Northwest Youth Corps Recruiting Interns at Japanese American Historical Sites

Northwest Youth Corps Recruiting Interns at
Japanese American Historical Sites

By Lev Kellendy and Peter Cesser
NAP Contributor

Exclusion from outdoor recreation reflects legacies of oppression in marginalized communities and makes access to the outdoors not equally available. Northwest Youth Corps’ (NYC) Conservation Internship Program was established in 2015 to provide paraprofessional experiences with land and water resource management agencies, such as the National Park Service (NPS). NYC’s Conservation Internship Program provides participants with paid opportunities to acquire the skills needed to qualify for permanent and seasonal employment opportunities.

Former NW Youth Corp intern Midori Teraoka now a full-time National Park Ranger. Photo credit: NW Youth Corp.

In 2024, Northwest Youth Corps partnered with Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and the Minidoka National Historic Site near Jerome, Idaho, to host two 20-week interns from the Japanese American (JA) community. Interns 1) enhanced recreational and accessibility opportunities; 2) supported management of natural and cultural resources; 3) told the story of Executive Order 9066; and 4) supported and participated in the Minidoka Pilgrimage. These individuals were recruited and built relationships with under-represented communities and introduced them to the parks.

•　BAINBRIDGE ISLAND JAPANESE AMERICAN EXCLUSION MEMORIAL. The memorial honors the first JAs (227 Bainbridge Islanders) to be rounded up by the U.S. Army, forcibly removed from their community and incarcerated during World War II in 1942. At the memorial, visitors can reflect and learn about this site’s legacy of Nidoto Nai Yoni (Let It Not Happen Again). The intern will provide interpretation to around 25,000 people.
•　MINIDOKA NATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE. During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated without due process of the law. The Minidoka Relocation Center once held over 13,000 JAs. The site still includes remains of root cellars, barracks, a mess hall and a fire station. Today, it preserves the legacy and teaches the public the importance of civil liberties. The intern provided assistance to more than 10,000 people.
•　Interns at Bainbridge and Minidoka also participated in a Minidoka pilgrimage which attracted an estimated 300 people and completed 150 hours of program development. This annual pilgrimage is an event that reflects on the incarceration of JAs during World War II. Survivors, their families and others also attended educational and historical discussions about the incarceration and its legacy.
The National Park Foundation funded support work such as:
•　The Seattle area national parks hosted eight NYC interns in 2023. They served at the Bainbridge memorial and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The parks work in educating the public, curating, archiving and conserving and preserving historical sites for future generations.
•　Over the last four years, NYC’s partnership with Southern Idaho National Parks (SOID) grew from five interns in 2019 to 20 interns in 2023. Due to the efforts of NPS mentors at the sites, interns had remarkable opportunities for success. They assisted in the facilitation of the 2023 Minidoka Pilgrimage, attended conferences for the American Association for State and Local History, designed new outreach and introduction materials, mapped unexplored caves, curated in-depth site tours, created scripts read by famous JAs in Tadaima — a community virtual pilgrimage — and recently announced the Minidoka WWII Replica Honor Roll update project. More information about the project can be found at: https://go.nps.gov/minidokahonor. The interns also assisted SOID staff in mission-critical work that helps preserve the natural and cultural resources found in Southern Idaho.
•　Each of the locations employed at least two NYC alumni and plans to hire more in the future.

Former NW Youth Corp intern Midori Teraoka manning the National Perk Service booth. Japan Day event in Boise, Idaho promoting cultural awareness and education. Photo credit: NW Youth Corp.

NYC assisted interns in securing conservation-type job positions (in both the public and private sector) once their terms of service were over.

One example of this success is NYC alum, Kurt Ikeda, who was an interpretation intern at Minidoka in 2018. He secured a permanent position with the NPS at Minidoka as Director of Interpretation and Education in 2020. Kurt was later awarded the 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Humanities Award by the Idaho Humanities Council for his achievements sharing JA internment stories. NYC is proud of Kurt and the incredible professional path he has taken since his time with NYC.

Former NW Youth Corp intern Midori Teraoka giving directions to Matthew Schlegel at the Minidoka site. Photo credit: NW Youth Corp.

Former intern, Emily Teraoka, is the new permanent Park Ranger at Minidoka. Teraoka’s recent (and past) work includes curated visitor center exhibits, in-depth site tours and scripts read by famous JAs in Tadaima – a community virtual pilgrimage. In 2022, Minidoka highlighted more of Teraoka’s projects including updated brochures, wayside trail exhibits and the recently announced Minidoka WWII Replica Honor Roll Update Project.

Future NYC internships include:
•　BAINBRIDGE ISLAND JAPANESE AMERICAN EXCLUSION MEMORIAL. Interns will engage with more JAs and BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in Bainbridge, increase interpretation and focus on equity and inclusion within the park. Interns will also learn and conduct independent research on the history of JA incarceration with particular emphasis on the community of Bainbridge Island. They will share their knowledge with visitors through formal and informal tours. They will also develop original publications, web pages and content for social media. In addition, interns will work in collaboration with a park service ranger, the community and other partners.
•　MINIDOKA NATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE. Interns will engage more JAs and BIPOCs in the story of Minidoka, increase the awareness of history and focus on equity and inclusion within the park. Interns will supplement the history, education and facilities management workforce by assisting in the visitor center, maintaining facilities and inviting public engagement with the JA incarceration.

For more information about the internships, see: https://www.nwyouthcorps.org/interns/