VegeProject Interns Organized a Workshop for Young Activists

On the evening of July 18th, we, VegeProject Japan hosted “Voice from Youth: Changemakers’ Gathering” at WeWork Shibuya Scramble Square.

This event united young activists interested or involved in different types of social activism or volunteer activities, to connect with each other and explore future collaborations. The event was organized by international interns at VegeProject Japan.

Event background 

VegeProject Japan hosts interns from several universities, within and outside of Japan. This event was initiated and coordinated by two international interns, Sophie Handford and Angelina Rivera. 

Sophie has served as a local Councillor in New Zealand since the age of 18, and recently spoke about her political journey on TBS News. Angelina has experience as a voter registration volunteer in the United States. Ph.D. student at The University of Melbourne and vegan advocate Ruby Ramsden was in charge of the event’s MC.   

The event drew on the interns’ connections with various Japanese nonprofit organizations, gathering young people interested or working in different social topics.

Making connections

The event consisted of self introductions, group discussions and networking.

As they arrived, attendees were greeted with a reflective activity, encouraging them to contemplate their concerns about the current state of Japan and add thoughts to post-it notes. Recurring themes included LGBT+ rights, animal welfare and veganism, poverty, the generational divide and the environment.

 

Attendees then discussed three main questions in groups; What troubles are you facing as an activist? How can we support each other? How do we grow our reach and impact collectively? This conversation identified common challenges, provided a chance to connect between different universities and organizations, and brought to the fore opportunities to cooperate. 

To close the session, and after having shared the participants’ hopes and the ways in which they can help each other, they put into words the future they would like to create together. 

Snacks to fuel the conversation

Throughout the event, participants were able to enjoy the following snacks using our vegan certification, kindly provided by MD Holdings Co., Ltd. for this occasion.
※Clicking on the product names will take you to VegeTime articles introducing them (Japanese only).

• Nuts Kenbi Almond Mix: nut mix including almonds, green raisins, dates, goji berries and bananas, with a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.
  
• Soy Milk Okara Cookies: cookies with a gentle sweetness born as a collaboration between MD Holdings and a tofu manufacturer, using upcycled tofu byproducts.
  
• Soy Shoku Kenbi Sweet Shoyu : bean snacks with a sweet and salty flavor from soy sauce and soybeans’ natural sweetness, followed by a hint of spiciness from red chili peppers.

All the above and more can be purchased at MD Holdings’ online shop.

Endorsement form to introduce vegan options at university cafeterias 

During this event, participants were introduced to an endorsement letter, also launched recently by initiative of VegeProject Japan’s interns, to advocate for vegan options in university cafeterias across Japan. Participants were encouraged to sign this campaign and exchange contact information to stay connected and continue supporting our initiatives.

Invitation to sign: If you are a university student, are associated with a University, or would like to take part of this project, please feel free to sign! You can find the endorsement letter at this link.

 

“Voice from Youth: Changemakers’ Gathering” laid the ground for collaborations among young changemakers, and introducing the connection between vegan options and other social movements. We look forward to seeing the positive outcomes from this event and the continued efforts of all these dedicated young activists.