St Francis April 27th
This week at St. Francis, the children explored the topic of Breaking News and learned about the risk associated with believing information prematurely. They also practiced using a critical eye to analyze news by asking questions like: Is this real or fake? Who is sharing it? What evidence supports it?
After the lesson, the students created their own Kahoot quizzes! They chose their own themes, including sports, history, and other topics they were interested in. Then, they came up with questions and searched for answers, becoming critical thinkers and creators themselves. 💙
A big thank you to all of our volunteers who helped support the students during the activity. If you are interested in volunteering with us, please contact us at [email protected].
Even More on the Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an international program for people ages 14-24 that aims to develop important life skills based on the individual interests of each participant. The core purpose is to build confidence and independence for young people while they pursue their personal goals. There are 3 levels that participants may complete: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
All participants must be committed to do volunteering in some capacity that is relevant to their personal interests and goals. This can be tutoring, joining community service, or other types of activities that improve your local community. This is an essential cornerstone of the program and participants must volunteer on a regular basis over a certain period of time in order to move on with the next level. We believe this is an important part for YouMeWe’s participants as it will help them develop consistency, resilience and active learning through practical tasks.
Listen to the testimonies of participants here:
More on the Duke of Edinburgh
2026 has been a year of new opportunities for YouMeWe! We are happy to announce that in accordance with our mission of supporting children and teenagers in becoming successful and independent adults, we have been selected for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
This is an important milestone in YouMeWe’s journey as an NPO, as we are now working in collaboration with an organization that shares our mission and values. Under the mentorship program that the Duke of Edinburgh Award offers, YouMeWe has a unique opportunity to encourage Japanese youth to have a better future for themselves.
Learn more about the award in the video below:
https://youtu.be/ctfn4BeI38c
Introducing the Duke of Edinburgh Award
YouMeWe has been welcomed as a partner for The Duke of Edinburgh Award.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an education and learning framework that encourages personal growth through activities in volunteering, physical recreation, and adventure.
We are honored for this opportunity.
It's National Volunteer Week (April 19-25) and we are so grateful.
A huge thank you to our 10 incredible interns - Xing, Sandra, Max, Pinky, Ximena, Lia, Koko, Kyla, Pablo, and Emily. From different corners of the world, they show up week after week for young people in institutional care, opening doors to new perspectives and possibilities these kids might never have imagined.
それが本当の「村」の力です。
(That is the real power of a village.)
Want to be part of it? We would love to have you. Sign up for our next volunteer orientation via the Peatix link in our bio.
#YouMeWeNPO #NationalVolunteerWeek #GlobalVolunteerMonth #SocialImpact #YouthEmpowerment
National Volunteer Week is April 19-25, but honestly? Our volunteers don't wait for a designated week.
They show up every week - online, in person, across time zones - for the kids who need them most.
To every single person who has given their time to teach, tutor, and encourage the children we support - thank you. You are the village.
If you've been thinking about joining us, now is a great time to take that step. We'd love to have you in an upcoming session.
Sign up or reach out at youmewenpo.org or DM us to get started.
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ボランティア週間は4月19日〜25日ですが、私たちのボランティアは一年中、毎週子どもたちのために集まってくれています。本当にありがとうございます。
一緒に活動しませんか？詳しくはプロフィールのリンクから。
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth
“Children are like kites. You spend years helping them rise, and one day they fly on their own.”
At YouMeWe, our job does not end there.
Through the Mark Bell Scholarship, we help young people from institutional homes take the next step with scholarship support, laptops for tertiary education, mentoring, coaching, and even help furnishing their first apartments.
Independence should not mean doing it alone. If you’d like to support a young person’s next step, send us a message.
#YouMeWeNPO #MarkBellScholarship #YouthEmpowerment #EducationSupport #ForTheYouth
Yesterday we had a call with the cofounder of L.E.A.D. and I'm still thinking about it.
We talked about the 'app quest' happening right now in Shibuya and the questions people are asking are exactly the kind that remind me why this work matters. Real questions, real curiosity, real people trying to build something that helps youth move forward.
Link in bio to see the conversation: https://www.skool.com/.../questions-asked-about-lead...
It connects back to what our volunteers do every week, sitting with young people, helping them prep for exams, plan their futures, one session at a time. Digital tools, in-person support, it's all part of the same thing.
What stays with you when you see a community come together to build tech for good?
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth
What if your weekend work session also helped a young person figure out their future?
We're inviting professionals to join our weekend volunteer sessions and treat them like a co-working space for good.
Bring your laptop. Bring your skills. Sit alongside our youth in a casual, no-pressure environment and share a bit of what you know - whether that's career advice, digital skills, English practice, or just what your workday actually looks like.
For 17 years we've been showing up for children in institutional homes to help them prepare for life after age 18. That work happens one conversation, one session, one volunteer at a time.
You don't need to be a teacher. You just need to show up.
Sign up for an upcoming session here: https://peatix.com/event/4575117
Questions? DM us or reach out at [email protected] - we're happy to chat.
Spot the emoji face? That's intentional.
Protecting the digital footprint, dignity, and privacy of every child in our care is something we take seriously at YouMeWe. Before any volunteer steps into a classroom or logs on for an online session, they go through training on our child safeguarding guidelines - including how we handle photos, data, and online interactions.
It's a small detail that means a lot.
Want to be part of a community that shows up with both heart and responsibility? Our next volunteer orientation is open - link in bio to sign up via Skool. We'll walk you through everything, including these important safeguarding practices.
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth
90% of youth aging out of care drop out of higher education in their first year.
Only 2% ever finish their degree.
The reason is not ability. It is the absence of one adult who shows up, stays in their corner, and helps them navigate what comes next.
We are training people to be that adult.
Our mentor training courses through the Skool Empower Village are designed to close that gap - one young person at a time.
How would you like to help change those numbers?
Link in bio to join the training.
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth
There's something that happens when a volunteer pulls up a chair right next to a student instead of standing at the front of the room.
It stops being a lesson and starts being two people working through something together.
That's what I saw today - our volunteers shoulder-to-shoulder with the kids, pointing at the same page, thinking out loud, figuring it out side by side. That's the kind of support that actually sticks.
If you've been looking for a way to show up for young people who need it, we'd love to have you with us. Join us at our next volunteer event - link in bio
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth
Expo 2026 Osaka opens its doors today. The official theme is 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives.'
It's a big idea. And we believe it.
But future society doesn't only get designed in pavilions and keynote halls. It gets designed in the small moments too - a volunteer sitting with a teenager to prep for an English exam, a donated tablet opening up a world of learning, a weekly online class connecting Japan to Manila for the 17th year running.
That's the work we do at YouMeWe. One young person at a time, we're helping children in institutional homes build the skills and confidence they need to step into independent life after age 18.
If you've been thinking about volunteering, this is your sign. We have upcoming shifts and we'd love to have you join us.
Drop us a message or visit youmewenpo.org to learn more. Let's design this future together.
#YouMeWeNPO #Expo2025Osaka #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth #alternativecare
Your desk is already your volunteer station.
No commute. No schedule reshuffling. Just 2 hours a week from your home office in Tokyo - directly supporting students in Manila preparing for exams that can change their futures.
For 17 years, YouMeWe has been connecting volunteers in Japan with youth in institutional care in the Philippines through weekly online sessions. The distance is nothing. The impact is real.
Ready to join? DM us or visit the link in our bio to sign up for the next session.
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あなたのデスクが、そのままボランティアの場所になります。
通勤ゼロ。スケジュール調整も最小限。東京のホームオフィスから週2時間、マニラで試験準備に取り組む子どもたちを直接サポートできます。
参加希望はDMまたはプロフィールのリンクから。
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth
We recently had a meaningful call with WannaGonna and the International Foster Care Alliance about taking the Transition Toolkit from a paper-based workbook to an app.
The Transition Toolkit is a guide for young people leaving foster care or institutions as they prepare for independent life. That transition can bring hope, but also real uncertainty, so planning and preparation matter.
This toolkit brings together what we’ve learned through experience, along with messages we want young people to carry with them as they move forward. We’re excited about the possibility of making it more accessible and practical through digital development.
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #FosterCare #SocialImpact
Something I keep coming back to lately.
Staff change. Principals move on. The adults these kids counted on yesterday are sometimes gone tomorrow. For children growing up in institutional homes, that kind of instability is just... normal. And it shouldn't be.
For 17 years, YouMeWe has tried to be the one constant - the face that shows up week after week on the screen, the voice that remembers their name, the organization that doesn't disappear when budgets shift or contracts end.
But we wanted to make that promise more concrete.
We recently learned about The Permanency Pact from IFCA - a framework for formalizing kin-like, lifelong bonds with young people who've aged out of institutional care. Paired with The Transition Toolkit, we now have real structure to back up what we've always believed: that turning 18 doesn't mean you're suddenly on your own.
Right now we're offering this to 6 of our Ambassadors - young adults who grew up in the homes we support. The commitment looks different for each person. Career counseling for one. An emergency place to stay for another. Or sometimes just - someone to call when things get hard.
This work doesn't happen without volunteers. If you want to be part of this long-term safety net, it starts with showing up for a class. Teach English. Help with exam prep. Connect with a young person who needs to know that someone is still there.
Join one of our volunteer events and become part of the consistency these kids deserve. Link in our bio or message us directly.
What does it mean to truly not leave someone behind?
#YouMeWeNPO #YouthEmpowerment #SocialImpact #AlternativeCare #fortheyouth
We are very honored to be accepted as an Independent Award Centre for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
This milestone means a lot to us and even more to the young people we support. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is one of the most respected youth achievement programs in the world, and now the youth in our care have a real pathway to take part in it.
Through the Award, they will set personal goals, contribute to their communities, develop practical skills, and push themselves in ways they may never have had the opportunity to before. For young people growing up in institutional homes, that kind of structured growth and global recognition can be genuinely life-changing.
We have been walking alongside youth in care for 17 years. This is one more way we are making sure they have access to the same opportunities as everyone else.
私たちはデューク・オブ・エジンバラ賞の独立アワードセンターとして認定されたことを大変光栄に思います。この賞を通じて、施設で育つ若者たちが生活に必要なスキルを磨き、地域社会に貢献し、世界的に認められる資格を取得できるようになります。彼らの挑戦を一緒に支えてくれるボランティアを募集しています。
Now we need volunteers to help mentor these students as they begin their journeys. You do not need a special background - just a willingness to show up and support young people who are working hard to build their futures.
If you are interested in volunteering, visit us at youmewenpo.org or reach out directly at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you.
#YouMeWeNPO #DukeOfEdinburgh #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalInclusion #SocialImpact #fortheyouth #alternativecare
