The mission of Spectrum is to empower and inspire the youth to:

1. Challenge notions of exclusivity,
2. Take an active part in leadership roles in their community,
3. Preserve their culture and appreciate their heritage while re-evaluating the past,
4. Interact with and learn from older generations,
5. Understand the evolving nature of the Nikkei community.

history of [spectrum]

In August 1995, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) sponsored a national conference to convene social service agencies working in the Japanese American community. Around 80 people from as far away as New York and Toronto gathered in Los Angeles to review census information and share programmatic concerns, as well as discuss the formation of a national organization to share resources and develop a concerted fundraising effort.

A follow-up conference was planned to pursue the feasibility of establishing a national organization. During planning meetings, however, the conference changed from a community service agency focus to a broader community focus. A coalition led by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) determined that issues of identity, diversity, community survival, and values were primary to developing the future of the Japanese American community. LTSC and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) took the lead in organizing Ties That Bind: A Japanese American Community Conference in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

Ties That Bind, which occurred on April 3-April 5, 1998, was one of the most generationally diverse gatherings of Japanese Americans meeting to initiate a dialogue. It was a confirmation that a common thread runs through all of our Japanese American communities, institutions, identities, constituencies, and member. By the end of the Conference, participants produced a "Declaration for the Nikkei Community" to define goals for the Nikkei Community in the 21st Century. Participants and organizers also determined that another large-scale event would be necessary to continue the dialogue started at Ties That Bind. A second national Nikkei conference, Nikkei 2000: Empowering Our Community in the 21st Century. JCCCNC led the team of organize the conference in Northern California.

Designed as a working conference, Nikkei 2000 offered student, professionals, community organizers, politicians, and other individuals ready to make a difference in the community the opportunity to actively meet the challenges of the Japanese American community's evolving needs. People from across the nation participated in Nikkei 2000. At Nikkei 2000, the youth decided they needed to get involved with their community.

Riding on the momentum and energy generated at Nikkei 2000 and a vision of how the Japanese American community could be shaped in the future, a handful of these youth have spent the past several months planning and organizing a conference especially for the young people in the Japanese American community. That conference is [spectrum]: broadening the views of young Nikkei, organized by the young Nikkei for the young Nikkei and backed by established Japanese American institutions.