Spring has come to Boston! As I look out my window, I see the Simmons campus full of blossoming trees and singing birds.
The CGO is hard at work preparing for the fourth cohort of the Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative. Our colleagues at Business Professional Women- Japan are recruiting potential candidates. Here in Boston, we are developing the program at each non-profit host site and planning other activities for the month long visit.
CGO also received some exciting news this week.
The US-Japan Foundation, based in New York City, has approved funding for a three year grant to CGO at the Simmons School of Management to create the Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative Seminar and Workshop Program in Japan. The grant was approved by the Board of the US-Japan Foundation at its meeting on April 9, 2010.
The new program is based upon the success of the US based Japanese Women’s Leadership Program, now entering its fourth year at the SOM, coupled with the growing interest in nonprofit organizations because of the keen needs of society in Japan, the growth in recognition of the Japanese government of the value or nonprofits organizations and the interest of more women in Japan to take on leadership roles. The program is designed to provide a three-year series of seminars and workshops in Japan as part of the movement to create social change by strengthening the capacity of women to provide leadership and work effectively for change while educating a broader audience about the value of the nonprofit sector and its potential role in addressing social issues.
Goals of the JWLI Seminar and Workshop Program:
• To provide specific and valuable information to women and others in Japan about the potential of the nonprofit sector to create social change
• To provide specific information on effective nonprofit management
• To inspire Japanese women and men to take on leadership roles in the nonprofit sector
Target audiences for the seminars and workshops:
• Business and Professional Women (BPW)/Japan members and other women’s groups which are directly involved in the community.
• Junior politicians of the new party who are interested in addressing political systems.
• Business groups that are interested in corporate social responsibility and will influence politicians, communities and society for change.
• University students who may become excited about working for change in the nonprofit sector.
Topics for presentation in the seminars and workshops (first year):
• Effective management of nonprofit organizations
• Women’s leadership and empowerment
• The status and impact of the nonprofit sector in the US
• The role of women as leadership in the nonprofit sector
• Community organizing and relationships with government
Implementation:
The first program series will take place in late June/early July 2010 in the cities of Tokyo and Fukuoka.
