TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program Supported by J.P. Morgan Prepares The InterAction Forum Delegation Headed to Washington D.C.

“After the program, I would like to share what I learned in the U.S.not only to people from my NGO, but also to people from different NGOs. ” —Yu Tsukioka

Mr. Tsukioka, who is currently working for Japan Platform, shared his motivation toward his U.S. trip as a TOMODACHI participant during the pre-departure orientation on June 9 2015, part of the TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program supported by J.P. Morgan, held at the J.P. Morgan Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

2015 marks the third year of TOMODACHI NGO Leadership Program supported by J.P. Morgan, consisting of short-term exchanges and workshops promoting idea exchange and practical training to Japanese NGO leaders. This program provides an opportunity for the participants to think about the roles of Japanese NGOs in the world. This year the Japanese participants will visit Washington, D.C. from June 21 to 28, 2015.

In the first half of the orientation, Marc Lassman, the Executive Director of the TOMODACHI Initiative, made welcome remarks to the participants. Mr. Lassman emphasized the importance of developing Japanese NGO leaders as a part of the TOMODACHI Leadership Program.  J.P. Morgan’s CSR representative, Emiko Manners, encouraged the participants to fully engage in the program as well as to bring new ideas to their NGOs after the U.S. trip. Randy Martin from Mercy Corps and Saori Suzuki from Japan Platform walked the participants through the detailed schedule of the trip to prepare them for a meaningful and safe time in Washington, D.C.

In the second half of the orientation, summer interns at the TOMODACHI Initiative led a workshop in which the NGO leaders were encouraged to share their motivations toward this program and to discuss amongst each other what they want to accomplish during their time in Washington, D.C.  During the workshop, there were two questions: Why did you want to participate this program?, and What do you want to accomplish through the program?  After writing their responses on colorful Post-It notes and posting them in thematic clusters, the participants were able to visualize others’ thoughts and motivations, and to find the common theme as they venture out on this program as a group and as a team.

After the NGO leaders return from the United States, they will identify a need in the Japanese NGO community and propose ideas for training workshops in order to deepen knowledge and further capacity building of NGOs in Japan.

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