about us

Formed during the planning process of the NAJC Japanese Canadian Young Leaders Conference, we first gathered through an interest in simply meeting others like us: other young multigenerational Japanese Canadians. This quickly evolved as we grew into a network that allowed our members to connect through larger opportunities to volunteer and participate in the community.

In 2015, we worked with the Powell Street Festival Society to organize the annual Asahi Tribute Game. We also sat on the board of the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association. Later, we would work with other youth-based organizations in Chinatown to support calls for action in the neighbourhood.

In the years since our formation in 2014, we have continued to be a network where folks can connect with other young Japanese Canadians in the city, as well as connect with elders and other community organizations. This culminated into a large-scale, multiday gathering in 2019 called “ensoku” (Japanese for “field trip”) where we hosted over 40 under-40 folks of Japanese descent from across Canada and the US in Vancouver. In 2023, we did this again by bringing 50 people together at the former Tashme internment site.

“Kikiai” (聴き合い) is a Japanese word meaning “listening to each other.” This word represents our group’s philosophy of coming together, mutually supporting, and listening to one another as equals, while also giving a nod to our Japanese Canadian heritage and community links. While the group was originally formed based on region and age (people generally identifying as “youth”), we feel that it has the potential to grow beyond these labels as long as it continues in the spirit of “kikiai.”

Kikiai Collaborative acknowledges that we primarily organize and gather on the unceded, stolen territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ nations. We aim to foster a framework centred on allyship and solidarity, informed by the social justice work of our members and those we are in community with, both within and around the Japanese Canadian community. In particular, we wish to express solidarity with the present-day community in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, including the many Indigenous residents who make homes in this neighbourhood that holds historic importance to our community as the Powell Street area or “Paueru-gai.”