Hands On Tokyo Youth Impact Project

Nearly half of the Youth Impact 2025–2026 program has been completed. Over the past four months, youth participants have engaged in diverse volunteer activities, demonstrating growing leadership, initiative, and social responsibility. In addition to supporting existing programs, youth have begun proposing and leading activities of their own.

Key Activities

• Inclusive Education & Disability Support: Youth supported English-learning programs for people with disabilities, both online and in person, and facilitated holiday-themed activities promoting inclusive social interaction.
• Blind Jogging Program: Participants served as guide runners for people with visual impairments, gaining firsthand experience in accessibility and inclusive sports. This has inspired planning for a future program focused on children with visual impairments.
• Kodomo Shokudo (Children’s Cafeteria): Youth assisted in serving hot meals to approximately 200 children in need in Setagaya Ward, increasing awareness of food insecurity and community support.
• Environmental Action: Through a beach cleanup focused on microplastics, youth learned how everyday waste impacts the ocean and the importance of sustainable practices.
• Youth-Led Roppongi Cleanup: Youth successfully led their first independent community cleanup, coordinating a diverse group of participants across ages, abilities, and nationalities.

Learning Outcomes

Through these activities, youth strengthened:

• Leadership and initiative
• Understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Environmental and social awareness
• Collaboration across diverse communities

These experiences are equipping youth with practical skills and confidence to continue contributing as community leaders beyond the program.

Youth Reflections

”Leading the Youth Impact team this year has taught us to receive feedback with openness. With members from both Japanese and international schools, we’ve learned that listening to diverse perspectives is essential to effective leadership. We put this into practice by dividing the team into three subgroups—environment, education, and children’s homes—based on members’ interests. These smaller groups allow for more meaningful participation and ensure members feel heard. As a result, members see their efforts reflected in the wide range of events we organize. While keeping a large group consistently engaged has been challenging, we are committed to fostering an environment where every member feels encouraged to share their ideas in the months ahead. We look forward to a successful term!”- Youth Impact Leadership Team (2025–2026)

“The beach clean-up was a meaningful opportunity to give back to both the community and the environment, while working alongside others to recognise the value of volunteer work. With the event taking place close to Christmas, it was nice to contribute in a tangible way rather than viewing the holiday solely as a time for exchanging gifts, which helped me reflect on the true, deeper purpose of the holidays. Despite it being the middle of winter, I was surprised by the large number of participants, many of whom were laughing, cooperating, and turning what could have been a dull task into an enjoyable shared experience. I was also impressed by how clean the beach already was, to the point where we were genuinely struggling to find any litter. This made me appreciate Japanese culture more deeply, particularly the strong sense of responsibility many people show in taking their rubbish home and respecting shared public spaces. While the comedy performance was not the best I have seen, it sill exposed me to something new.” - L, Beach Clean up participant

“It was really enjoyable and meaningful for me! T and I worked together creating slides and a scavenger hunt activity that would be interactive and engaging for the children. It was my first time teaching children with disabilities and I really love how most of them were really enthusiastic and talkative. Seeing their energy and participation made the experience really rewarding!!” - Y,  Teaching English for children with intellectual & mental disabilities participant

Names are abbreviated to protect the privacy of youth under 18.

Links:

• Youth Impact Instagram