MPJ Youth (English)

An intercollegiate organization where students interested in Africa gather to learn about the continent from various fields.

■Mission/Principles・Background

Mission/Principles
MPJ Youth (Millennium Promise Japan Youth Association) is an intercollegiate organization where students interested in Africa gather to learn about the continent from various fields. In doing so, MPJ Youth focuses on acquiring knowledge, discussing ideas, and sharing our progress on SNS. Through its activities, MPJ Youth aims to foster global leaders with a comprehensive understanding of Africa, and to encourage them to tackle various social issues with deep insights.

Background
MPJ Youth was established in 2009 by student volunteers from the University of Tokyo as a youth branch of Millennium Promise Japan (MPJ) (now SDGs Promise Japan), an NGO that supports poverty reduction and the promotion of Africa in Japan. MPJ Youth now cooperates with SPJ to host a wide range of events and seminars. The organization has university students from all over Japan, including the University of Tokyo, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Sophia University, Akita International University, and so on.

Number of Members
About 70

Grade Composition of Members
4th year: 10 members
3rd year: 10 members
2nd year: 20 members
1st year: 30 members

Grade Composition of the Administration Team
Students enrolled in the 2A semester to the 3S semester

Gender Ratio (Male:Female)
1:2

Period of Entry
Mainly April and May (Spring semester)
Some in September and October (Autumn semester)

Features of membership
・Intercollegiate. Many students are from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) majoring in Africa (about 30-40% of the total). In addition, there are students from various universities (University of Tokyo, Ochanomizu, Chiba, Waseda, Keio, Sophia, ICU, MARCH, Yokohama National University, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, etc.).
・Many members have a strong interest in specific fields in Africa. There are also students who are interested in international cooperation.
・The atmosphere is friendly and kind.
・There are a few students who are also members of athletic clubs (softball, sailing, lacrosse, cheerleading, etc.).

Withdrawal Rate
・About 30%

Before COVID
Activities of MPJ Youth consist of two main types: study sessions and training in Africa.

In the study sessions, students are divided into groups covering a wide range of fields such as politics, economics, culture, health care, and agriculture. Each group works on presentations, chooses their own theme and does research cooperatively. During the final presentation of the study sessions, participants discuss and exchange their findings and opinions with other teams.

The Africa Training Program is held once a year as an opportunity to experience and learn about Africa in-person. Selected members travel to Africa for about two weeks (previous destinations include Malawi, Rwanda, Ghana, and Tanzania). Each member sets a theme for the training, and deepens their learning through visits to government agencies and companies, spending time with local people, and various activities that can only be done locally. After the training, a debriefing session will be held so the members can share their experiences.

In addition, MPJ Youth holds events and seminars hosted by African researchers and ambassadors.

After COVID
Although we were forced to postpone last year's study tour to Rwanda due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to carry out other activities satisfactorily online. Study sessions were held as usual in an online format (hybrid format in some cases). In response to the pandemic, we have also strengthened our SNS activities and plan to sequentially increase the contents on our website. We are also inviting scholars to participate in various events and seminars once in a while, so that we can have more opportunities to hear from experts and knowledgeable people than in the pre-corona era.

Usual Activities
Two study sessions per year.
Each team of the sessions meets up once a week for discussions and preparation for presentations.
In addition to the above, there are also management activities and projects at the departmental level. The frequency is determined by the leader of each department.

April~May: Recruitment and welcome events
May: May Festival
May~August: Study sessions
August: Summer camp (depending on the year)
November: Komaba Festival
October~December: Study sessions, individual project kick-offs
Mid-February to early March: Training in Africa (Uganda in 2021)

Selection Process
None (Selection process is only for African training applicants)

Eligible Members：
All university students

Members who actually join：
Mostly freshmen, 5-10 sophomores additionally

Procedure to join：
E-mail mpjrecruit2021[a]gmail.com to join.

○Pros

・While there are few opportunities to learn about Africa in class at UTokyo, students can learn from a wide range of perspectives and fields from members who have broad interests in Africa.
・The Africa training program is a safer and cheaper way to travel to Africa than traveling alone.
・There are valuable opportunities to participate in conferences and events related to international cooperation in our daily activities.
・There are many people who enjoy discussion, and members can have a lot of fun discussing various topics.
・There are many friendly people, and the atmosphere is cozy.
・The commitment required depends on the time of the year, and the senior members are friendly, so it will be easy and quick to adapt to the environment.

△Cons

・Preparation for the study sessions is quite difficult, but with the useful support from other team members there’s not much to worry about.

・Travel expenses for the Africa training are borne by the participants themselves. However, there are various subsidies available, so it is much cheaper than traveling on your own.