Latest News

"I wanted to become a nurse. After listening to a journalist speak, I became interested in international nursing. My perspective expanded."

"Because the people around me helped to challenge my perspective, I learned to think critically and discuss things with others,"

said high school students who participated in a leadership program organized by Bridge for Fukushima (BFF). They completed their university entrance examinations and are now ready to move on to the next chapter in their lives in April. The experiences gained through the BFF program helped the students persevere through exam preparations. The students shared their experience at the BFF program in the interview video.

＜High school and university student participants in the 2019 program＞

"BFF supports high school students as they tackle issues, make decisions, and develop themselves," said the director, Mr. Banba. BFF offers various programs aiming to nurture young entrepreneurs to further develop their strengths, deepen their knowledge, and challenge themselves without worrying about mistakes. The programs include "Ready to Go" where students hear from non-profit professionals and those with overseas experience; networking events between high school and university students; agricultural projects where university students teach elementary school students about agriculture; and online campus visits.

BFF staff support the participants in not only the individual programs, but also provide consultations on university and job hunting. BFF also works with a local education board and provides special classes for high school students for career development and challenges faced in local communities.

＜Planning meeting in 2019 - right after launching BFF＞

Many new ideas were realized through the BFF program - young people involved from the planning stage and working with adults helped to bring in new ideas. The young participants said that they were able to come up with and communicate their ideas through a series of discussions.

Last year and early into this year, BFF canceled in-person programs due to the spread of COVID-19. School closings in the spring of 2020 caused much anxiety and loneliness for students and BFF staff spent time talking to them and provided emotional support.

Some events resumed online and social networking sites were utilized to maintain close communications with the students. "People can participate in our programs without worrying about time and place so online programs have definitely helped." Despite the long pandemic, BFF is thriving as they find different ways to provide services to their students.

＜Online networking＞

This spring, many high school and college seniors are moving on to universities or joining the workforce and are now becoming mentors for younger students. This is an opportunity for the student participants to apply what they gained through the BFF programs in the real world. The revitalization of Fukushima and training entrepreneurs cannot be done overnight - BFF will continue investing in students for the future.

Civic Force has supported the BFF programs through the Great East Japan Earthquake NPO Partner Projects from September 2019 to December 2021. Please click here for more details.