21 Students Embark on a Journey to Iwate's Kuzumaki and Rikuzentakata to Kick Off 2026 Season

On May 30 and 31, 2026, student teams from the certified NPO SET held consecutive kickoff meetings to mark the start of the 2026 season. A total of 21 students—6 from the Kuzumaki Student Team and 15 from the Change Maker Study Program (CMSP) Student Staff Team—gathered in Morioka and Tokyo, respectively. In both meetings, the priority was not on schedule confirmation but on sharing personal life stories and defining team goals. This emphasis on mutual understanding before entering the local communities is a core principle of SET's activities.

### Kuzumaki Team: Sharing Life Stories On May 30, the six members of the Kuzumaki Student Team met in Morioka. They dedicated most of their time to sharing their life experiences. The team leader expressed their passion for Kuzumaki Town, and each member followed by sharing their expectations for the coming year in their own words. The leader remarked, "Understanding the importance of touching each other's lives makes me excited for our future activities. We want to think about Kuzumaki as our own matter."

### CMSP Team: Expressing Values Through Art The following day, 15 members of the CMSP Student Staff Team gathered in Tokyo. After reviewing the six-month program schedule, participants engaged in a workshop where they expressed themselves through drawings. By using visual art instead of words, members' individual values and sensibilities naturally emerged, creating a high-energy start where each participant felt open to the team.

### Heading to the Field in June Starting in June, both teams will begin their field stays. The Kuzumaki team will head to Kuzumaki Town, and the CMSP team will move to Rikuzentakata City. They will begin building relationships from scratch with local residents. SET will record and continue to share the growth and transformations these 21 students experience over the next six months to a year.

### About Certified NPO SET SET's mission is to "transform everyone's 'wants' into 'can-dos' and create a 'Good Change' for Japan's future." Since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, SET has developed systems for youth and residents to learn together, primarily in Iwate Prefecture. In FY2024, over 5,000 people participated in their programs. The organization has twice received the Prime Minister's Award.