15 Years After the Great East Japan Earthquake: Young People Raised in Affected Areas Support the Next Generation – NPO miraito Selected for Hatachi Fund Grant

NPO miraito (located in Iwate Town, Iwate Prefecture; CEO: Ayaka Ueda) has been selected as a grantee for the 2026 fiscal year of the Hatachi Fund, a fund supporting organizations that assist children in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The adopted project is titled "Formation of a 'Relationship Population-Type Youth Support Base' Where Young People Raised in Disaster-Affected Areas Support Teenagers While Maintaining Connections with the Region." In the northern part of Iwate Prefecture, the project will train young people who have left the region for education or employment as new supporters, aiming to create a sustainable support system for teenagers.

15 Years Since the Great East Japan Earthquake
Ongoing Challenges in Youth Support in Affected Areas

Even 15 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, issues surrounding children and youth persist in the affected areas.

In the inland and northern areas of Iwate Prefecture, challenges include:

- Outflow of young people from the region
- Shortage of youth support personnel
- Fragility of continuous support infrastructure by private organizations

Moreover, the origin of miraito's activities lies in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture. CEO Ayaka Ueda met junior high and high school students there after the earthquake, and as a university student at the time, she became involved in creating safe spaces for youth and educational activities. Later, from 2014 to 2019, she conducted educational projects in the Kesen region.

Photo of activities in Rikuzentakata City ➀

Even now, the junior high and high school students she worked with back then have become university students and working adults, participating in miraito's activities as interns and volunteers.

However, among young people raised in disaster-affected areas who have left the region for education or employment, many have a desire to maintain ties with their hometown and contribute to the community, but they lack sufficient roles or opportunities to utilize their abilities.

Toward a System Where Young People Raised in Disaster Areas Support the Next Generation

In the adopted project, based on the "Iwate Youth Center Miraito" operating in Iwate Town, university students and young working adults who have left the region will be cultivated as "relationship population-type supporters."

Specifically, they will:
- Participate in managing safe spaces for junior high and high school students
- Provide accompanying support for inquiry-based learning activities
- Cooperate in local events
- Maintain continuous engagement through online means

Through these activities, a system to support teenagers will be built.

The goal is to create a cycle where young people raised in disaster areas become supporters of the next generation.

Photo ➀: Accompanying support for inquiry activities Photo ②: Cooperation in local events

Challenging the "Relationship Population-Type Youth Support Model" from a Town of 10,000 People

NPO miraito operates a youth center in Iwate Town, Iwate Prefecture, with a population of approximately 10,000.

Scene from the 3rd anniversary event of Miraito

Since its opening, the center has involved:

★ A total of 2,655 junior high and high school users
★ A total of over 1,000 university student volunteers
★ A total of 2,366 local stakeholders and visitors

It has been functioning as a multi-generational, multi-functional, and cross-boundary youth support hub.

With this grant, the practice will be further developed to build a model where young people outside the region can also become supporters of the area.

Also Initiating Organizational Strengthening

In addition to creating a youth support system, this project will also work on building a mechanism for youth support resources to circulate within the region.

Specifically, it will:
- Design a system for continuous funding circulation in youth support
- Build a model for ongoing sponsorship with companies in Iwate Prefecture
- Establish individual and corporate supporter systems
- Strengthen the foundation with a view to obtaining certified NPO status

Thus, the aim is to realize a sustainable youth support model that does not depend on grants.

CEO Comment

Ayaka Ueda, CEO of NPO miraito

"Fifteen years have passed since the disaster. The young people raised in Rikuzentakata City, the starting point of my activities, are now university students and working adults, living in various places. In this project, we will cultivate a system where these young people from disaster areas continue to connect with the region and support the next generation of teenagers. I want to create a new model of youth support that is possible only in a town of 10,000 people."

Photo of activities in Rikuzentakata City ②

About the Hatachi Fund

The Hatachi Fund was established in 2011 with the aim of supporting children affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Even as memories of the disaster fade, the fund continues to support organizations that stand by children on the ground, aiming for long-term child support.

For the 2026 fiscal year, 23 organizations nationwide were selected as grantees.

https://www.hatachikikin.com/post-10462.html