The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI) has been a contributor to the NCI program since 2008, hosting site visits and interns.  In this picture, Executive Director, Alison Kochiyama, gives Southern California NCI interns a tour of the main GVJCI Heritage Center and upstairs classrooms.

"The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community center housing various classes, services, and programs for seniors, non-senior adults, and youth in the South Bay for over 40 years.  Our mission is to serve the needs of the local Japanese American community through educational, cultural, and social programs that share the Japanese and Japanese American cultural heritage.

The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute serves the needs of the Japanese American community of the South Bay area through educational, cultural and social programs by:

• Providing programs and activities, sensitive and relevant, to the needs of our senior citizens and youth;
• Offering use of facilities and support to community organizations which foster the best interests and welfare of the community; and
• Striving to create an environment for better inter-generational understanding, for perpetuating the ethnic heritage of Americans of Japanese ancestry, and for promoting cultural pride and respect for all humanity. "

  For more info, visit: http://www.jci-gardena.org/