Hello, everyone.  This is Jun and evrything is fine.

TOKYO is getting cold!! and the Economy is getting coooold as well!!

I did apply for scholarship to go to Nepal to see what is going on there.  Wait me RAM!!lol  Seriously, really want to go to Nepal and want to see the real situation.

Through iLEAP program, I’ve been interested in NPOs in Japan.  Because there are still lots of questions in my mind about NPOs, I’d like to ask people who work at NPO in Japan.

Yesterday, I applied internship at NPO in Japan, Institute of Advanced Studies in Universal Design, but after interview I thought I would not be able to learn what I want to know in this NPO.  So I changed my mind finally.Anyway, this conversation was really interested and helpful so I’d like to share with you.

This NPO is about Universal Design.  There are three main projects that they offer; Consultation for companies, Education for employee and people, and Practice.

This NPO does get all of money from Fee for Services not any grant or donation.  Mr. Ueno who is Communication manager, thinks donation is unstable and they can get money from their activities because there are ‘Needs’ and they can give benefit for not only companies but also all people.

He has a strong belief.  

“NPO has to be slim.”  This means People in NPO have to care about ‘Social Benefit’ not their own benefit.

“I don’t want to spread Universal Design all over the world.”  This means their mission is not spreading UD but satisfying needs that people have.  He always thinks about their mission.  When people in NPO have too much passion to their activities and forget about social benefit, they would lose their mission.  He wants to be disinterested anytime.

To measure their output is really important because this measure is key for not only this NPO but also companies which are given consultation.  The most important thing to measure their output is to set clear goal before get started.  When companies doesn’t set clear goal, even they cannot know what success is.  Also when companies could pass the goal, they would continue to have a consultation from this NPO.

I had a great time with him and I could ask almost of all questions.  I’d like to ask more and more people about these questions.

【Institute of Advanced Studies in Universal Design】(Japanese! Sorry!!!)

http://www.npo-uniken.org/index.html

]

Welcome to the iLEAP Global Community!

Introduction: Dr. Britt Yamamoto, iLEAP Executive Director (below)

Kensuke Kondo & Naoyuki Takeda, Solid Ground (below)

Yusuke Horie & Yurie Ito, Interra, Puget Sound Community Change (below)

Ryutaro Hayashi, Northwest Center (below)

Sayi Hayashi, 10,000 Villages (below)

Ayaka Fujita & Kayo Yoshinaga, Seattle Tilth (below)

Jun Kato, Ikeru Kobayashi & Yuki Arinobu, Feet First (below)

Please post your response to the following questions as a reply to this post:

1. What has been the most meaningful learning for you during this program?

2. What has been you best memory?

Please add any other stories that you wish to share!

Please have a conversation with your internship supervisor that centers around the question of why the organization or business is a non-profit organization? Why not a for-profit?

What did you learn from this conversation? What surprised you?

Post your response to this discussion here in the comments thread.

Please write a reflection on your trip to Tully’s Coffee. What impressed you? How did what we have been learning in class and in your internship informed your visit?

Please reply to this with your First and Last Name at the beginning of the post.

August 11, 2008

Please have a conversation with one (or more) people in your internship organization and talk to them about the following question:

1. How does this organization generate revenue? If possible, determine what percentages come from government grants, foundations, individual donations, and/or other social enterprises.

After answering this question, consider this question for YOURSELF:

2. What are your feelings about this?

Please post your response as a COMMENT REPLY to this posting. In the Title Line, add your Name (Jun Kato) and Organization (Feet First).