This summer, CC+S hosted the seventh class of Y-PLAN Japan students from the TOMODACHI Softbank Leadership program at UC Berkeley. New to this year was a day of action in North Richmond.

Hi everyone! My name is Nao Sagawa and I am currently a global student intern at CC+S. Five years ago, I was one of the first students to come to UC Berkeley through a summer program called TOMODACHI, where I participated in Y-PLAN research and activities. I returned this summer as a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) to help out with the program. In today’s post, I would like to share my personal story and connection with Y-PLAN.

This summer, Y-PLAN Japan welcomed 100 high school students from Japan to the Bay Area for the TOMODACHI Softbank Leadership Program.

Tohoku Rising: Showcasing Five Years of Youth Action For Change

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that devastated the Tohoku coastal region of Japan. CC+S's Y-PLAN Initiative has been honored to host over 600 students from this region at UC Berkeley to participate in a Y-PLAN Summer Leadership Studio in community revitalization for the last 4 years as part of the TOMODACHI initiative.