Overseas Experience Training Program "Step Passport 2026" for Youth with Experience in Social Care Begins!

NPO Smiley Flowers (Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Representative: Hironobu Kubota) has launched "Step Passport 2026," an overseas experience scholarship program for young people living in or having lived in social care.

Step Passport provides opportunities for participants to foster self-confidence and envision dreams and goals for the future through cross-cultural exchange and experiences abroad. Following last year, in 2026, participants will visit Cebu, Philippines, to experience the current situation of local children and participate in volunteer activities.

Prior to departure, multiple workshops will be held to facilitate interaction among participants, team building, cross-cultural understanding, English conversation practice, and planning for activities to be conducted locally.

In the first workshop, which marked the start of the program, participants deepened their interaction and cultivated teamwork through icebreakers and group work, while also engaging in interviews with individuals who have overseas experience, English conversation lessons, and activities to establish team agreements.

*Scenes from the first workshop

Future Schedule

Smiley Flowers will continue to support participants in confidently taking on the challenge of learning abroad through multiple preparatory workshops.

Furthermore, as a platform to widely share the learning and growth of participants who have completed the overseas training, the "Smiley Flowers Kokokara Fes 2026" event, scheduled for October 11, 2026 (Sun), will feature the Step Passport 2026 On-site Experience Report Session as one of its main programs.

At the experience report session, participants will share their learning and changes through the overseas training in their own words.

With the philosophy of "nurturing people who support each other for society," Smiley Flowers aims to foster the challenges of each young person with the support of society as a whole, creating a cycle where their experiences lead to the next generation.

"Smiley Flowers Kokokara Fes 2026" Event Outline (Planned)

● Date & Time: October 11, 2026 (Sun) 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

● Venue: Resola NTT Yume Tenjin Hall (Resola Hall)

(5F, 2-5-55 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)

● Content (Planned)

- Part 1: Step Passport 2026 Experience Report Session, etc.

- Part 2: Booth exhibition by youth support organizations

● Apply here

https://forms.gle/pUuLNRFmRr8pkUZT9

*Scenes from the previous "Smiley Flowers Kokokara Fes 2025"

◾️Participant Comments

- By engaging with other languages, I want to learn about different cultures and value the spirit of mutual support and assistance regardless of language, and be useful to as many people as possible. - I want to take on many challenges that I can do now and become an experienced adult. - I want to step up myself and broaden my horizons through new challenges. - I want to convey the wonder of believing in dreams to the local people and my friends in ways that only a child like me can. - I want to make the most of this valuable opportunity that will bring me closer to my goal of becoming an English teacher and use it for my own growth.

◾️Representative's Comment

Step Passport is a program designed to help young people raised in social care broaden their world and take a new step forward through encounters and experiences abroad. While there may be anxieties about a first trip overseas, first-time companions, and first challenges, great growth lies beyond that first step. We will accompany young people, supporting their challenges with society as a whole, so that their experiences lead to the future.

【Organization Overview】

NPO International Education Support Organization Smiley Flowers

・Established: 2012

・Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

・Representative: Hironobu Kubota

・Official Website: https://smileyflowers.org

・Business Activities: International education support for youth, independence preparation training for youth leaving social care, support for social integration, provision of community spaces, etc.

【Inquiries Regarding This Matter】

NPO International Education Support Organization Smiley Flowers

Contact Person: Hironobu Kubota

E-mail: [email protected]

TEL: 092-791-4360