In my work with the TOMODACHI Initiative I have been focusing on reaching out to young potential members of a TOMODACHI Generation. We are trying to connect interested young Japanese and young Americans to collaborate on short term goals like working on projects in Tohoku together or on our larger goals of improving cross-cultural relations between the US and Japan.
Much of the focus of our publicity energy has been on Facebook and in this summer alone we raised our Page likes from 300 to just over 1000. But this page mainly serves as a way for us to post photos from current exchanges and to update non-website users on what we have been up to. Where is the space for bringing the youth together?! We have gone through prototypes of blog like tools, an additional members only page of the website, a Facebook group, a Facebook page, however my own push to make it perfect before it goes public has probably kept this idea from truly coming to fruition.
I have been arranging student focus groups amongst university students in Japan to try and grasp what they would want to get out of American students if given the opportunity. My experience in the Japan related student organizations in the US has given me the opportunity to speak with many American students about what they would want out of Japanese students. It has all basically boiled down to this: Students and young professionals would like to be able to use one another as a resource. Essentially we need to build a network that is much more informal than the networks and the networking that happens once you graduate. We as young people have the benefit of knowing we are less likely to offend someone for being to informal and we know that there are other passionate like-minded individuals who are also anxious to meet us!
So TOMODACHI is making a tool that can facilitate this. We need a space where we can introduce ourselves and our interests. This can be on an individual level or on a club level. We need a space where people can propose ideas for Tohoku related projects. We need a space where individuals can get travel advice for when they go to the US or Japan. A space where people can share Japanese or English studying resources, another for asking cultural questions. We know the amount of topics that young people will want to talk about is endless. However we face issues in which language to use. Do all posts need to be made in both or would it be alright if whoever can read it can answer. Would this be making the most use out of a tool like this?
This project has been my baby since the start of my experience with the TOMODACHI Initiative and while we still have more research to do to find the best method, we at least know that our audience is interested and that they have already been supplying ideas and support for our TOMODACHI Connect tool.
This all has been a crash course in marketing and PR for me but I feel like the goals we have are slightly different than most companies. We don’t seek to make money or to make the TOMODACHI name big by facilitating these connections between Japanese and American youth. I know what amazing things could happen if a small non-profit in Tohoku could link up with the energy of American college students. I have been there when a student from Iwate Prefecture finally shared his experience of 3.11 for the first time to American students, he asked for us to find a way for 3.11 survivors to share their stories because even as of now, they haven’t been able have this healing experience.
Even though this may just be a small aspect of the work that TOMODACHI does I feel that to those of us who want to make a difference in the US Japan Relationship, this is where we can start. We can make connections here that will last us a lifetime and so of course any advice on how we can better achieve this is welcome and appreciated!