TOMODACHI Alumni Regional Framework : Workshop at the 2023 U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference

On November 7, 2023, a three-hour workshop was held at the U.S.-Japan Council’s headquarters in Washington D.C. The main objective was to elevate the alumni engagement initiatives, ensuring they are more meaningful, impactful, and aligned with the broader goals of TOMODACHI. Five Regional Representatives and four Core Committee members from six regions of the U.S. and Japan participated in the workshop.

The workshop included a digital marketing and online community management workshop, conducted by a guest speaker, Ashley Brannan, Senior Channel Advancement Lead from Community Boost, a digital marketing agency that works with nonprofits to accelerate online revenue and impact. She addressed the consistent challenges identified by the Regional Reps on how to reach and engage alumni effectively by emphasizing the significance of personalized and data-driven marketing, experimenting with emerging trends, and utilizing technology to enhance marketing efforts.

During the discussion session, Sarah O’Connell, New York Regional Representative, suggested creating Facebook/Instagram stickers that could be used by attendees and supporters to easily share their experiences, instead of asking alumni and other people to use hashtags. Juan Hernandez, Southern California Regional Representative, shared his main challenge as the geographical distance between alumni in his region, and the lack of a central location(s) to get together.

The Regional Representatives and Core Committee members attended the U.S.-Japan Council’s Annual Conference following the workshop and concluded with a one-hour debrief session on November 10, 2023. Fatoumata Bah, who is a Philadelphia and vicinity regional representative, highlighted the importance of taking risks and accepting rejection, especially in communication-related fields. Fatoumata also noted the idea of having time to be curious and the supportive community atmosphere at the conference.

The Regional Representatives and the Core Committee members discussed future goals and action items to bring back to the Regional Representatives and the Core Committee members in Japan and the United States who were not in attendance.