Hello.
I’m Takuzo Komabashiri, in charge of public relations at Forum 2050.
Thank you, as always, for your warm support for the future of children.
I imagine autumn has deepened in Japan and it has become cooler. Here in Cambodia, where I live, it has also become noticeably cooler.
I commute every day by TukTuk, a three-wheeled vehicle, and because it has no doors, I can feel the change of seasons keenly.
The wind blowing in from all around had turned cool, so thinking it had finally gotten cooler, I checked the thermometer on my smartphone, only to find it was well over 30°C as usual.
Now, here is Forum2050’s October newsletter. This month, we bring you messages from Ueshima, our auditor, and Kanji Yamagiwa, our youngest member.
Activity Report
Our main activities in October were as follows.
- Oct 8: Talk for teachers, Seto City
- Oct 9: Talk for all students and local residents at Wako City Daini (No. 2) Junior High School
- Oct 10: Talk at Higashi Junior High School, Nagaoka City
- Oct 17: Talk at Kanazawa Gakuin University
- Oct 23: Talk at Ryukoku University
- Oct 28: Hybrid in-person and online talk at Yakushima Ohzora High School (scheduled)
A Letter from Forum2050’s Auditor
Hello. I’m Ueshima, auditor of Forum2050 (hereafter “our organization”). I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for your warm support and cooperation for our organization’s activities. Supported by your kindness, our organization continues to move forward step by step. Thank you for your continued support.
Our President, Toda, joined JICA two years after me, and we have known each other for nearly 40 years. In the late 1990s, the two of us took on the challenge of reforming JICA. Thanks to Toda’s brilliant mind and unrivaled drive, we were able to achieve a certain degree of success. I still feel indebted for that. About a year and a half ago, Toda, my close comrade, asked me to serve as auditor of our organization. I look forward to getting to know you all.
This may sound a little formal, but I believe one of the important roles of an auditor is to build the trust of everyone who supports our organization, through donations and in other ways. This time, in a Q&A format, I will share a glimpse of how our organization is run.
How are decisions about the organization’s activities made?
Important matters of corporate management, such as our business plans, budgets and financial statements, and the appointment and dismissal of officers, are decided at the General Meeting, which is made up of the full members. Other matters relating to the execution of business (matters to be submitted to the General Meeting, establishing regulations, and so on) are handled by the Board of Directors. The General Meeting is held at least once a year, and extraordinary meetings are held as needed. Including the founding meeting, our organization has held three General Meetings so far. The Board of Directors meets regularly once a month. Decisions on specific project activities are made by the President (Toda) with the assistance of the Vice Presidents (Komabashiri and Shoji). In practice, decisions are made democratically at weekly meetings of the directors and management team members (full members), listening widely to each member’s views. For activities that involve spending money, we always make sure that mutual checks operate between the President and the Vice Presidents, to ensure fairness in management. We are still a small organization, not long after our founding, but even from an auditor’s point of view, the organization’s governance has become well established. Please rest assured.
Please tell us about the officers.
There is a self-introduction page about the officers on our website, but I would like to add a little from my own perspective.
[President Toda] The founder and head of our organization, as well as the cleanup hitter and ace pitcher of all our activities. It is a story known to those in the know that in the early 2000s, Toda persuaded Sadako Ogata, who was then in New York, to become President of JICA.
[Vice President Komabashiri] Plans and manages volunteer programs (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers) in Cambodia. Also a business manager, with more life experience than President Toda or me. A person of few words, but with a burning passion within and a calm personality, bringing power and stability to our organization.
[Vice President Shoji] Serves as leader of an IT project in Bangladesh, with outstanding achievements highly regarded in Japan and abroad. Shoji’s diligence and consistency are just like those of a samurai. Alongside President Toda, one of our organization’s opinion leaders.
[Director Keiko Itaya] While leading a very busy life working at a university and raising children, works enthusiastically on our organization’s activities and broadens their horizons. The wish to create even a slightly better society for the children’s generation comes through naturally.
[Yuka Uchimura, Executive Director on ICT] A digital marketing professional and Forum2050’s head of IT. Despite a busy main job, makes time to work hard on our external communications, including managing our website. Calm, composed and unfailingly precise work always produces high-quality results.
What is donated money used for?
Details will be reported in the financial statements and activity report at the end of the fiscal year, but most of it goes to travel expenses for school visits and the like, management and operating costs for our website, and consumables. Donations are our organization’s lifeline, but in reality, because of a lack of funds, there are quite a few cases where members pay out of their own pockets. For the sake of our organization’s sustainability, as auditor I strongly hope that the number of supporters will grow, even by one person.
What are Forum2050’s challenges?
Lack of funds is one, but from an auditor’s point of view the biggest challenge is for our organization to be able to keep working toward the goals it was founded for without relying too heavily on President Toda. We have young, promising members, from elementary school students to university students. As they grow, I think a generational handover will be possible. But not right away. For the time being, President Toda and the other adult founding members will still have to work hard. I cannot do the same things Toda does, but as auditor, I too intend to do my best within my means.
Message from Kanji Yamagiwa
A super elementary school student who discusses all kinds of topics with President Toda every Sunday before our regular meeting. This time, he shares a little of what he learned there.
Dialogues Between Toda and Me, Part 1
Every Sunday morning, I have a dialogue with Toda for 30 minutes before the regular meeting.
Today we talked about the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Toda taught me that Kant kept thinking about ideal peace even though he knew that humans can only do what they have experienced. From this, I felt that “we must never give up on peace and must keep thinking about peace.”
Kanji Yamagiwa is our organization’s youngest member and is in fifth grade at elementary school.
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Forum2050 operates under the concept of ‘Children of the World: Each Child’s Vision for the Future Shapes Humanity’s Destiny,’ collaborating with businesses, schools, educational institutions, and others. Together with children, we create opportunities for them to contemplate peace and development in the future human society, fostering partnerships.
