Selected for the second consecutive year as the 3rd grant recipient of the 'Rohto Children's Dream Fund' for the 'Dream Navigator' program supporting the independence of high school students in orphanages
JAM Network's 'Dream Navigator' program, which supports high school students in orphanages, has been selected for the Rohto Children's Dream Fund grant for the second consecutive year, showing proven results in behavior change.
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- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 17:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 08:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 04:50 (428h 20m after Collected)
The independence support program 'Dream Navigator' for high school students in orphanages, conducted by the non-profit organization JAM Network (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Representative: Yoshimi Murakami), has been selected as the 3rd grant project (expanded framework) of the 2026 Rohto Children's Dream Fund. This program's selection marks the second consecutive year following fiscal 2025 (2nd general framework).
[Press Release: Rohto Children's Dream Fund decides on 9 organizations to be selected as the 3rd grant recipients]
## ■ Social significance and characteristics of the project
Children living in orphanages are required to leave the facility upon graduating from high school and become independent in society without financial or emotional support from their families. Behind the reality that about 70% have experienced abuse and about half leave their jobs within a year and a half after employment, there is the issue that they have not yet developed the ability to say 'help me' or to express their feelings in words, rather than a problem with their desire to work.
In response to these challenges, the 'Dream Navigator' program is a comprehensive program that combines the three pillars of 'verbalization', 'practice', and 'role models' over 5 months, fostering the realization that 'I might be able to do it too' rather than just teaching knowledge.
## ■ First-year effects proven by numbers: FY2025 outcome data
From July to October 2025, 7 high school students (three 1st-year, four 2nd-year) from 5 facilities in the Kanto area participated. All of them gave final presentations. In the pre- and post-15-item self-evaluation (5-point scale), the following changes were recorded.
▶ Behavioral changes (From completion survey)
'I became able to express my opinions in front of everyone' — Answered by all 7 participants. This was followed by 5 participants saying 'I became able to initiate conversations with people I meet for the first time', and 4 participants saying 'I became able to take on challenges without fear of failure'.
■ Participants' voices (From completion survey)
'I no longer find it painful to listen to people talk.'
'Rather than looking at just one possibility, I started to look broadly at various possibilities.'
'My anxiety about the future has decreased.'
'I feel like I've changed more and more by communicating a lot anyway. Therefore, it's important to talk to people without fearing failure.'
■ Facility staff's voices
'The student who we were worried about whether they could make it to Tokyo Station gained confidence with each session, and by the end, they were transferring trains alone...'
[Press Release: Rohto Children's Dream Fund decides on 9 organizations to be selected as the 3rd grant recipients]
## ■ Social significance and characteristics of the project
Children living in orphanages are required to leave the facility upon graduating from high school and become independent in society without financial or emotional support from their families. Behind the reality that about 70% have experienced abuse and about half leave their jobs within a year and a half after employment, there is the issue that they have not yet developed the ability to say 'help me' or to express their feelings in words, rather than a problem with their desire to work.
In response to these challenges, the 'Dream Navigator' program is a comprehensive program that combines the three pillars of 'verbalization', 'practice', and 'role models' over 5 months, fostering the realization that 'I might be able to do it too' rather than just teaching knowledge.
## ■ First-year effects proven by numbers: FY2025 outcome data
From July to October 2025, 7 high school students (three 1st-year, four 2nd-year) from 5 facilities in the Kanto area participated. All of them gave final presentations. In the pre- and post-15-item self-evaluation (5-point scale), the following changes were recorded.
▶ Behavioral changes (From completion survey)
'I became able to express my opinions in front of everyone' — Answered by all 7 participants. This was followed by 5 participants saying 'I became able to initiate conversations with people I meet for the first time', and 4 participants saying 'I became able to take on challenges without fear of failure'.
■ Participants' voices (From completion survey)
'I no longer find it painful to listen to people talk.'
'Rather than looking at just one possibility, I started to look broadly at various possibilities.'
'My anxiety about the future has decreased.'
'I feel like I've changed more and more by communicating a lot anyway. Therefore, it's important to talk to people without fearing failure.'
■ Facility staff's voices
'The student who we were worried about whether they could make it to Tokyo Station gained confidence with each session, and by the end, they were transferring trains alone...'