KYCC has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award by The National Endowment for the Arts, to support the Koreatown Storytelling Program, an oral history and community journalism program. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from KYCC that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “KYCC in Los Angeles is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”
Koreatown Storytelling Program is an intergenerational, multilingual and multiethnic oral history and digital media program that teaches ethnographic and storytelling techniques to high school students and elders to investigate cultural practices and racial, economic and health inequities in our community. The program promotes greater understanding and respect between generations and documents marginalized narratives for preservation in public archives while also cultivating wellness outcomes for all participants.
“KYCC is very honored to have receive the Grants for Arts Project award from the National Endowment for the Arts,” says Johng Ho Song, KYCC Executive Director. “This national award will allow us to incorporate more of the arts into our current program, which should be a very important part of nonprofit work.” “It is tremendously exciting to have KSP’s work recognized on a national level,” says Katherine Yungmee Kim, KSP Program Director. “We are documenting the often-unheard stories of our immigrant community—from youth to elders—to showcase and broadcast them across our own platforms.”
KSP partners in 2021 and 2022 include the Los Angeles Public Library, UCLA, Gyopo, Japanese American National Museum and Korean American Story. Students and elders have discussed Koreatown-related themes, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the garment industry, and elder care. This year, KSP will focus on the 30th anniversary of 4.29, as well as the food and restaurant industry in our community. KSP is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category. For more information about the Koreatown Storytelling Program, please visit www.koreatownstorytellingprogram.org
