YouMeWe Joins the Fostering Higher Education Initiative!
We’re thrilled to announce that YouMeWe is partnering with the Fostering Higher Education (FHE) program to support foster youth in achieving their academic dreams!
The FHE program provides critical resources and guidance to youth transitioning from high school or GED programs to postsecondary education, offering unique support through:
Education Goal Planning
Identifying & Overcoming Challenges in Higher Ed
Personalized Mentoring
This event is all about empowering young people to overcome barriers and create brighter futures. At YouMeWe, we believe every young adult deserves a chance to thrive, and we’re proud to stand alongside this impactful program!
Stay tuned for updates from the event and stories of the incredible youth we’re here to support!
December 11
This day was filled with love and giving
We're incredibly grateful to our amazing partners at Titan Consulting and all the dedicated volunteers who helped us wrap up 40 gifts for the kids at Koubo Aijien orphanage in Kanagawa.
We also packed 25 gifts for the children at Hikari no Kodomo in Saitama. And guess what? Our friends at the post office are starting to recognize us!
But the joy doesn't stop there! This year, we're spreading the Christmas cheer all the way to Brazil, with over 30 gifts heading to Viva la Vida orphanage in Suzano.
Want to be part of this magic?
Donate: Your gift can bring a smile to a child's face. https://goto.gg/67562
Volunteer: Join us in spreading joy and making a difference. Email us at [email protected]
Share: Help us reach more children in need.
Together, we can make this Christmas unforgettable!
#YouMeWe #SharingAndCaring #ChristmasJoy #GiveBack #Volunteer #Donate
Pizza Party at Tokyo Katei Gakko!
A huge thank you to Chee Ming Loh and Keiji Nakamura for making pizzas with the kids! With this event, the home received a Brand- new pizza oven, giving the children a space to bake, cook, and share stories together.
We at YouMeWe believe cooking and baking isn’t just about food it’s about connection, creativity, and community. Here’s to more moments of joy and togetherness!
Thank You for Your Generosity on #GivingTuesday!
This #GivingTuesday, you showed us the power of generosity and community. Thanks to your incredible support, we raised over to drive positive change and create opportunities for those who need them most.
Your donations will have a direct impact on [specific goal, e.g., “providing education, resources, and support to young individuals striving for a brighter future”]. Every dollar you contributed brings us closer to achieving our mission and ensuring that [specific outcome, e.g., “these youth have the tools they need to succeed”].
We’re inspired by your kindness and commitment to making a difference. It’s supporters like you who make our work possible and give hope to so many.
Stay tuned for updates on how your generosity is making an impact—we can’t wait to share the stories of change you’ve helped create.
Thank you for believing in us and being a part of this journey. Together, we’re making a difference!
Do you know what the Orange Ribbon means?
The "Orange Ribbon Campaign" is a citizens' movement that calls for the elimination of child abuse by spreading the orange ribbon as a symbol of child abuse prevention .
Through the Orange Ribbon Campaign, we aim to spread awareness of the current state of child abuse,
raise awareness of the issue among many people, and build an abuse-free society through a citizen network.
At YouMeWe, we have a Child Safety Policy. We will also be participating in the Orange Ribbon Event at Tokyo Tower this Saturday.
1/3 of the children in the homes are happy where they are. This is the population YouMeWe is focused on but once learning this, we realized that 2/3rds of the children are also needing attention. 1/3 do not feel they have a voice. Hence we have partnered with IFCA (International Foster Care Alliance) and 1/3 want to be reunited with their families therefore we have partnered with Youkikai which has a program to not only prevent child abuse by taking test and focusing red flags but also how to retrain parents who have a chance to get their children back. We have started the project to create a Social Impact Bond to address this. It costs 100,000,000 JPY to have a child in care from 2 to 18 years old and we strive to get local government approval to allow us to raise the funds, pay back the bond holders with a return not only financially but vis a vis Social Impact return. This can save the government millions in projected costs but also helps break the three generational childhood trauma cycle. We have also partnered with TELL to have a speaker series for the staff in the homes to understand the intricacies of caring for children who are A.C.E. (Adverse Childhood Experience) survivors.
Child Safety Policy
A Child Safety Policy highlights the importance of actions taken in regards to a witnessed incident of abuse. This policy asks for details that can help the organization understand the incident: time, location, child involved, and perpetrator. All of these steps must be followed in a timely manner to ensure the safety and the voice of the child.
児童虐待の状況に遭遇したときに、どのような対応をすればよいのかを知って行動に移すことが重要であると考え、Child Safety Policyを作成することにしました。そのため、Child Safety Policyでは基本的に、虐待がいつどこで発生したかや、虐待をされた子どもの情報など、虐待の詳細をお聞きしています。これらのすべてのステップは、事件の状況下で子供が発言権を持っているかをいち早く確認する方法としてとても大切です
Background from Global Giving:
Introduction The first Child Safeguarding Standards were launched over 12 years ago by a coalition of relief and development charities that later became known as Keeping Children Safe. Since then there has been a growing recognition that, as well as risks to children from staff and associates, inappropriately designed programs and poor operational management can also create the possibility of risks to children. Keeping Children Safe represents a commitment by those working in this sector to ensure that their organizations “do no harm” and that they meet the responsibilities set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to protect children from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence. Drawing on the knowledge and experience of experts, Keeping Children Safe developed the Keeping Children Safe Standards, which was supported by a comprehensive Toolkit for implementing the Standards. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the independent expert for the UN study on violence against children, acknowledged the importance of the Toolkit, stating that: “It offers an excellent opportunity not only for the improvement of the quality and professionalism of those working with children but most importantly, it will help to achieve a greater impact for children.” Since it was first published, hundreds of organizations and thousands of professionals worldwide have used the Toolkit. The increasing demand for the Toolkit reflects the growing recognition by organizations, which work with, impact on, or come into contact with children, that they have a responsibility to keep them safe. What is child safeguarding? Child safeguarding is the responsibility that organizations have to make sure their staff, operations, and programs do no harm to children, that is that they do not expose children to the risk of harm and abuse and that any concerns the organization has about children’s safety within the communities in which they work are reported to the appropriate authorities. “Do no harm” is a principle that has been used in the humanitarian sector but can equally be applied to the development field. It refers to organizations’ responsibility to minimize the harm they may be doing inadvertently as a result of their organizational activities.
グローバル・ギビングの背景
はじめに 最初の子どもの保護基準は、12年以上前に、後にKeeping Children Safeとして知られるようになった 自由と開発慈善の連合によって立ち上げられました。それ以来、職員や関係者による子どもへのリスクだけでなく、不適切に設計されたプログラムや不十分な運営管理によっても子どもたちにリスクが生じる可能性があることが認識されるようになってきました。Keeping Children Safe は、この分野で働く人々が、自分たちの組織が“子供に害を及ぼさない”ことを保証し、あらゆる形態の虐待、ネグレクト、搾取、暴力から子どもを守るために、児童の権利に関する条約（Convention on the Rights of the Child）を果たすことを約束しています。専門家の知識と経験をもとに、Keeping Children SafeはKeeping Children Safe Standardsを作成し、それを実施するための包括的なツールキットによってサポートされています。子どもへの暴力に関する国連調査の独立専門家であったパウロ・セルジオ・ピネイロは、このツールキットの重要性を認め、次のように述べています。"このツールキットは、子どもたちと関わる人々の質と専門性を向上させるだけでなく、最も重要なことは、子どもたちのためのより大きな影響力を達成するのに役立つ素晴らしい機会を提供します”。初めて発表されて以来、世界中の何百もの組織と何千もの専門家がツールキットを使用してきました。このツールキットの需要が高まっているのは、子どもを扱う組織、子どもに影響を与える組織、子どもと接触する組織が、子どもの安全を守る責任があるという認識が高まっていることを反映しています。児童保護とは何ですか？児童保護とは、組織のスタッフ、業務、プログラムが子どもに危害を加えないようにする責任、すなわち、子どもを危害や虐待の危険にさらさないようにする責任であり、組織が活動する地域社会における子どもの安全について懸念がある場合には、適切な団体に報告する責任です。"危害を加えないこと”は、人道的な分野で使われてきた原則ですが、開発の分野でも同様に適用できます。これは、組織の活動の結果として不用意に行う可能性のある危害を最小限に抑える組織の責任を指しています。
CHILD SAFETY POLICY
New Intern! Welcome Ayaan Ali
Hello! My name is Ayaan, and I’m excited to be joining YouMeWe as an intern for the next six weeks. Born and raised in Cambridge, I’m currently taking a gap year before pursuing a degree in law, using this time to contribute meaningfully to causes I’m passionate about. I’m especially drawn to YouMeWe’s mission of empowering students from institutionalised homes through digital literacy, life skills, and a sense of community. Working with a Tokyo-based nonprofit dedicated to child welfare and societal betterment aligns closely with my values, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from the team while supporting young individuals on their paths to independence.
Carbine Club 4th year in a row
We are extremely thankful to the Carbine Club who has made YouMeWe the recipient of their generous fundraising on the day of the famous Melbourne Cup. Not only is it a day to celebrate the coming together of members in Tokyo but also to dress up and watch the race from hats to heels for the ladies and now some of the men…. The funds raised go towards our Life Connection courses which involve sports, team building and the Designing Artists Academy which we hold annually.
A great day was held with many prizes offered for the raffle including Cathay Pacific’s give away of two economy class tickets roundtrip to Hong Kong and a two nights stay at The Regent.
A speech was given by Michael Perry-Clemons, Founder of YouMeWe:
“As many of you may know I was asked to play Santa for an orphanage in 2007 and I never really left.
What really cemented our desire to help the kids was a trip we made to Disneyland where we were paired off with two ten year old boys
When it came time for the visit to the Disney Store, whilst many kids were throwing things over their shoulders into their carts, our kids did not want to go in or ask for anything.
To me this seemed unnatural and at the same time made me want to do more for kids that do not ask for anything.
Those boys would be 27 year old men now. And we are reminded that these are not marginallzed kids but maximizeable children who need to feel like something bigger than themselves.
Over the 17 years we have been working in the homes, it only occurred to my recently that we may be the only consistency these children have as we visit them every week and or have online classes all over Japan and now Philippines and Brazil. as the principals retire and the staff rotate, we are there every single week.
We teach about 3 dozen children weekly; coding or English or helping them in person or online with their homework. We give them scholarships for university and help them find jobs AND are available to coach them into adulthood.
We also have been holding a summer camp since 2008 here they experienced kick boxing, futsal and soon will be going to a Marinos game in December.
Thanks to the Carbine club in our fourth year we have raised well over ¥3,000,000, Last year we were able to give over 350 christmas presents to the kids we support. We hope to double that this year.
In Summary, I wanted to ask:
Did you ever realize that how many orphans are the protagonist in the movies and cartoons we watch?
Harry Potter, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Elsa from Frozen, even Kung Fu Panda there is something about us as audience where we are cheering for the one making his/her way on their own.
Yet, Harry Potter had various teachers, Superman had his human parents, Spiderman had his aunt....they all also had an adult who looked out for them and helped them become the best version of themselves.
As the future rushes at the children we remind them to to dwell on how their lives started but how they want their lives to end up. And if you do not know what you want, imagine what you do want and then what the opposite of that is.
And come back to the now and focus on what you need to get done in order to happen.
How all any of us have is the NOW...and the depth of our experiences go deeper than the length of our lives. All the more reason to lean into the now....which is another word for the present which is another word for gift.
Thank you very much.”
It’s GameWeek at YouMeWe!
For children in the 21st Century who will live until the 22nd Century, the question of “what is worth learning?” comes to mind again and again. What will never change, however, is communication; collaboration and creativity with an emphasis on`CREATE and being the CREATOR of our own lives. The children we work with did not have a choice about the circumstances they were born into. Yet, we like to help them unlock the ability to imagine the life they want to evolve into by producing games from a blank canvas. When is the last time you did something for the first time?
This week, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on the inspiring creations of children who have been learning to code through YouMeWe’s coding lessons! Over the next nine days, we’ll be featuring a different game each day across all our social media platforms. These games are more than just a fun project—each one reflects the hard work, creativity, and new technical skills these young learners have developed.
Each game showcased is a testament to the journey these young people are on—becoming the next generation of digital citizens and tech innovators. We invite you to join us in celebrating their hard work and creativity! Stay tuned to see their unique stories and innovative ideas come to life in their games. Follow along and cheer them on as they take on their future, one line of code at a time!
Capgemini
A big thank you to the Capgemini volunteers for their second visit to St. Francis! Your support in guiding our learners through digital skills has been invaluable. We appreciate your time, expertise, and the positive impact you’re making in our community. Looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the future! #CommunitySupport #DigitalLearning #CapgeminiVolunteers #StFrancis
Halloween Event at Christmas Village with JP Morgan!
We joined JP Morgan at a Halloween event they held at Christmas Village, where the kids made Piñatas and learned about various countries! We would like to thank JP Morgan and Christmas Village for having us at the event and are looking forward to participating again in the future.
Bringing Joy to children This Holiday Season: A Heartfelt Thank You to Societe Generale!
At YouMeWe NPO, we believe that every child deserves to experience the magic of the holiday season, especially those without families to celebrate with. That’s why we launched the Sharing & Caring Project, aimed at bringing joy to orphans across Japan through thoughtful gifts and community support.
This year, we are thrilled to announce that Societe Generale in Tokyo has stepped up to make a significant difference. Their dedication and enthusiasm have been nothing short of inspiring. We recently held a workshop at their Tokyo office, and it was incredible to see their team come together to support the children we serve.
Special thanks to Junna Ichiyanagi, Stephane Roger, Joachim Ferrari, Julien M., and the entire team for their hard work and generosity. Your efforts will ensure that orphans across Japan feel the love and care they deserve during this special time of year.
But the work doesn’t stop here—this is just the beginning. If your company is looking for a meaningful way to give back this holiday season, we’d love to collaborate with you. By joining our Sharing & Caring Project, you can make a real difference in the lives of these children.
Interested in learning more about how you can help? Please feel free to message us at [email protected]. Together, we can spread joy and make this holiday season one to remember for every child.
Let’s come together as a community and show these children they are loved!
Decathlon Donation!
🌟 Thank you, Decathlon Japan! 🌟
We are incredibly grateful to our partner @DecathlonJapan for donating 9 computers 🖥️! These devices will empower children in the homes we support, opening doors to digital literacy and new learning opportunities.
Together, we’re helping shape a brighter future, one click at a time! 💙✨ #YouMeWe #DigitalLiteracy #ThankYou #nonprofitorganization #socialimpactorganization #NPO
Meet our new Intern Bárbara!
Hi there! My name is Bárbara, and I’m excited to be joining YouMeWe for the next six months. I was born and raised in Mexico City, and for the past two years, I’ve been living in Berlin, Germany, while pursuing my master’s degree. I am passionate about ensuring that children, regardless of their background, have access to quality education and the right skills to succeed. I look forward to contributing to YouMeWe’s mission and making a tangible impact on underprivileged youth in Japan, an experience I hope to apply to other regions in the future.
CapGemini!
Yesterday @capgemini employees joined us at our weekly orphanage visit in Tokyo.
Currently, at this orphanage, students participate in the Global Identity Program (GIP) that aims to allow the children to self-discover their role in the growing multicultural and technologically advancing Japanese society.
As part of our current unit which is focused on “Identity and Diversity,” students are working on creating their own PowerPoint presentations on a country they have randomly picked which at the end of the month they will be presenting to the rest of the class.
Through a mixture of English and Japanese in the lessons, the children not only gain digital literacy and global citizenship, but English literacy as well, allowing us to cover all three pillars of the GIP program.
Thank you for joining us Capgemini Japan!
Heart Family
This is Sugie-san, he calls me his twin because we are the same age, similar haircut, eyeglasses and there is always a contest on who is fatter or slimmer. I am winning, I just won’t confirm which side!
He runs the training program of how to help abusive parents get their children back with practical and thoughtful training programs.
He comes from a long line of his late father who lived to be 92 having fostered 100 children over the years Sugie-san has 29 people in his house including blood and the concept of Heart Family members.
We talked about how blood feels thicker than water like when I met siblings I didn’t know I had at 48 years old.
We talked about the 250 people who came to his foster son’s funeral who was just 20 years old when we tragically lost him.
The solace is that his friends told him that he called Sugie-san his only father.
How now the young man’s birth mother, who is alone in the world, comes and has dinner daily with the 28 others at his table.
These people, including me, he calls his “Heart Family” and I love that!
Scholars
We have had the privilege of being connected with the Chubu Children’s Fund as part of the ACCJ’s program in Nagoya. Over the years we have been able to give the high school graduates from the various orphanages who continue their education laptops.
Once the Mark Bell Scholarship fund was established at YouMeWe, we modeled the application process off of the CCF and were able to help financially with scholars tuition in addition to the CCF funding.
We spent Saturday morning and afternoon with over one dozen scholars as they were interviewed about their lifes and status of their education.
Aside from all the amazing scholars, some who are only 18 years old but appear to be much more mature, proves maturity knows no age. An 18 year old showing us his financial app where he tracks expenses or his nutrition. Another 18 year old who has never touched his savings from high school but lived within the means of his part time job of the scholarships. Financial management seems to be the most common challenge aside from the stellar money managers.
One student in particular humbled and impressed one. He is not a scholar recipient because he had saved enough money and makes enough money to pay his own tuition. Yet sought out and invited the co-chair to dinner with one simple request…to be part of CCF. So, though he neither needs or wants anything, he comes to the events simply for the camaraderie of the other students.
The Chubu Children’s Fund - established by the ACCJ Chubu Chapter in 2016 - provides funding and support for projects that empower, educate, and inspire children, residing in foster homes in the Chubu area, so they may become productive, motivated members of society when they move out on their own.
The key aspects of the " Catalyst Program " are based around:
Leadership Camps
Mentoring Program
Technology Assistance
With the skills and empowerment gained, participants will be further supported through:
Scholarship Program
Internships and Jobs
Leadership Camps
Participating children begin their journey with growth and leadership camps tailored to the needs of each of three age groups (elementary, junior & senior high school).
Camps for each age group typically take place from one to three times a year, and vary in length from weekend retreats to week-long adventures. Not merely fun and games, inspirational, meaningful yet fun activities with members, councilors, speakers etc., provide the potential for life-changing experiences.
Mentoring Program
The leadership camps will provide a spring board for a mentoring program with leaders from the local business community. This program may consist of monthly phone calls, emails, or other forms of communication including a monthly or bi-monthly face to face meeting.
Mentoring programs help foster long-lasting, meaningful relationships with kids that typically lead to a better future for each protege in the program.
Technology Assistance
A sound base of computer/technology skills is considered paramount to employability and simply functioning in daily life. With the help of partnering child-care facilities and orphanages, we develop a technology plan for each location based on specific needs and funding available.
Scholarship Program
Once children have progressed through the Catalyst Program, they become eligible for a scholarship when they are ready to leave the home and move out into the world on their own. The Chubu Children's Fund can provide scholarships that would assist qualifying participants when they chose to go on to higher education.
Internships and Jobs
As the children move through the system, and become young adults, the final step in our program is to provide them with opportunities for jobs or internships.
SalesForce has officially launched its NPO event to showcase how NPOs can use their Ohana Floor.
YouMeWe NPO was one of the first NPOs to use the space for a gala in 2023.
We are planning a VIP dinner in the space this year for the top Donor Circle tentatively November 20, 2024. We were joined by dozens of NPOs who were invited to Salesforce to see the space and have a kick off of their amazing efforts.
A massive thank you to WILEY Publishing for donating laptops for our computer labs
We are extremely grateful for the community reaching out to us like Wiley and having donated 10 laptops for us to be able to upgrade and replace laptops out in the field. Weekly we teach programming and language lessons online throughout Japan, Philippines and Brazil.
We live in an information society now and it is important if not imperative for the children in orphanages to have connectivity .
Diplomat Sena Yamamoto and Ambassador Yoshiki Aoyagi join the Coaching Training as part of Manchester City’s Champions 4-In-A-Row Trophy Tour in Tokyo, the Club hosted a one-day Coach Education event.
CITY HOST COACH EDUCATION DAY DURING TOKYO 4-IN-A-ROW TROPHY TOUR STOP
Man City Editorial
Tue 17 Sep 2024, 11:00
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As part of Manchester City’s Champions 4-In-A-Row Trophy Tour in Tokyo, the Club hosted a one-day Coach Education event.
The event was aimed at sharing skills and knowledge from Manchester City community coaches with young leaders, coaches, charities, and volunteers.
The course is designed to empower coaches to use football as a tool for promoting healthier lives among city youth, through a combination of practical sessions and workshops.
MORE ON OUR 2024/25 TROPHY TOUR
During the event, our cameras focused on one participant’s journey – Sena Yamamoto, a volunteer at YouMeWe.
Sena is a former soccer player from Fujieda and Shizouka and now volunteers at YouMeWe, a Tokyo-based non-profit dedicated to supporting students from institutionalised homes.
Through his volunteering at YouMeWe, Yamamoto coaches high school and pre-school children in the Tokyo Kanagawa region.
Whilst participating at the Coach Education Day, Yamamoto explained his role in using football to benefit children and young teens in Tokyo and how the training on offer from City has supported him and his ambition to become a community coach.
Watch our wrap-up video on the Tokyo Coach Education Day with Yamamoto via the video above…