Summer Intern Sarah Nicholl
Sarah Nicholl is a senior at the University of Kansas where she is majoring in accounting. When she is not at school in Kansas she calls Las Vegas, NV home. She has always had a passion for helping people and working with NPOs. Someday she hopes to work in a finance role at a NPO and working with YouMeWe will be a great introduction to this! She loves the mission of YouMeWe and the passion she has seen in everyone working here.
Summer Intern Flavia Reina
Flavia Reina, is a first year, and first generation Public Health major at The University of Texas at Austin. Born in the small town of Brownsville, Texas and raised in the border town of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Flavia is very proud of her Mexican heritage and background. Living a life where two cultures were simultaneously lived, Flavia undoubtedly became inspired to explore more cultures, leading her to Tokyo, Japan. Through her intern experience with YOU ME WE, Flavia believes that having the ability to make an impact on kids with a different backgrounds, cultures, and stories, will fuel her to carry the desire to continue making positive changes around the world, and empower her to make a global change.
Summer Intern Marissa Chavez
Marissa Chavez is a senior, public health, pre-med major at the University of Texas at Austin. She is driven by helping the community around her and plans to one day become a pediatrician. When given the chance, Marissa likes to travel to learn more about the world and has had the opportunity to volunteer abroad in various Latin American countries. Currently she volunteers to translate for Spanish-speaking patients in a clinic in Austin. Marissa has worked with other NPO’s before that also work to ensure childrens' well being both in Austin and her hometown, Brownsville, Texas. Marissa is excited to be able to continue to work with this mission in mind now with YouMeWe!
Summer Intern India Fiocchi
India Fiocchi is a student at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in International Relations and Global Studies with a minor in Chinese. She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and has been volunteering her whole life! She spent most of her time in Chicago volunteering for charities and nonprofits targeted towards helping the city and its citizens. She is thrilled to start working with YouMeWe and strengthen her experience with NPOs. She hopes to work internationally with NPOs or charities in the future!
Summer Intern Aristote G. Atata
Aristote G-Atata, is currently enrolled as a senior at the University of Kansas and is majoring in a BA in Global & International Studies while parallelly pursuing an undergraduate certificate in intelligence & national security studies within the same institution. Aristote proudly calls Coralville, Iowa home but is in fact an American citizen born Beninese. Aristote has always been attracted by different cultures and would early on develop an attraction to any topics with an international focus. Upon graduation, Aristote expects to serve the United States as a Foreign Service Officer.
Spending the next 08 weeks in Tokyo is a golden opportunity and Aristote is looking forward to acquiring an important field experience through YOU ME WE while hoping to also contribute to the fantastic job the NPO is engaged in through the tremendous impact its actions are having on the lives of the children.
Thank you to the British School in Tokyo PTA
Thank you so much for your donation to YouMeWe for the KIWL 2019 Bike ride from the Bike Riders booth.
Thank you Platinum Training Consultants
We want to thank Platinum Training Consultants for their generous donation to sponsor a support car costs for the 500KM ride next week.
Platinum's Philosophy
We provide tailor-made training solutions that are fully aligned with your organization's business objectives and staff goals. This alignment enables real job performance improvements and measurable return on investment
Next week starts a journey that has been long in the making...
June 13th at 7am, the 47 riders of Knights in White Lycra (KIWL) will start out on the 500km bike ride from Takasaki to Fukushima over 4 days. Months have been spent preparing, training and raising funds for YouMeWe.
Family, friends, colleagues, companies, employers and many others have donated over 9,000,000 JPY towards encouraging everyone on this journey.
We wanted to share an article written by a friend who was a visiting college student at the time. Originally from Italy but seeking his degree in India for journalism, he also supports a home for boys there. After school and his trip to Japan, he started a school in Greece to help the refugee children from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
We took him to St.Francis when he was here and below are the words he left us with after his visit:
“For a Lost Child
My experience within the walls of a Japanese children’s home
By Nicolo Govoni
The air is fresh and clear between the branches of a shrine grove.
As the rainy season gives the inhabitants of Tokyo a day of rest, it is typical in the evening to see couples strolling hand in hand, children lingering on their bikes and ladies hurrying home loaded with shopping bags.
Walking through the slender streets of Minami Kugahara, lined with terraced houses, the street lights reflecting on the silent rails, twilight coming down placid and gentle, I muse that the city down here doesn’t look all that different from the small Italian village my grandmother grew up in.
St. Francis is a small shelter for orphaned children located in South Tokyo, surrounded by the peace and tranquillity of the suburbs. The sloping roof on the brown sky, the golden light shining through the windows, a small garden beyond a wrought iron gate before I remove my shoes to get in. I’m immediately greeted by Sister Yoshibayashi, an old nun with a clever light in her eyes, not a wrinkle in sight on her grey robe, and her hair, grey as well, covered by a veil, makes way in the corridors of St. Francis.
I look around and register the furniture around me carefully, the pictures on the wall, the kawaii statuettes on a polished-looking chest; I try to memorize each element, not only because I will have to write about it, but because I know I'm privileged, for even just being here, my feet flat on the carpet, breathing in the smell of a place carefully protected against intruders, a place that keeps the most fragile and precious of all treasures: the future.
Deep in the corridors of the institution, the light is dimmed to save power, giving the structure an air of welcoming discretion, looking like a hen with her chicks.
"Our 50 children are divided into "family pods" of 7 or 8 each," Sr. Yoshibayashi says, "each with 3 caretakers, rotating in 24 hours shifts, so that the kids are never left alone."
She stops in front of a group of elf-fit shoes and slippers scattered on the ground, in front of the parquet floor, where a slightly ajar door contains the dim light coming from inside. Then Sister Yoshibayashi pushes on the handle, revealing a reality that only a few are allowed to see: a cloud of smells and muffled sounds embraces me, so familiar that I’m stunned for a moment. To the silent question in my gaze, the nun responds with the hint of a smile and a wave of her hand. "Come in," she seems to say.
And then I'm in another world.
It may seem like mere rhetoric, but it’s not. This is indeed as physical an experience as landing in a well known country after a long journey or the smell of a loved one after years away. The sense of smell, memory’s old friend, is in effect the one doing the trick. Crossing the threshold of this first "family pod", what was once a cosy institution loses every possible connotation of a children’s home, and simply turns into a "home".
The floor creaks beneath my bare steps, and I feel the warmth of the wood on the soles of my feet, I sense the tenderness of the kitchen light cutting through the evening, I smell dinner ready on the table, I smell crayons, drawn curtains, scattered toys on the ground (they do have a smell, believe me), unmade beds and clothes hanging out to dry. I sense a day that, after a long morning spent in the classroom, an afternoon of sports and math exercises, is moving towards its well earned end.
At first, I’m motionless, speechless. This is not an orphanage, this is "home", I repeat to myself, and not any “home,” but my home, and yours, and of all those who, in this world, are born with the sacred and too often undervalued right to a happy childhood.
And then I meet the inhabitants of this home, a group of kids ranging from seven to thirteen, squatting in front of the evening anime. Actually, they don’t really pay much attention to me, busy as they are with the job of procrastinating between homework, meal and shower. I chuckle to myself remembering how I was a pro at this, when I was their age. And despite the fact that I had the love of both my parents, a roof over my head and a slew of possessions to call mine; this place that night was soaked with the very same intimacy I used to know as a child.
The caretaker, a boy of 28 finished with an apron and cooking moist hands, confirms this feeling right away, when questioned about his work. "The part I like the most about my job is seeing these children grow up and become better in front of my eyes, and have a part in this process," he says, and I believe him unconditionally. I know what he's talking about.
The door opens yet again, and I witness the heartening moment in which a second caretaker comes in to take over the first, and one of the kids, getting up from the TV-induced trance, trots over to welcome him, hugging him tight at the waist, his chin well planted in his stomach, speaking to him from below. He’s telling him about his day, I imagine, just as he would with an older brother or his father.
Then we climb to the second floor, where the little ones are housed. This time, beside the wooden door, a welter of childish screams fills the room. I see a helpless caretaker wrestling a horde of giggling gnomes, her back on the floor, but to no avail, as they submerge her without mercy. Soon, however, silence falls as dozens of wide-eyed glances are aimed on me, a common question reflected on each of the little faces: "What are you doing in my house?"
Cautiously, they approach me, as scouts would an unknown beast, assessing the danger at every step.
Do you know what the expression "a bundle of joy" means? You don’t, believe me, unless you've been used as a ladder by a mob of tittering imps. At first, this small boy in pyjamas, not even as tall as my knees, shows me a Lego spaceship, which I observe carefully turning it between my fingers, aware of the expression on the child's face, almost as if based on my judgment, he would receive the Nobel Prize. When I congratulate the boy for his skills demonstrated in the construction, he beams with pride and starts dragging me towards his room to show me Legos covering almost every inch of the floor.
Then a couple of little hands appear leaning towards me, a special needs girl waving and smiling ear to ear as she looks at me from below, waiting. I glance at Sr.Yoshibayashi, and she smiles, her eyes briefly disappearing beyond her glasses, and so I pick the little girl up.
It doesn’t really matter where you come from, the language you speak or the food you have for supper, when a child stretches their hands towards you, you pick them up, and you lift them as high as you can. The little girl, giggling high above my head, clings to my chest like a pint-sized monkey, and I must admit I’m taken aback, and throw a look at the old nun, who’s laughing her head off, as are the caretakers, and so I laugh too. Soon enough the pairs of hands reaching out to me have multiplied.
An army of human bonsai pushes me to the corner, and I feel a sudden sense of indescribable admiration and deep gratitude for those who devote their lives to the care of these kids, not as "throw away children", but as if they were their younger brothers, their own children or grandchildren.
St. Francis welcomes orphans aged 2 to 18 years, but often allows them to stay over the age of maturity so that they can face the world without having to leave the only place where they’ve ever felt safe.
Later that evening, I visit other “family pods”. In a separated structure, a group of high school girls who grew up in the institution lead usual teenage lives, texting on their smartphones, wondering with a mixture of fear and excitement what to study at university. One of them plans to pursue Mass Communication, like yours truly, and I rejoice at the idea of mentoring her in the times to come.
In yet another “pod”, kids my age and older have dinner after a day of work, practice English in preparation for an interview, lingering a little longer before they leave St. Francis for good.
I’m not saying that all children’s home are like St. Francis. I am well aware of the cases of abuse that happen in institutions in Japan as well as all over the world even as I type, even as you read this. What I mean to do, though, is to make St. Francis an example, for this is how it should be done. We need to accept that the majority of these children won’t be adopted, but that they can still hope for a better system, and therefore for a better future.
This place proves that sometimes love is stronger than blood, and that every effort we make is truly worth it. I believe it’s uplifting to think that change can be achieved, and that it can be achieved together, one step at a time.”
Summer Intern Yohann A. Andjembe
Yohann A. Andjembe is an international student currently living in the United States. Born and raised in the small charming coastal city of Libreville, Gabon in Central West Africa. He attended Harold Washington College in Chicago, Illinois and received his Associate degree in Social Science in 2015. Then, the following year, he attended Roosevelt University. There, he obtained his Bachelor degree in Political Science precisely in International Relations in December 2018. Yohann is passionate about the politics of development of the global south, languages, and tourism.
Furthermore, Yohann is bilingual; he speaks both French and English fluently and yet wants to learn more languages. He is presently interning at an international nonprofit organization called YouMeWe in Tokyo, Japan. It is Yohann first experience working in the nonprofit industry, and he is delighted to be given this opportunity. Yohann's goal is to learn more about the organization as well as efficiently contributing to YouMeWe to accomplish its mission which is to help children growing up in institutionalized homes prepare for life outside the home once they reach the age of 18.
Big Thank you to JLL Japan
Thank you to the team at JLL Japan for the donation of 14 laptops for the homes. We are giving to Matsubaen as they have desktops but have been wanting laptops to be able to move around Itabashi and teach in other homes what they have learned
Bring your real estate to life through technology and innovation. Connect people, processes, and technology to prepare your business for the future.
Getting involved.
We are very fortunate again this week as more people have asked how they can get involved. Please see the link HERE
We are receiving help from Takako who is the mother of two grown sons and offered to help translate our curriculum from English to Japanese. We seek anyone who has CSR hours that they can use at the leisure of their desk. We have many Digital Citizenship lessons we need to translate as we go into June.
We also received interest in mentoring. We appreciate the offers and look forward to working with everyone.
1,000 new articles of clothing donated
We never know what email we will receive. This week is was a from a business man from Malaysia who, for unfortunate reasons, was not able to move forward with a business venture in the clothing business. He has now donated all 1,000 articles of clothing for children and adults to us. The articles will go to Matsubaen who has agreed to sort, take what they need and then ship to St.Francis and St.Josephs and we will keep them moving until all homes have received what they need.
One persons bad news sometimes becomes very fortunate news for others. We are very grateful.
Everyone needs something to believe..
read the caption on the wall as the support crew, drivers and team leaders meet to discuss the logistics of the KIWL 500km bike ride that starts two weeks from today.
The dedication of the team is awe inspiring. The fact that most of the 500km ride has been tested beforehand to help everyone with their safety, logistics and making sure everyone has a great time.
Digital Media
The ubiquity of smartphones and other internet-connected devices makes it possible for kids to interact with the digital world from a very young age. Ninety-eight percent of kids under 8 have access to a device at home, and 50 percent of teenagers say they feel addicted to their phones. Families have seemingly endless media and entertainment choices, but high-quality, age-appropriate content is still hard to find. Educators face new challenges with powerful learning tools (and powerful distractions) in the classroom. And technology companies collect all kinds of information from us (and from our kids), sometimes without clarifying how it will be used.
Every day, the world of media and tech gets more complex. But there's good news: Together with parents like you, and alongside educators, policymakers, and industry partners, we're building a movement to improve digital well-being for kids, schools, and communities everywhere.
Our approach to digital well-being:
Quality content: Families taking charge of their digital choices.
Tech equity: Technology that works to support families and society.
Digital citizenship: Students thriving as learners, leaders, and citizens in the digital age.
Digital Equity
All kids need access to quality technology to thrive in a rapidly changing digital world.
The digital divide is still driving inequality, and we must ensure that every kid -- regardless of ZIP code or background -- has access to the opportunities technology can offer.
Digital Citizenship, how to make sure kids know uploading photos is FOREVER
Common Sense Education provides schools with a free, research-based Digital Citizenship Curriculum for grades K–12. Listen to educators describe how the curriculum has positively affected their students and transformed their schools' cultures around issues like cyberbullying, online safety, and media literacy.
#EducationMatters
The pink bar shows how important education is for the futures of the kids if they wish to land a full-time job in their futures.
