Meet the 2026 Japanese Canadian Youth Cohort
Powell Street Festival Society is excited to announce the members of our fifth 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.
Trevor Wakayama
Trevor (he/him) is a yonsei with mixed Irish and English heritage who was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He previously completed a Bachelors of Sport Management at Brock University and currently works at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors. Outside of work he is very active, annually doing the CN Tower stair climb with his dad, running in half-marathons and is looking forward to running his first full marathon this fall. He was particularly inspired to learn more about his heritage after taking a two-week trip to Japan in 2025 and visiting his great Uncle Tamio’s photography exhibit in the Vancouver Art Gallery. He is enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate in the Powell Street Festival and to deepen his understanding of Japanese Canadian history. This will allow his heritage to become a more essential aspect of his identity.
Relation to paueru gai / BC: Both of my dad’s parents were born and raised in New Wesminster until they were displaced during WWII. My great uncle also lived and worked in Vancouver periodically and contributed to the Powell Street Festival during its infancy.
Kailey Midori Chaplin-Shiga
Kailey (she/her) is a yonsei Japanese Canadian with Japanese, British, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Kailey was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, the traditional lands of the Erie, Neutral, Huron Wendat, Haudensaunee and Missasaugas of the Credit First Nation communities, covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum. Kailey is currently finishing her Master of Social Work at York University and is an alumna of McMaster University and King’s University College where she completed her BA and BSW. As part of her Master’s, Kailey conducted research on the presence of mixed-race identity in Ontario undergraduate social work education, and is excited to experience community building as a mixed-race Japanese Canadian. Outside of school and work, Kailey enjoys music, arts and crafts, and playing with her dog Kuma. She is honoured to have been selected as part of this year’s cohort and is looking forward to engaging with the Japanese Canadian and Powell Street communities.
Relation to paueru gai / BC: My grandmother and her family lived in Steveston prior to internment where her parents were fishers. My grandfather grew up on E Cordova St., right near where the festival is now held. Following internment, my grandfather’s family moved to Toronto and my grandmother’s family moved to Japan before eventually returning to Canada and settling in Toronto. Neither of them returned to BC until last summer when my grandmother went back with her three sons; a meaningful trip for them all. I have never been to BC and look forward to seeing where my grandparents grew up and interacting with such a rich and diverse community.
Iene Auger
Iene (he/him) is a gosei Japanese Canadian from Thunder Bay, Ontario. Now entering his fourth year in Honours Kinesiology and Education at Lakehead University, Iene is a dedicated coach in football, basketball, and badminton. Growing up, he stayed connected to his heritage through the local Japanese Cultural Association and his mother’s involvement in Odori and Taiko. After a memorable trip to Japan in 2014, Iene is eager to return. He is honoured to join the Powell Street Festival Youth Cohort and looks forward to visiting the West Coast to meet new friends and to further explore his cultural roots.
Relation to paueru gai / BC: My great-grandparents, Harry Kaname Tsuchiya and Yasuko Yamazaki, were both born in BC and were relocated during the war to internment camps in Kaslo. My grandmother was born during the war and raised in BC.
Thank you to each and everyone who contributed to our JCYC fundraiser to help this program sustain into the festival’s 50th year and surpass our goal of $10,000!