Applications Now Open!
Community Kai
Community Kai aims to cultivate community connections that are rooted in relationship-based organizing, continuous improvement, collective liberation, and care. It is a sustainable and year-round program that will focus on a small, multicultural, annual cohort of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) participants that will work to become active and organize across traditional boundaries and separations between cultural communities in the Twin Cities.
Together, participants will develop a practice of focusing on “how we do things” (not just what and why we do it), with a holistic, generative, and iterative approach. The Community Kai program will support participants in leadership development and skill-building through monthly virtual meetings, regular workshops, and exploration-based learning by engaging with local communities and organizations of interest in respectful and reciprocal ways. It is our hope that the leadership space we create is accountable, supportive, transformative, and continually evolving as we embrace each new year of community in the Twin Cities.
Criteria for Applicants
The Community Kai program is for you if you:
- Identify as BIPOC
- Are part of the Twin Cities community
- Are open, willing, and ready to share about your journey and to learn with and from others
- Can commit to the cohort meetings and gatherings
If you have any questions, please contact us at communitykai@tcjacl.org.
Program Events and Key Dates
The cohort experience runs from February to October 2025. Participants should plan to participate in the following:
- Monthly virtual gatherings
- Virtual identity collage activity (3/15)
- Virtual community simulation activity (TBD)
- In-person Spring Midwest Community Summit (3/29; Minneapolis)
- First relationship-based multicultural organizing workshops (April TBD)
- In-person pilgrimage to George Floyd Square (May TBD; Minneapolis)
- Second relationship-based multicultural organizing workshops (July TBD)
- Como Park Obon Festival (August TBD; St. Paul)
- Flower Power Heal (August TBD; St. Paul)
- In-person Fall Midwest Community Summit (September TBD; Chicago*)
- Culmination program at TCJACL Chrysanthemum Banquet (October TBD)
*Travel, food, and accommodations are provided
Local travel support is also available as needed
Application Process and Timeline
To be considered for the cohort, complete and submit this application by Sunday, February 16, 2025, 11:59 PM. Your application will be reviewed by the Community Kai program team and you will be notified by Sunday, February 23, 2025. A maximum of 10 participants will be selected to be a part of the cohort.
APPLY HERE!
JACL Mission
The mission of the Japanese American Citizens League is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational and social values, and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.