NPO in a town of 10,000 selected for national grant

NPO miraito (Location: Iwate Town, Iwate County, Iwate Prefecture; Director: Ayaka Ueda) has been selected for the "NPO Organizational Foundation Grant Volunteer Promotion Program" for children's support organizations, implemented by Daiwa Securities Group and ETIC. This grant program targets non-profit organizations nationwide that address issues surrounding children, providing financial and know-how support for building collaborative systems with volunteers. Miraito will redefine university student volunteers as "relationship-population-type youth workers" and promote the establishment of a sustainable youth support model in small municipalities.

Selected for national grant from a town of 10,000 people

NPO miraito operates "Iwate Youth Center Miraito," a youth center in Iwate Town, Iwate Prefecture (population approximately 10,000), which creates places for young people and opportunities for challenges.

The "NPO Organizational Foundation Grant Volunteer Promotion Program," for which they were selected, is a national grant system that supports NPOs in the child support sector in building mechanisms for volunteers to participate continuously and effectively.

Miraito's initiatives in youth support in a small local municipality were highly evaluated as a nationally advanced model.

→ Please see the note article for information on the kickoff training.

Kickoff training for selected Miraito members

University student volunteers as "relationship-population-type youth workers"

At miraito, many university students have been involved in managing spaces for junior and senior high school students and accompanying their inquiry-based activities.

With this grant, university student volunteers will be redefined not merely as operational assistants, but as:

- "Relationship population" who continuously engage from outside the region
- "Youth workers" who accompany and support junior and senior high school students
- Practitioners who grow as next-generation leaders

Based on this, they will integrally promote:

- Role design
- Development of training programs
- Systematization of generational change and handover
- Creation of an operational system that facilitates continuous participation

to build a cyclical volunteer development structure.

Challenging the "shortage of youth support providers" essential for local areas

Urban university students and local junior high school students experiencing agriculture in a rural area

In rural areas, while the need for youth support is increasing, there are challenges such as:

- Shortage of specialized personnel
- Chronic shortage of continuous providers
- Shortage of intermediaries connecting youth and the region

Through collaboration with university student volunteers, miraito has created a new form of support personnel by connecting urban youth with local communities.

Taking advantage of this selection, they aim to further develop this mechanism and create a model that can be deployed in small municipalities nationwide.

Director's Comment

Comment from Ayaka Ueda, Director of NPO miraito

"Even in a town of 10,000 people, we have worked believing that an environment where young people can challenge themselves authentically can be created. Through this selection, we will further utilize the power of university student volunteers and foster a new system that supports the future of junior and senior high school students and the region."

About NPO miraito

About Miraito Anniversary Event

NPO miraito envisions "a society where all minority youth can live authentically without giving up their true selves," and operates a youth center in Iwate Town, Iwate Prefecture.

What can be achieved precisely because it is a town of about 10,000 people:

"Multifunctional x Multi-generational x Cross-border"

As a youth support hub, they are engaged in creating places for junior and senior high school students, supporting inquiry-based activities, and accompanying local projects.

Contact for this matter:

NPO miraito
Iwate Youth Center Miraito
TEL: 070-9386-2781
Email: info@miraito.org