As part of our ongoing efforts to address the long-term needs of earthquake and tsunami survivors in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, International Medical Corps hosted a networking event for our partners who are currently maintaining or looking to be involved in community space management. This event provided both organizational-level managers and local staff with a rare opportunity to network with other organizations and exchange information through a collaborative discussion regarding good practices and challenges.
Seven organizations attended the event including representatives from Shapla Neer, The People, Japan International Volunteer Center, Tsunagappe Minami-Soma, Yappe Minami-Soma, International Volunteer Center of Yamagata, and Tree Seed. Through group discussion, the participants were able to strategize new ways to engage their communities with the hope that continued dialogue will promote healing and empowerment.
As one program manager stated, “Through this workshop, I felt how important and necessary the community spaces are… I would like to work hard so that more people know about our community space and feel welcome to casually stop by for some conversation.”