Emiko Sugiyama

Emiko will organize Hip Hop Island, an admission-free, all-elements hip-hop youth summer camp in South Philadelphia presented with the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, Inc. The participants of the camp will be mainly Southeast Asian immigrant youth, ages 10-21. The camp will provide creative outlets and a safe atmosphere for youth to express themselves, connect with others, learn about social issues, and sustain good mental health through four art forms of Hip Hop culture. There will be a block party at the end of the camp to celebrate the participants' achievements.

Emiko's project, the B-girl Challenge, will train eight women in Philadelphia to improve their breakdancing ability by staging a ten-week breakin' training. The women will attend local dance competitions and performances to test their skills during the training program. Emiko hopes to teach the women to be more well-rounded performers, teachers, and role models for youth in Philadelphia. She also plans to begin developing an arts and culture exchange program between Japan and the United States via the art of breakin'.