Let's discuss leadership workshops for female Japanese students

This week's featured article

The U.S. Embassy will hold workshops for female Japanese junior high and high school students on leadership and speaking up in a bid to promote gender equality.

The program, called "Go Girls!," will involve four sessions in June, July, September and October at the American Center Japan in Tokyo. Students will hear lectures and take part in discussions on the themes of leadership and independence.

Among the tuition materials will be U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama's "Dear Me" video message, which the White House posted on YouTube. "Dear Me" is a motivational message in which the first lady gives reflections and encouragement to her younger self.

"Dear Michelle, stop worrying so much about getting things wrong," the message says. "Success has nothing to do with perfection, so stop being nervous, raise your hand, use your voice, get it wrong, learn from your mistakes and keep moving on."

The workshops are free of charge and will be conducted in Japanese, with interpretation provided when the speakers use English.

The aim of the program is to foster a "zest for living" by encouraging the students to think for themselves and exert their individuality and leadership, said Madoka Shimote of the U.S. Embassy, the program's organizer.

One of the speakers will be Asako Osaki, director of gender equality nonprofit group Gender Action Platform.

Osaki said the training of young female students to become leaders is especially important in Japan, where there are few women in senior positions in politics and business.

"In Japan, women are less likely to raise their voices or to take actions to change society by their own hand" due to fixed gender roles formed when they are students, she said. "I believe it's essential to build an environment to encourage more young girls to become leaders in the future," she said.

Applicants must be aged from 13 to 18. They should submit two essays in Japanese. One should describe the applicant, while the other should be a reflection of their ideas on how society should change, or about prominent female figures they respect.

First published in The Japan Times on April 29.

Warm up

One-minute chat about high school.

Game

Collect words related to women, e.g., girl, gender, female.

New words

1) tuition: teaching/instruction; e.g., "I will have private tuition in French and English."

2) zest: excitement or energy; e.g., "She has a real zest for life."

3) prominent: important, well-known; e.g., "He is a prominent writer."

Guess the headline

U.S. E_ _ _ _ _ _ announces leadership seminars for f_ _ _ _ _ high school students

Questions

1) What is the workshop meant for?

2) Who is eligible to apply for it?

3) Why do some people think this kind of program is important for Japan?

Let's discuss the article

1) What do you think about the current situation regarding gender equality in Japan?

2) If you were eligible for the workshop, would you be interested in taking part?

3) What do you think is needed to improve gender equality in Japan?

Reference

"働く場面で活躍したいという希望を持つすべての女性のための法律"として作られた女性活躍推進法が昨年8月に制定されました。それからまだ一年 足らずの今、女性の社会参画の仕方、働き方についての議論はこれからますます盛んになっていきそうです。

次世代を担う少女たちにリーダーシップを説くこの取り組みは、将来の日本の社会にどのような種をまくことになるでしょうか。答えがでるまでには長い時間がかかりますが、朝の会に参加し、皆さんでこのトピックについて話し 合ってみましょう。