By Nicole Gaddie, NYSC Chairperson, and Michelle Yamashiro, NYSC Representative
Happy 2015 from the JACL National Youth Student Council!
The NYSC celebrated an eventful 2014, and we are extremely grateful to be able to continue in our positions as National Youth Chair and National Youth Representative, respectively, as we head into 2015.
First, we would like to thank JACL board members who have supported the youth and heard their opinions. We are especially thankful for PSW Regional Director Stephanie Nitahara, who has worked so hard in supporting the NYSC. Stephanie is our compass and an integral part of our success.
Second, the NYSC had quite a few new members join in 2014, and we met many new JACL youth. We held our fall retreat in September in Los Angeles, where we bonded and strategized for the upcoming year. Our new members are young and eager to plan and mobilize the JACL youth.
Third, our council worked hard to host two summits, one in EDC and one in CCDC. This spring, we are planning two more summits in PSW and PNW. In addition, we held bi-weekly conference calls with our full council and weekly calls with our executive board.
We are always surprised at how much work the NYSC can do. Many of the NYSC youth representatives and at-large members are students or have recently begun careers. However, they take the time away from their jobs and studies to create programs that engage and empower youth.
We appreciate all that you do and are so glad that we have such intelligent, giving and inspiring people motivating us to do the best we can.
As we continue to perform outreach and increase the number of youth programs, we hope to create better structures for districts and chapters to follow in order to continue welcoming new youth to the JACL. Additionally, the executive board of the NYSC plans to create more committees within the NYSC so that more youth can give input for programs and events.
We hope 2015 is just as productive and empowering as was 2014. We, along with the rest of the NYSC, are energized to not only continue the programs we have but also expand the NYSC, JACL and its capabilities.
We hope you have a happy and healthy 2015! If you would ever like to discuss youth programs, or learn more about how to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact Michelle Yamashiro at myamashiro@jacl.org or Nicole Gaddie at nicolegaddie@gmail.com.
