Students from Shukoh Middle School Meet with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Sendai |
On February 5, 2014, as part of the TOMODACHI Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Education Engagement Program, thirty-five students and five chaperons led by the Principal of Shukoh Middle School in Miyagi had the opportunity to watch the performance and dress rehearsal of the New York City-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at the Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi in Sendai. Twenty-five year-old blind piano prodigy, Nobuyuki Tsujii, accompanied the orchestra performance. Six musicians including Jonathan Spitz and Miho Saegusa from the Orpheus Orchestra also held a question-and-answer session with the students where they discussed the Orpheus Method, in which the musicians perform together without a conductor through collaboration and listening to each other. After the program, there was a renewed energy among the students. The impact the Orpheus musicians and Nobuyuki Tsujii had on the students was apparent in the way the students were carrying themselves and talking about music. More » |
Alumni from the TOMODACHI MUFG Summer 2013 International Exchange Program Reunite in Los Angeles |
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On February 8, 2014, participants of the TOMODACHI Summer 2013 MUFG International Exchange Program and their families were invited to a reunion and screening of the television program featuring their trip to Japan last year. The 54-minute Japanese television special on the TOMODACHI program, entitled “Gift for the Future,” was aired in Japan nationwide late last year. English subtitles were added to the show so that the students and their families were able to watch and understand its content. The students had an emotional reunion where they reminisced special moments they had shared during their trip to Japan. More » |
Japanese and American University Students Work Together in Washington, DC to Brainstorm Solutions to Social Problems |
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Over the course of two weeks, starting on February 15, 2014, 16 Japanese university students and ten American students joined together on a program, “Building the TOMODACHI Generation: Engaging U.S. and Japanese University Students in Social Problem-Solving.” This leadership development and team building exchange develops partnerships between American and Japanese university students by enhancing the students’ understanding of the principles, challenges, and potential of civil society. Students came from 8 different universities in Japan, and many different universities in the United States. In addition to the classroom work, highlights of the program included discussions with various local non-profits, team-building through an outdoor adventure ropes course, and hearing from U.S.-Japan Council President, Irene Hirano Inouye. More » |
Japanese University Students and Faculty Attend the Ashoka Conference at Brown University |
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On February 17, 2014, nine university students (three students each from the University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, and Okinawa International University) traveled to the United States to participate in the TOMODACHI Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) Collegiate Civic Engagement Program.
As part of the program, the students visited Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island to attend the Ashoka Conference.
To supplement the knowledge gained at Ashoka about various practices of social innovation in higher education, the delegation then visited Washington, DC to observe and better understand how universities can support and facilitate a spirit of civic engagement and social entrepreneurship among students. At George Washington University, American University and the University of Maryland, College Park, they attended classes, met and exchanged ideas with faculty and students. More » |
Upcoming Programs and Events |
| Feb. 28 |
TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program – Tokyo |
| Mar. 3 |
Participant Application Opens for TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program (TMWLP) in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Naha
- Application Deadline for TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Programs: April 21, 2014
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| Mar. 3 |
Mitsui & Co. Leadership Program Application Opens
- Deadline for American Delegation: April 15, 2014
- Deadline for Japanese Delegation: April 24, 2014
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| Mar. 3 – 29 |
Young leaders program: TOMODACHI Social Innovation in Seattle (SIIS) Scholars Program (Seattle, WA) |
| Mar. 7 – 9 |
Leadership training for alumni of Summer 2013 TOMODACHI Programs: TOMODACHI BEYOND Tomorrow Global Leadership Academy 2014 (Tokyo) |
| Mar. 11 |
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Performance in New York (New York, NY) |
| Mar. 5 – 17 |
Winners of the SCORE! entrepreneurship competition in Okinawa visit Silicon Valley, CA |
| Mar. 15 – Apr. 4 |
TOMODACHI Japan Society Junior Fellows Student Exchange Program |
| Mar. 17 – 23 |
TOMODACHI Award Winners of the University Venture Grand Prix Entrepreneurship Awards Visit Silicon Valley, CA (Silicon Valley, CA) |
| Mar. 22 – 30 |
TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program Trip (Washington, DC & New York, NY) |
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Recruitment for TOMODACHI Program Participants |
Please forward and share these opportunities to students who may be interested. |
TOMODACHI MUFG 2014 International Exchange Program |
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The TOMODACHI MUFG International Exchange Program 2014 will select 26 junior high and high school students from the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures) to participate in a two-week program to Los Angeles and the surrounding area in California. (Application Deadline: March 31, 2014) More » |
TOMODACHI Coca-Cola Summer 2014 Educational Homestay Program |
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Sixty high school students from the three prefectures affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures) will have an opportunity to visit various cities in the United States from July 21 until August 8, 2014.
In this program, the students divide into four groups and participate in homestay programs across the United States. Over the course of the program, students take English language courses, participate in volunteer work, and take campus tours of local universities. (Application Deadline: March 14, 2014) More » |
TOMODACHI SoftBank Summer 2014 Leadership Program |
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This summer, approximately 100 Japanese high school students from areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima) will be selected to study at the University of California, Berkeley from July 21 to August 10, 2014. This program is an intensive three-week course focused on global leadership, development and community service. (Application Deadline: March 24, 2014) More » |
TOMODACHI Suntory Music Scholarship for Fall 2014 |
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TOMODACHI-UNIQLO Fellowship for Fall 2014 |
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Special Thanks to Our Newest Donors! |
Sponsors (contributed $100,000 to $1 million)
 
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