4. Nikkei National Museum: Storytelling Japanese Canadian Farming

Organization Information

Organization Name

Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre

Mission and Vision of Organization

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre's mission is to honor, preserve, and share Japanese culture and Japanese Canadian history and heritage for a better Canada.

Guiding Principles + Values

Our mandate is to promote a better understanding and appreciation of Japanese Canadian culture and heritage; and an awareness by all Canadians of the contribution of Japanese Canadians to Canadian society. We do this by making our extensive collection readily accessible to the public.

Contact Information

• Primary Contact Person(s): Yukiko Nishikawa (she/her)
• Email: [[1]]
• Phone: NA
• Address: 6688 Southoaks Crescent
• Website: https://centre.nikkeiplace.org/

Preferred Method of Contact

• Best method(s) to contact: Email
• Best day(s) to contact: To be determined with community partner
• Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons

Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration

• Email
• Zoom

Project Description

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

Since September 22, 2000, the multi-use cultural space, featuring a Japanese Canadian garden located in Burnaby, BC, has offered unique programming, exhibits and events, as a community place open to all. Within the museum repository we care for 2600+ objects, 41,000+ photographs, 38 meters of textual records, 650 oral history recordings, and 156 film reels of historically and culturally significant items. With the addition of family and community stories every year, we ensure the legacies of people of Japanese ancestry in Canada live on into the future.

Students in this project will document and communicate the roles of Japanese Canadian farmers in our local food system. Students will be in charge of the pre-production, production and post-production of an interview with Hiro Okusa. Hiro Okusa is the founder of Japonica Farm, and was also directly involved with UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Garden via his role as the President of Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association. The interview and students’ background research will be made into a short video clip on Japanese Canadian farming, to be displayed at the Nikkei Farmer’s Market for the summer season.

Main Project Activities and Deliverables

• Research history of Japanese Canadian farmers in BC and scope of short video
• Develop interview questions to be used during session with Hiro Okusa
• Interview Hiro Okusa at his farm (Japonica Farms in Surrey)
• Produce a short clip of 3-4 minutes introducing the history of Japanese Canadian farming to general public through the stories of Hiro Okusa and the background research

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proficiency in reading, reviewing, and condensing academic and non-academic literature and information
• Strong interpersonal skills and professionalism
• Interest in community programming
• Strong organizational skills

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• N/A

Will the project take place online, in person, or a combination?

• Online and in person

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• No

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

• Please visit our Volunteering page to view the most current list of our volunteer opportunities
• Depending on individual / group performances throughout the course, students might be offered a paid internship position to work with UBC’s INSTRCC organization on community Overviewengagement programs, including possible internships with various local organizations

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

• Students should familiarize themselves with the Nikkei Centre website
• Students should familiarize themselves with the Japonica Farm website
• Covered Roots: The History of Vancouver's Chinese Farms

Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials

The following will be provided at the first community partner meeting:

• TBD