In the hopes of opening the doors to a brighter future for young people of foreign origins who are living in Japan, JCIE has launched a major grant program, Supporting Youths of Diverse Roots and an Inclusive Society (SYDRIS), which is offering roughly ¥180 million over 3 years, utilizing funds made available under the Act on Utilization of Funds Related to Dormant Deposits to Promote Public Interest Activities by the Private Sector. The recipients of the grants are listed below.

Applications were accepted from December 2019 to January 2020 from public interest groups that provide educational support, career support, and other initiatives to help youths with foreign roots. The applications were reviewed by a selection committee, which selected seven organizations from the Kanto, Tokai, Kansai, and Hokuriku regions.

These projects represent new approaches to solving social issues and new models for supporting a segment of the population that is often left out or left behind. They include efforts to promote awareness of foreign youths as an important asset to local communities that are facing depopulation due to aging societies, low birth rates, and migration to urban centers; efforts to reform social infrastructure through existing initiatives to address multiculturalism; the development of career-building tools to support the social and economic independence of young people with foreign origins; and more.

JCIE will work with these grantees over the next three years, providing not only monetary assistance but also assistance in strengthening their organizations and their collaboration with the corporate and governmental sectors.

Young people with diverse roots have always faced barriers in pursuing education and employment in Japan, and this situation will undoubtedly be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, making this project, which looks to build a societal foundation for them from a long-term perspective, even more important. Together with the grantee organizations, JCIE will work to create a society that does not allow these young people to become isolated and alienated but instead allows them to discover and achieve their dreams.