Unleash the Potential of Young Changemakers

On April 21st, we held the 14th "We are the Change" event, our first in approximately eight months. Main activities there are described as below: 

• The event featured a review panel for three Youth Venturer andidates. The panelists included David Green, selected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2001, Mieko Takenobu, a journalist and Professor Emeritus at Wako University, and Yasuhiro Mimura, head of the Startup CEO SYSTEM at EggFORWARD Corporation. All candidates successfully passed and officially became members of the Youth Venturers.
• Activity reports were presented by four active Youth Venturers, sharing progress on initiatives addressing peace issues, diversity awareness, creating a book-swapping space, and new approaches to education.
• A discussion session titled "Changemaking" was held to discuss the meaning and skills associated with the term. This session facilitated an exchange of views between participants from different backgrounds, deepening the understanding of common challenges.
• We also heard a speech from special guest, David Green, who talked about his experiences developing systems to provide high-quality medical products and services in developing countries. He shared insights into the importance and challenges of his work. Additionally, a message was delivered to event attendees by Nana Watanabe, the representative of Ashoka Japan.

Besides “We are the Change,” we also hold monthly activity sharing meetings for members of the Youth Venturers program. While our meetings are usually held online, on July 6th, we conducted an in-person meeting in Tokyo. A total of four Youth Venturers, two staff members, and one former Youth Venturers who is now a working professional participated. Over the course of five hours in the afternoon, participants discussed each other's activities and the challenges that emerged during their efforts, spending a fulfilling time together.

On July 24th, we hosted an online talk event to explore the lives and activities of the Youth Venturers who are changing society. The first session of this ongoing series featured a Youth Venturer who is working to create a society that respects diversity. She shared with high school and university students in attendance how she came to focus on this theme, her experiences and thoughts that led her there, what activities she has undertaken, and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.