The TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program is a next-generation development program that was implemented over 12 years, from 2012 to 2024.
The TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program brings students from the regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake—Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures—to the University of California, Berkeley in the United States for an intensive three-week course. Through the Y-PLAN (Youth-Plan, Learn, Act Now) problem-solving workshop, participants develop global leadership skills and learn about community service, which they put into practice through community activities after returning home. Since its launch in 2012, the program has run 10 times over 12 years through 2024,*1 providing over 1,000 students from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures with opportunities to learn about community service and leadership, while nurturing young leaders in the Tohoku region.
*1 From 2020 to 2022, the program was temporarily suspended due to the spread of COVID-19.
My life changed dramatically when I went to the U.S. at the age of 16 and experienced a whole new culture and lifestyle. Many of the participants on this program—which is held at my alma mater—have been engaging in local efforts one after another and achieving great results, using the skills and experiences they have gained from the program and from living in the U.S. You can change the future by taking on challenges and I hope that for many more high school students out there, this program could become the first step towards realizing their dreams.
Masayoshi Son
Representative Director, Corporate Officer,
Chairman & CEO, SoftBank Group Corp.
1. Team Building and Fieldwork
- Workshops focused on building trust among participants
- Field research to gather first-hand information about community challenges
4. American Culture and Leadership
- Interaction with young American entrepreneurs, high school and college students, and successful Japanese professionals in the U.S.
- Activities offering hands-on experiences with American culture
5. Post-Return Community Service
- Planning and implementation of community service projects in participants’ local areas
- Project development workshops led by SoftBank Group Corp. executives
Impact Reports covering the TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program from 2012 to 2024.
See what past programs looked like.
We provide fully funded U.S. training opportunities to high school students*2 from three prefectures affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, offering them a chance to learn about community service. A total of 100 students*3 participate each year. Watch to discover how this experience transforms our participants.
*2 From 2023, the program was expanded to include university students
*3 Through 2019
