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TOMODACHI, SoftBank announce 2013 leadership program

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The TOMODACHI Initiative and SoftBank on Wednesday announced the “TOMODACHI Summer 2013 SoftBank Leadership Program.” Fully funded by SoftBank, this program will send approximately 100 Japanese high school students from the disaster-affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima to the University of California, Berkeley from July 22-August 12 for an intensive three-week course focused on global leadership development and community service.

Participating students will explore methods for strengthening their local communities, while gaining a further understanding of American society and culture through homestays, volunteer activities, and exchanges with U.S. high school students.

TOMODACHI and SoftBank inaugurated the program in 2012, and many of the students from that year are now applying what they learned for the benefit of their home communities.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V Roos stated, “I am delighted that TOMODACHI’s partnership with SoftBank will continue this year. There is nothing more important for the future of the U.S.-Japan relationship than connecting the younger generations of our two countries, and this successful program provides the opportunity for our young people to get to know each other while learning valuable skills for their future careers.”

“Visiting the U.S. when I was a high school student and studying in Berkeley changed my life completely,” said Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank. “You can change the future by challenging yourself. I sincerely hope that high school students participating in this program will learn about leadership and make the most of their experience in California for their own future and success.”

Interested students are encouraged to apply for program via the link below. The due date for applications is April 15, 2013. Participants will be finalized on May 17.

© Business Wire

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This is a great program. Keep up the good work. Any attempt to internationalize young Japanese should be promoted. The kids here in Tohoku are so shy and introverted, completely disinterested in worldly goings-on, and many of them are still a little bozen shitsubo from the disaster, that this kind of activity is a good way to get their heads out of the sand. Some students I know were last year's recipients of this prize and the Coca Cola Tomodachi prize and they enjoyed it very much.

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