Tokyo -- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it has begun accepting applications to the fourth term (FY 2001) of the "Nissan-NPO Learning Scholarship Program," which the company carries out annually as one of its corporate philanthropic activities.
Under this Learning Scholarship Program, Nissan recruits and selects university and graduate school students who wish to work at a nonprofit organization (NPO) and provides those chosen with scholarships as compensation for their efforts.
This program, carried out through partnerships with NPOs, was launched in 1998 as a new initiative for investing in young people who will be responsible for supporting society in the future. The objective is to give young people an opportunity to gain intellectual experience and to cultivate their thinking abilities in the process of learning through their work at NPOs, where diverse forms of self-initiated action are required.
Around 100 students apply to participate in the program every year, and approximately 20 of them are selected as scholarship recipients who will gain valuable experience at various NPOs.
Eighteen NPOs that endorse the objective of the program have been selected as the host organizations this year, fifteen of which are located in the Kanto area and three in the Kansai region. These NPOs are active in a variety of fields, including environmental protection, social welfare, international cooperation, culture and the arts. Each organization will host one or two students and is now preparing activity programs, including a long-term course of up to 300 hours and a short-term course of up to 150 hours, which will be designed so that they do not interfere with the students' university studies. Students can select and apply for a program that matches their individual interests. The deadline for applying is Friday, April 4, and the activity programs will run for a maximum of nine months, beginning this June and continuing until February 2002.
Approximately twenty applicants will be selected on the basis of a screening of their application documents and interviews.
A portion of this term's scholarship funds will come from a donation made by Nissan employees, who are members of a group that developed a super-ultra-low exhaust emission system. This system was chosen for one of the "10th Nikkei Global Environmental Technology Awards" last November. The group members proposed that the prize money be used to benefit young people, so it will be put toward increasing the number of scholarship recipients.
Developing creative and vibrant people has become an important issue in recent years not only for educational circles, but for society in general, including the business community. The experience of working at NPOs, characterized by their pioneering and specialized nature, is expected to provide opportunities for young people to acquire a spirit of entrepreneurship as the ones who will be responsible for the future of society. This scholarship program has attracted widespread interest as a unique initiative in human resources development ever since it was launched.
The following remarks were made by some of the third-term scholarship students who completed their activity programs in February. "I feel that this experience has expanded my own potential and given me the will to undertake any challenge." "I was greatly stimulated by coming in contact with many attractive people working at the NPO. That enabled me to learn a lot about life in ways that would not have been possible at my university." "Through my work at the NPO, I realized how much I had previously been a person who waited for instructions. I will strive all the more to turn that experience into a meaningful 'investment in the future,' as Mr. Ghosn mentioned."
Outline of the 4th Term (FY 2001) of the Nissan-NPO Learning Scholarship Program
- Form of implementation
Sponsor: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Partner: Japan NPO Center - Target participants
Students currently enrolled in a university or a graduate school - Host organizations (18)
(Kanto: 15 organizations)
Able Art Japan, Environmental Partnership Office / Global Environment Information Centre, Association for Corporate Support of the Arts, Sawayaka Welfare Foundation, The Foundation for Child Well-being (National Children's Castle), Japan Platform, Shapla Neer Citizens' Committee in Japan for Overseas Support, Shanti Volunteer Association, Tokyo Children's Library, Japan NPO Center, Japan Center for International Exchange, Ecosystem Conservation Society-Japan, The Association of National Trusts in Japan, Kanagawa Information Center for Citizens' Activities (Alice Center), Meguro Parasitological Museum
(Kansai: 3 organizations) Osaka Voluntary Action Center, Kobe Foreigners Friendship Center, Kobe Empowerment Center - Tentative schedule
March 21, 2001 Initiation of recruitment (activity program announcement) April 20 Deadline for application Late May Selection of scholarship recipients Early June Start of activities (until February 2002)
(The activity period differs depending on the program.) - Application information
Information on the application procedure and activity programs is posted on university bulletin boards and is also available at Nissan's website
(http://global.nissan.co.jp/PHILANTHROPY/NPO/). - Inquiries and place of application
Corporate Citizenship Office, Communications Dept., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Applications may also be made online at Nissan's website noted above.
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