How can we create lasting connections that don't end as a 'one-off'?

People come from outside, but eventually they leave. For communities, this has been a repeated experience. Connections deepen, then end. The next year, different people come. In this way, the word 'one-off' has always been associated with the relationship between communities and outsiders.

So, how can relationships that go beyond that be created?

"Come show us your元気 face again," "It's like we've gained many grandchildren," "Work hard wherever you are. Come visit again" — local residents spoke these words to the young people who had completed their six-month activities. Not as program participants, but as something already close to 'family'.

Certified NPO SET (Headquarters: Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture) held a dissolution ceremony to mark the end of six months of activities for its "Change Maker Study Program (CMSP)," a program where young people immerse themselves in local communities and engage in practical work.

What is CMSP?

CMSP is a program where young people gathered from all over Japan enter the community of Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, and engage in activities for six months while building relationships with residents. SET believes that the "process of fostering relationships" itself has value, rather than short-term experiences or one-off exchanges. The experience of young people facing people in the community, struggling, and sometimes shedding tears while building relationships, not only creates a new 'related population' for the community but also changes the young people's own way of life.

Voices from the Community — Six Months Like Family

During the six months of engagement, local residents shared these voices:

"I'm just happy when you always come back with a smile," "I feel energized by your youthful energy," "If I had been involved earlier, I could have shared many opinions. Come show us your元気 face again."

This goes far beyond the scope of mere acceptance. Young people who came from outside blended into the daily lives of the community and, before they knew it, were welcomed as 'grandchildren' or 'friends'. The answer to lasting connections that don't end as a one-off lies in these words.

Voices from the Staff — I Changed Myself in Six Months

Engagement with the community simultaneously changed the young people themselves.

"I never used to cry, but I cried in CMSP. I felt that much emotion and frustration," "I realized I had built walls around myself and now want to live openly," "I decided to face my weaknesses and difficult challenges."

Engagement with the community became not just a 'social experience' for young people, but a 'place to face themselves'. By young people entering communities facing population decline, the communities change. At the same time, the young people themselves change. What CMSP creates is this bidirectional change.

Next Staff Recruitment — Starts April 6

The relationships built by the current staff will be passed on to the next generation. Young people who received the words "Come show us your元気 face again" will, in turn, pass them on to someone else. This is SET's vision for the cycle of relationships between communities and youth.

Recruitment for the next CMSP staff will begin on April 6, 2026. Details will be sequentially published on the official website and various social media channels.

Official HP here

◾️Looking Ahead

CMSP is not a one-off program but part of a mechanism to create a circulating relationship between communities and young people. The relationships built by the current staff will be passed on to the next generation. SET will continue to create opportunities for communities and young people to meet, influence each other, and change together.

About Certified NPO SET

SET's mission is to "transform each individual's 'I want to do it' into 'I did it' and bring about Good Change for the future of Japan." Since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, SET has created mechanisms for young people and residents to learn together in regions centered around Iwate Prefecture. Through school trip homestays, programs for university students and working adults, and community building, SET fosters "continuing relationships" where young people engage in the daily lives of communities and learn together with residents. In fiscal year 2024, over 5,000 people participated annually. Currently, activities are expanding beyond Iwate Prefecture to multiple regions. While simultaneously fostering the growth of young people and the vitality of communities, SET is committed to sustainable community development based on the relationships between people and regions themselves. SET has received the Prime Minister's Award twice in the past and numerous other awards.

【Organization Overview】 Certified Specified Non-profit Organization SET Location: 52-6 Yamada, Hirota-cho, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture Chairman: Shunsuke Mitsui Established: March 12, 2011 (Incorporated: June 18, 2013, Certified: October 16, 2025) Official Website: https://www.nposet.org Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nposet/?hl=ja Official Podcast: Spotify: https://x.gd/wh4Lo Amazon Music: https://x.gd/TjRP0

【Inquiries regarding interviews】 Public Relations: set.forjapan@nposet.com Phone: 0192-47-5747