Eleven youths from Maui are preparing to visit Tohoku, Japan for the first student visit of The TOMODACHI Kibou for Maui Program. This program is designed to provide support to high school students directly affected by the devastating wildfire in Maui that occurred in August 2023. They will visit Higashi-Matsushima City in Miyagi Prefecture for a week-long trip (March 18-24), where they will build connections with Japanese peers who have actively contributed to the recovery efforts after the 2011 disaster in Tohoku and engage in training and hands-on workshops aimed at equipping them with essential skills for contributing to the physical, mental and spiritual rehabilitation of their communities. Over the past weekend, the students participated in a pre-departure orientation where they underwent team-building exercises to prepare them for the trip.
The TOMODACHI Kibou for Maui Program is administered by the U.S.-Japan Council and the TOMODACHI Initiative, in partnership with the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i and ODYSSEY Nature Japan. It is part of the Kibou for Maui Project, which is generously funded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.