications to the Community Development Pilot Project. Just a reminder that the deadline for applications to the Endowment Fund is March 31, 2010.

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