TOMODACHI High School Women Career Mentoring Online Program in Tohoku STEP4: Presenting Experiences from Past Four Months to Peers

On January 30 and 31, 2021, STEP4 of the TOMODACHI High School Women Career Mentoring Online Program in Tohoku supported by the TOMODACHI Combini Fund, titled “Planning and Implementing a Career Event Using Lessons Learned” was held online. About 90 high school students from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures attended, continuing on from the previous sessions.

The STEP 4 event was titled “An Opportunity to Create Yourself and the Future LIVE,” with participants presenting their experiences over the past four months in the program to other high school students who are not part of the program. Between December 2020, when STEP3 was held, and the week of STEP4, participants shared their experiences and challenges with one another and summarized their ideas in teams to present to an audience. They rehearsed on January 30 and gave one another advice to prepare for the real event.

The program participants used SNS to gather their audience, with 66 sophomores and juniors in high school from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures joining on January 31. During the event, international students from the U.S., South Korea and India, along with professional women from FamilyMart Co., Ltd., Mizuho Bank, Ltd., and Lawson, Inc. first presented on their own experiences. Then, the high school program participants shared the takeaways from the program, such as “don’t set your own limits,” “it’s important to take care of yourself instead of caring about what others think,” and “failure is not something to be ashamed about,” through skits and mini quizzes. Even though they were physically distant from one another, the teams were able to come together as one and share their message with the audience. High school students in the audience commented, “It was a great opportunity to hear about their experiences” and “despite my strengths and weaknesses, I learned the importance of trying new things.”

A high school student who completed the four month-long program commented, “This program was an opportunity for me to think deeply outside of academics. During the program, I was able to evaluate myself and interact with mentors and peers who respect each other’s opinions. I was able to become my true self during this program. I was able to grow in my own way, and I feel like I can take on new challenges now. This program gave me bravery, hope and new networks.”

This program is funded through the TOMODACHI Combini Fund, which is supported by FamilyMart Co., Ltd. and Lawson, Inc.