Meet the 2025 Japanese Canadian Youth Cohort
Powell Street Festival Society is excited to announce the members of our fourth Japanese Canadian Youth Cohort! This expenses-paid program brings three young Japanese Canadians aged 19-29 who are living outside a 100-mile radius from Oppenheimer Park to experience the Powell Street Festival and participate in its production, attend training sessions, and to create an embodied experience of Japanese Canadian identity as vibrant and vital. Read on to learn about this year’s cohort!
Midori Matthew (she/her) is a yonsei Japanese Canadian with mixed Irish and German heritage who was raised in Manitoba and currently resides in Ontario. She was named after and raised in part by her Nisei grandmother, who was displaced from British Columbia to work in the sugar beet fields in Petersfield. She is currently a PhD candidate at McMaster University in Health Policy, where she studies the health and economic impacts of direct remuneration policies designed for family caregivers. Outside of academia, she is passionate about birdwatching, reading, tending to far too many houseplants, visual arts, and community engagement. Midori is honoured at the opportunity the Youth Cohort has granted her in reconnecting with her Japanese heritage and giving back to a community that forms an integral part of her identity.
Naomi Kudo (she/her) is a hafu yonsei (fourth generation) Japanese Canadian, born and raised in Guelph, Ontario. She previously completed a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences at Queen’s University, and is excited to return to Queen’s to pursue a Master of Science in Epidemiology in the fall. Kudo recently returned from living in Okayama, Japan, working as an assistant language teacher with the JET Programme. She loved her time in Okayama, where she was able to meet relatives, explore Japan and share Canada with her students. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to participate in the Powell Street Festival and looks forward to learning more about her family’s history in BC and connecting with her Japanese Canadian roots.
Grace Miyoko Challenger (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto. Based on her cultural heritage, she majored in History with minors in East Asian Studies and Caribbean Studies, and also spent a semester abroad at Akita International University in Japan. Being a Yonsei-Gosei Japanese Canadian, she has always been passionate about exploring her family history and connecting with other members of the Japanese Canadian community. In the future, she intends to continue researching and studying her heritage, whether that be through pursuing her Master’s Degree or working with Japanese Canadian organisations and individuals. Through participation in the Powell Street Festival, Grace is excited to meet other Japanese Canadians to hear their stories and experiences, and get the opportunity to return to her family’s furusato, while giving back to the community and making lifelong connections.
We are so excited to welcome these three young Japanese Canadians to Vancouver this summer. Support our vision to bring young Japanese Canadians together and—through the Festival and community—provide an embodied experience for youth to connect with their heritage by making a donation to Powell Street Festival Society.
