REPORT ON IYV+10 IN JAPAN

After three months postponement for the reason of the Japan Northeastern Earthquake/Tsunami, the Japan IYV+10 Promotion Committee officially announced the launch

on June 28th. Founding members consist of 60 member organizations of the National Network of Organizations Promoting Volunteering, who are the national level organizations from Volunteer Organizations and Intermediary/support organizations, Economic and Commercial Organizations, Agricultural Cooperatives, Consumer Cooperatives, Labor Unions, Media-related Welfare Organizations, Education and Youth Organizations. IAVE Japan is one of the core members.

We decided to conduct the following projects with emphasizing three key words “Create” “Connect” “Communicate” to penetrate, pervade volunteering and make the year meaningful. As the Kobe Earthquake, occurred on Jan. 17th, 1995, was called “The First Year of Volunteering” in Japan since a huge number of people participated in volunteer activities, especially the youth generation. After 16 years Japan was hit by a bigger damage of the recently occurred earthquake, a lot more people offered hands for the victims as volunteer. It is recognized the volunteering is growing steadily at all age groups in Japan.

Projects in IYV+10 include:

“Create”

1) Nationwide movements of “Make a CHANGE Day” participation

2) Recommendations for promoting volunteer activities and civic actions

“Connect”

3) Development settings and opportunities for partnership and collaboration between or among the relevant groups/organizations

“Communicate”

4) Publication of IYV+10 newsletter

5) Information through IYV+10 homepage

6) Distribution of publicity goods

7) Holding Symposium on the theme “Role of volunteers/citizens for future community development through situation in the disaster areas”

8) Convening “The 20th Japan Volunteer Festival Tokyo” on Nov. 12th and 13th

[Thanks to Akiko Seto, IAVE National Representative in Japan for this article.]