The final LIT program of this year concluded with our annual closing ceremony, centered around speeches by the LIT members. On Saturday, we began the program at Oracle’s Aoyama office, where, just like last year, the Oracle team kindly hosted a speech workshop for us.

The workshop started with a lesson on the fundamentals of a good speech, followed by time for participants to reflect on their past year. They wrote down memorable events and episodes on sticky notes and placed them on large poster sheets. Thanks to the thoughtful guidance of the Oracle employees, many memories and thoughts naturally surfaced and filled the posters. Once enough ideas had been gathered, each participant selected a theme and began shaping the direction of their speech. ​

After lunch, they moved on to writing the speeches. Participants organized their thoughts, built their narratives, practiced their delivery, and finally presented in front of the group to receive feedback.

After the workshop, we traveled to Mitake, where we were joined by a few staff members in the evening and enjoyed a relaxed and fun BBQ dinner together. 

On Sunday morning, the participants made final adjustments to their speeches and completed the presentation for the LIT project, which would also be presented at the ceremony. 

At the closing ceremony in the afternoon, staff members, graduate members, care workers, and high school students considering joining the program next year joined us. Standing in front of an audience of about thirty people was certainly nerve-wracking, but each LIT spoke clearly, looked forward, and shared their thoughts in their own words. After the speeches and project presentations, many questions were asked, and they responded calmly and thoughtfully. 

Because this year’s LIT program had fewer participants, each person was able to engage more deeply, making it a particularly rich learning environment. For those who have been part of the program for a few years, their growth has become increasingly visible, and it is clear that their accumulated efforts and experiences are taking shape. 

As they move on to new stages in the coming year, we hope that the learning and connections gained here will continue to support them as they take their next steps. 

“Working alongside the team from Oracle to craft their speeches, the LITs approached the final presentation with confidence, supported by a space that felt both safe and appropriately challenging. I felt incredibly happy to witness them fully express their thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, hearing the updates from the graduates, it was clear that the practice of reflection has taken deep root in them. I was deeply impressed by them- not just as graduates, but as individuals walking their own authentic paths in society.”  by Mirai no Mori staff

“Watching LITs’ and graduates’ eyes shine with brightness as they presented the challenges they overcame and the things they accomplished through the program made me feel so incredibly proud of them.” by Mirai no Mori staff