On June 25, 2023, TOMODACHI Boeing Keio SFC Entrepreneurship Seminar held it’s Final Presentation virtually. Mr. Will Shaffer, President of Boeing Japan, Mr. Cydney Gardner-Brown of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and Ms. Suzanne Basalla, President and Chief Executive Officer at the U.S.-Japan Council attended the event. During the eight months from October 2022 to June 2023, 8 teams were formed. They made various efforts and continued their activities to come up with solutions for social issues that they proposed, and to realize their project.
Five members from five teams were selected to participate in the U.S. study tour based on a comprehensive evaluation of the following: (1) their commitment to the program, (2) their contribution to the program as a whole, (3) whether the proposed project is likely to be supported by the community, and (4) whether they likely to continue working as a team.
Sunwoo Park from the team “BEYOND”
Tokiwa Yasuda from “ACEROLA!”
Haruka Souma from “Tasuki-ai”
Shotaro Abe from “Kama-Classic”
Ami Odate from “CO2;-O”
In addition to presenting the team projects, a debriefing of the overall program was done and individual evaluation results were also shared. The “Local Treasure Hunters” team said, “we are planning to be involved in the management of local festivals and learn how to manage them in order to realize our own projects. Now that we are confirmed to hold the first event, we would like to create prototypes that even children can enjoy.” The “Satoko” team said, “when we first met, we were very shy to each other and only spoke in a formal manner for a while. After we started speaking more casually, the distance became closer, and from there we were able to exchange opinions.”
On July 9, the spin-off event named “Higashi-no-kai” was held in Tokyo. 16 participants living in the Kanto, Chubu, and Tohoku areas (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi, Yamanashi, Fukushima), and 3 participants living in Kyoto and Ehime, a total of 19 participants joined the event. Mr. Hisashi Kiguchi, representative of KHO Co., Ltd. / Keio University SFC research institute, was invited as a lecturer, and taught the basic knowledge and techniques of photography. The group took photos based on the theme of “what I really like” during their fieldwork. At the seminar, participants shared the photos with the group. They also reviewed the perspective of “branding”, which is what they have been working on leading up to the final session. It is a phase required to continue their projects in the future. Participants once again learned the importance of verbalizing the team’s “values,” and making clear connections with society to solidify their “view of the world.”
Ms. Makoto Suzuki said, “I am very grateful to everyone for creating an environment where I can face both myself and the social issues directly. Thank you.”
