THE DRUCKER INSTITUTE AND TOMODACHI BRING JAPANESE STUDENTS TO U.S. FOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING
The Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University announced today that it is partnering with the TOMODACHI initiative to bring 10 Japanese high school students—all of them from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami region—to Claremont this summer for a special leadership-training program.
The students are alumni of other programs that have been part of TOMODACHI, a public-private partnership born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Tohoku earthquake. TOMODACHI invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges, as well as entrepreneurship and leadership programs.
The program in Claremont, dubbed Drucker for Future Japanese Leaders, is modeled on a successful initiative that the Drucker Institute runs in the United States with thousands of middle school and high school students. The program aims to teach management skills to young people, who use these lessons to design and implement community service projects. The students then develop individual self-management plans to pursue their academic and personal goals.
Peter Drucker’s “Five Most Important Questions” (What is our mission? Who is our customer? What does the customer value? What are our results? What is our plan?) serve as the cornerstone of the students’ management training and provide a basic framework for the management plans the students put into practice.
Over the course of a week in late July and early August, the Japanese students will visit businesses and cultural attractions in Los Angeles, interact with U.S. high school and college students, and participate in other activities through which they will learn about leadership, innovation and social responsibility.
The program is being funded through TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges, which is supported by Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd.
“We are extremely proud to be partnering with TOMODACHI and look forward to welcoming their alumni to campus,” said Rick Wartzman, executive director of the Drucker Institute. “Peter Drucker first visited Japan in the late 1950s and always maintained a deep love and respect for the country and its people, and so this relationship with TOMODACHI couldn’t be more fitting.”
TOMODACHI officials said they, too, were excited about the partnership. “We are excited for TOMODACHI alumni to continue their engagement with the United States and development as future leaders, through their participation in this remarkable program,” stated Irene Hirano Inouye, President of the U.S.-Japan Council.
The partnership with TOMODACHI is part of a broader Drucker Institute effort to bring Japanese high school and college students to Claremont to participate in management and leadership training. Arrangements are being handled locally in Japan through GPI(U.S.), an affiliate of Tokyo-based ISA Inc., which specializes in international exchanges and study-abroad programs.
About TOMODACHI
The TOMODACHI initiative is a public-private partnership, born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, that invests in fostering a “TOMODACHI generation” of young Japanese and American leaders who are committed to and engaged in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations through educational and cultural exchanges as well as entrepreneurship and leadership programs. The TOMODACHI initiative is led by the United States government and the U.S.-Japan Council, and is supported by the Japanese government, corporations, organizations and individuals from the United States and Japan.