Community Core Leaders Development Program (Core)

To build a regional ‘cohesive society’ where each diverse individual joins society and supports each other as well as puts one’ s own abilities to good use, social activities by various entities such as local community, non-profit organization and administrative body need to be enhanced. Based on the recognition of its importance along with the achievement of the Young Core Leaders of Civil Society Groups Development Program of the previous years, mutual exchanges shall be organized that involve Japanese and foreign participants engaged in problem-solving in the fields of elderly people, persons with disabilities and youth, to be sent to countries which have innovative models in those fields and to be invited to Japan, in order to seek various measures to solve problems in each field, develop their practical skills such as organizational management, cooperation with other organization and networking through interaction with young leaders.

Themes

  • Activities for Elderly People Course: “Necessary cooperation for supporting elderly people in local community”
  • Activities for Persons with Disabilities Course: “Further development of social participation of persons with disabilities in local community”
  • Activities for Youth Course: “Development of human resource to support growth of children and young people”

Sending Program

Delegation from Japan were sent to the UK (Activities for Elderly People Course), Finland (Activities for Persons with Disability Course) and Germany (Activities for Youth Course) from October 9 to 18, 2016. During the Program they visited institutions related to the respective courses and had discussions.

Invitation Program

Foreign participants who are active in the fields of elderly people, persons with disabilities and youth from the UK, Finland, and Germany were invited to Japan from February 14 to 28, 2017. During the program they are participated in NPO Management Forum and Local Program with respect to each courses and had discussions.

NPO Management Forum

Participation in a wide range of social activities which actively contribute to the international society and communities is requisite to realizing a “cohesive society”, where individuals with various attributes participate in society in an independent manner to support themselves and each other while making full use of their respective abilities.

The NPO Management Forum 2017 (the 15th NPO Management Forum) was implemented with the aim that actively involving Japanese and foreign participants in non-profit sector in three fields (elderly people, persons with disabilities and youth) forgathered to share beneficial information based on the situations of NPOs and their activities in respective countries and exchange opinions in a pragmatic manner, thereby enhancing their capacities for NPO management, supporting social activities in their respective fields, and eventually, becoming youth leaders so as to play a central role in the community activities.

General theme for Discussion / Discussion Topics

Revitalization of local communities through activities of and organizational reinforcement of non-profit organizations

  • Topic 1: Cultivating environment to facilitate employment of various human talents
  • Topic 2: Enhanced activities of non-profit organizations through nurturing of female managers
  • Topic 3: Appropriate monitoring, evaluation and reporting of projects to expand community projects and activities

Institutional Visits by Topic

During the NPO Management Forum, foreign and Japanese participants had discussions in three different topics.

Prior to the discussions, institutional visits were implemented on February 16, Thursday, according to the topics foreign participants belonged to, with their aim to learn the current situation in Japan, accompanied by the NPO Management Forum Organizing Committee members. The participants visited non-profit organizations in the fields of elderly people, persons with disabilities and youth, exchanged information and ideas with staff on the general theme and deepened understanding of the situation surrounding non-profit organization in Japan.

Regional Program

From February 21 to 26, 2017 foreign participants visited Tottori (Activities for Elderly People Course), Oita (Activities for Persons with Disabilities Course) and Kagoshima (Activities for Youth Course) and had visits to the related institutions to have discussions with staff and participated in the Local Seminar.