Towards a Society Where People Can Feel "I Wasn't the Only One": wreath General Incorporated Association's Challenge to Build a System for Connecting with Self-Help Groups When Needed

Our company supports April Dream, a project that aims to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release is a dream of wreath General Incorporated Association.

When we have "problems we can't tell anyone," where should we turn?

Individual consultations with experts, or public support hotlines. Of course, these are important. However, what might encourage people just as much, or even more, is meeting "someone who has experienced the same pain."

We, wreath General Incorporated Association, are challenging ourselves to create a system that allows people to connect with self-help groups, which are "places for peer sharing," when they need them.

On this occasion, participating in PR TIMES' "April Dream (a project to announce dreams, not lies, on April 1st)," we would like to share with you the future we aim to realize.

【The Potential of Self-Help Groups】

"Self-help groups" are groups operated by individuals who share common problems or difficulties in life. There are various groups targeting individuals and their families, covering issues such as illness, disability, addiction, school refusal, social withdrawal, parenting, caregiving, and sexual minorities.

In these groups, a sense of relief that "I wasn't the only one" and a small courage to live tomorrow are born, which differ from expert advice.

However, we believe that self-help groups in Japan currently face the following challenges:

• "Difficult to participate": Information within the group tends not to be open to maintain a safe space, raising the barrier to participation.

• "Prone to isolation": Opportunities to share concerns about group operation are limited, making activities prone to isolation.

• "Difficult to be understood": Due to the low recognition of self-help groups in Japan, it is difficult to gain understanding for their activities.

Therefore, wreath aims to create a system that allows people to connect with self-help groups when they need them.

【What the "System" We Create Will Change】

We are currently pursuing the following three approaches in parallel:

1. "wreath" - A Platform to Find Self-Help Groups

   We envision a platform where individuals can safely search for groups that suit them. We will establish an infrastructure that allows access to necessary connections when needed, based on meeting information from a participant's perspective. Currently, 594 meeting information entries have been posted (as of March 2026).

2. "wreath plus" - Sharing Experiences on Self-Help Group Operation

   To enable stable group operation, we manage a community where experiences and wisdom regarding group operation can be shared. We strive to create a space where new wisdom can be generated through shared challenges, such as facilitation during meetings and setting ground rules.

3. "wreath report" - Research and Information Dissemination on Self-Help Groups

   We aim to address the challenges related to self-help groups not as group-specific issues, but as "societal issues." Through research, we will clarify the challenges related to groups, pose them to society, and develop a social environment that facilitates self-help group activities.

【Past Achievements】

Media Coverage

• Asahi Shimbun: "Finding Companions Here: A Woman Saved by Self-Help Groups Takes on a Challenge" (October 2023)

• Mainichi Shimbun: "Creating a Place for People with Troubles to Find Companions: Efforts by Former Participants" (September 2023)

• Inclusive Hub: "Building Infrastructure for Self-Help Groups" (August 2024)

• Forbes JAPAN December 2025 Issue: "50 NPOs Implementing Social R&D" (October 2025)

  Details: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000141510.html
  　

Grant Achievements

• Soil Public Interest Incorporated Foundation: Soil100 1st Cohort (2023)

• Crowdfunding: "You'll Surely Find Your Companions: Building a Self-Help Group Platform" (2023)

• Hyogo Prefecture Entrepreneur Support Project (Social Business Category) (2023)

• Hata Public Interest Incorporated Foundation & ETIC. NPO: Vision Hacker Association (2024)

【Looking Ahead】

As part of its efforts to create a system that allows people to connect with self-help groups when needed, wreath has been operating a self-help group platform, hosting sharing sessions for self-help group operations, and conducting research and disseminating information on self-help groups.

A "Survey on the Recognition of Self-Help Groups" conducted in 2024 revealed that after internet searches, groups are most often known through medical institutions. Therefore, wreath aims to approach "supporters" around individuals facing problems and difficulties in life. In 2025, we conducted a survey to understand the actual state of information provision for self-help groups in medical institutions.

Since the survey clarified the reality of information provision and its difficulties, in 2026, we plan to focus on disseminating information about self-help groups, including planning events, exhibiting at academic conferences, and producing promotional materials for supporters. By conveying the significance and potential of self-help groups to supporters and, by extension, to society, we aim to make "self-help groups" a natural option when people face problems or difficulties in life.

We would be grateful for your continued support of wreath's activities. We look forward to your continued cooperation in creating a society where people can feel "I wasn't the only one," even if they experience loneliness.

About wreath General Incorporated Association

・Name: wreath General Incorporated Association
・Representative Director: Mayu Shimomura
・Location: Casabella Kokusai Plaza Building 707, 1-1-18 Isobedori, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
・Business Activities: Operation of a self-help group platform, etc.
・Established: April 8, 2024

・URL: https://www.wreath.or.jp/

Contact Information

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