As we continue to aim for 100+ new monthly supporters by the end of this year, we would like to send you our newsletter to tell you a bit more about what we do here at Mirai no Mori. In the first newsletter of the series, we would like to take you back to how Mirai no Mori started and how our mission came to be.
 
Mirai no Mori’s vision and mission were planted together with English Adventure, a company that provides camping experience to children in Japan. It was in the summer of 2011 when Jeff Jensen, now a Vice-Chair of Mirai no Mori, and Dave Paddock, the president of English Adventure, decided to provide a summer program for children in care homes.
 
The children’s care home is a place where the children who cannot live with their own family, for various reasons, come to live under state care. There are approximately 25,000 children and youths living in these care homes in Japan, and sadly, as many as 60% of them had experienced physical and emotional abuse before they were admitted to the homes. However, despite many of them having difficult upbringings, they must leave the care homes at the age of 18, in principle, and live entirely on their own. Without being given enough time to deal with any past traumas or to build self-confidence, and without stable social relationships they can rely on or a proper safety net in place, many of them end up in less than ideal situations soon after leaving the care homes. Many give up on pursuing their dreams.
 
After seeing how nature empowers these children to regain their confidence and develop in a way that even surprised their own care workers, our founders decided to continue the program, and Mirai no Mori was established as an Approved Specified Nonprofit Organization in 2013. Since then, our mission has been to create life-changing outdoor programs for children and youths in the care system to support their growth into happy and successful young adults.
 
After more than 8 years and working with more than 1,600 children, we are convinced that, together with your warm support, we can continue to bring a positive impact on the lives of these children. We ask that you help Mirai no Mori achieve our mission by becoming one of our 100+ dedicated monthly supporters and letting your friends and family know about Mirai no Mori. You can find more details at the link below:

*Mirai no Mori is a certified NPO by Tokyo Metropolitan and Minato ward. Donations you make to Mirai no Mori entitle you to tax deductions against your income and resident tax.

Why Join the 100+ Monthly Supporters Campaign?

• Your monthly giving, which can start as low as 1,000 JPY, will enable Mirai no Mori to provide its programs consistently in a long term.
• As one of our dedicated supporters, you will receive special invitation to our programs and other community events.
• You will receive our annual report and monthly program reports that were made possible because of your support.

Read our past blogs regarding the campaign from here:

• New “100+ Mirai no Mori Monthly Supporters” Campaign!