TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0
2024 TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0
Empowering Future Leaders – U.S. Training at UC Berkeley
From July 30 to August 18, 2024, the U.S. training of the TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0 was held, and twelve Japanese high school and university level students along with three community mentors participated in the training at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). The program focused on leadership and community contribution, guiding these participants to create action plans for social issues in their local communities in Tohoku.
The participants deepened their learning on leadership through a curriculum based on Y-PLAN, which emphasizes leadership, collaboration, practical problem-solving, resilience, and innovation. They visited various organizations in North Richmond and the Bay Area during their stay to learn more about community revitalizaion. The program highlighted the importance of teamwork, with students living and working together throughout the experience. Read More>>
Orientation for TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0
On June 23, the orientation program for the TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0 was held online.
This 6-month program started in June 2024, is designed for high school and university students (who were living in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake and are currently living in these prefectures). Students will learn about community contribution and leadership at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and other organizations from July 30 to August 18. They will also learn how to develop ideas to solve social issues, plan and execute them, and create action plans to solve each issue. In December, the participants will share the process and results of the program at the final presentation. Mentors with experience in entrepreneurship development and regional revitalization in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures will support the participants from planning to implementation of the action plans after their return. Read More>>
2023 TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0
U.S. Training
From July 26th to August 16th, 2023, the U.S. training of the TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0 was held, and seventeen Japanese high school and college students along with three community mentors participated in the training at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). The goal of this program is to encourage students to cultivate their civic leadership capacity, and to make a difference in their home communities.
While in the U.S., students studied at UC Berkeley in a custom designed program based on the Y-PLAN, which is a civic learning strategy developed by UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools (CC+S). The curriculum focuses on leadership, optimism, perseverance, resilience, creativity and innovation, and empathy. Read More>>
Final Presentation
On December 3, 2023, the TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program 2.0 commencement was held in Sendai in Miyagi prefecture. Approximately 60 people, including 17 students（16 high school students, and 1 university student) from Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefecture who participated in the program, joined the event. The students presented what they learned during their 3 weeks abroad at UC Berkeley alongside how they applied their learnings to their projects after coming back to Japan. Read More>>
