Young
Okinawans of Southern California - currently on hiatus
It has
always been our desire to get the young Okinawan adults and
youth to become more involved in the Okinawa Association of
America!
So, in
1996, OAA President Hiro Tome started the Young Okinawans of
Southern California for ages 16 to 40. With the help of
Hawaii's Young Okinawan Group, we developed our Rules and
Regulations and Membership Form.
Our
purposes:
- To
promote Okinawan cultural awareness in our youth.
- To
foster goodwill and friendship for our youth through social
and sports functions.
- To
develop more youth involvement in the OAA activities
throughout the year.
We are very
proud of our annual Careers Seminar which provides a panel of
Okinawan adults speaking about their career fields. They spoke
eloquently about their passion for what they do and what their
job descriptions and requirements are. Many of them featured
speakers to promote the Kempi Scholarship as they spoke
enthusiastically about their yearlong study in Okinawa. Our
past activities include Theater Night at the East-West
Playhouse, Karaoke Party, Jon Nakamatsu Concert, and Akabana.
We have participated in OAA events (New Year's Party, Picnic,
Undokai, clubhouse Bazaar) by helping wherever needed. Our
goal is to keep young adults informed of OAA activities so
that they will be aware that the OAA exists for all
generations. Hopefully, our future leaders will emerge through
their active participation in the OAA.