BEYOND Tomorrow U.S. Summer Program 2024
BEYOND Tomorrow U.S. Summer Program 2024
BEYOND Tomorrow U.S. Program 2024 was held from September 8th to 15th in New York and Washington D.C. for the first time in the last five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This program was held as the “Jiro Murase Memorial Scholarship Program,” following in the footsteps of the late Jiro Murase, who served as a bridge between Japan and the United States, and was supported by individual’s support and donations. The purpose of this program is to allow young people, who will be the leaders of Japan-U.S. exchange, to experience the atmosphere of the U.S., interact with many people, and learn about U.S. society.
【Overview】
Participant：10 students from Japan Future Scholarship Program 2023 and 2024
Program Theme： “What is global leadership?” Learning leadership in the U.S. with innovation and diversity
Place： Washington D.C. and New York in the U.S.
Funded by Jiro Murase Memorial Scholarship, U.S.-Japan Foundation, EXPO’70 Fund, Japanese American Association of New York
Supported by Japan Airlines, Bank of America
Pre-Departure Orientation
We held a pre-departure orientation supported by Bank of America in Tokyo.
In the first part of the orientation, the students did a presentation on a topic “a problematic social issue” and talked about what they would like to learn in the U.S. program. At the end of the first part of the orientation, Mr. Jun Yamazaki, former Ambassador of Singapore, and former Ambassador of Sweden, gave the students warm encouraging messages.
In the second part, we held English communication workshop with volunteer staff from Bank of America.
Our Program in New York
We stayed in New York in the first few days and later in the program. We visited the 9/11 Museum, Isamu Noguchi Museum, a visit to the United Nations Headquarters and a courtesy call on Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary Mitsuko Shino, and Estee Lauder company. We also had an opportunity to have a dinner session with a start-up company, and volunteer activities at the Common Pantry NPO.
The Isamu Noguchi Museum was directed by Mrs. Yuko Murase, the wife of a board member of BEYOND Tomorrow, Mr. Satoru Murase, who was a supporter of our Foundation projects during her lifetime, and who has made a great effort to pass on the arts to future generations.
At each destination, we were able to learn about Japan as seen from the outside and about diversity in the U.S. from various perspectives.
Our Program in Washington D.C.
In the middle of the U.S. program, we visited Washington D.C. We had an exchange with students in J-NET, Georgetown University, an exchange with local high school students in CHEC, a tour of Capitol Hill, a courtesy visit to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Shigeo Yamada of the Embassy of Japan in the United States, and a session with former Senator Mr. Max Baucus and Mr. Yoshihide, lawyer. The students were able to gain new perspectives on “leadership” in various fields.
Farewell Reception
On the last day of the program, we borrowed the Japan Society as the venue for a farewell party, hosted by Mr. Satoru Murase, a board member of BEYOND Tomorrow. The Murase Room has been used every year since the start of the U.S. program, and is a place that is very dear to the Murase family’s hearts.
The students’ presentation was based on the theme of “What is global leadership?” They presented their outcome of this program, and how to tackle social issues in Japan, which they considers problematic.
We would also like to thank Ms. Meriam Lobel, curator of the 9/11 Tribute Center, who provided much on-site support in organizing the program.
Students’ comments
“I think I learned a lot about the importance of understanding each other. Seeing Japanese people working in the U.S. made me realize the importance of being a ‘bridge’ as well. I would like to be a ‘bridge’ that connects people of different cultures and societies.”
“I believe that global leadership is all about the ability to listen. I was able to see and feel the diversity of people’s upbringing and beliefs in the U.S., especially in the broad scope of global leadership.”
“I believe that global leadership means being able to pay attention to various people’s situations, feelings, and unspoken thoughts and feelings, and to analyze things with sincerity and kindness based on that knowledge, and to offer opinions and make efforts to benefit as many people as possible. I would like to have the global leadership skills I learned this time and fully demonstrate them in the future so that I can contribute to the happiness of as many people as possible. I want to live a life in which I do not regret having contributed to people and society.”
Through this program, the students were able to broaden their perspectives in Japan and abroad and think about what they can do as global leaders.
We would like to express our gratitude to all those who supported and cooperated with us in organizing this program.