Healing was the theme for our Brooklyn-Japan Baseball Program. Our multicultural assignment involved a global natural disaster project with Brooklyn and Japan–the Japanese government’s cultural exchange agency, Long Island University, Brooklyn Borough Hall, and the Brooklyn Cyclones. What a time we had this summer! It regarded youth survivors of Japan’s Tsunami and Brooklyn-NYC’s Hurricane Sandy.
We managed event planning details for this week-long event, we did program development, and directed public relations and media strategies. We produced two films, a press conference, social media campaigns and more. Our two new films “The Healing Game: Brooklyn-Japan Youth Baseball Program-Part 1,” and The Healing Game-Part 2 (subtitled in Japanese) can be viewed on youtube. Click here for a link.
The Tumblr website that we set-up can be viewed here.
It was exciting to launch something new and different. The inaugural Brooklyn-Japan Baseball Program was full of wonderful moments and memorable collaborations. But most importantly, we celebrated our children’s friendship and survival from both of our nation’s natural disasters—Hurricane Sandy (2012) and Japan’s Tsunami and Earthquake (2011).
The program, called “Japan’s Tsunami Kids and Brooklyn’s Hurricane Sandy Kids Play ball,” happened Wednesday July 23 – Sunday, July 27, 2014 in Brooklyn at Long Island University and Cyclones Stadium, Coney Island. The kids also attended a Yankees game in the Bronx, ate Dim Sum in New York City’s Chinatown and more.
We welcomed a delegation of 100 Japanese youth baseball players, coaches, guardians and translators. They all lodged downtown Brooklyn at Long Island University’s student dorm. They participated in cultural exchange activities and played ball with local Hurricane Sandy youth at Brooklyn’s MCU Park-Cyclones Stadium in Coney Island. The Hurricane Sandy kids came from Brooklyn, Queens and other local disaster areas.
Hat’s off to our three very talented college interns who always went above and beyond the call of duty to deliver professional-level work on this project: Vivian Lee, Mount Holyoke; Jennifer Yip, Amherst College; and Laura Bromley, Hunter College (CUNY).
Stay tuned for more highlights from our fun summer projects.
