June 12, 2000
Nissan's Investment in the Future Society
--- Nissan-NPO Learning Scholarship Program ---
Tokyo -- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is today holding a ceremony to mark the completion of the second term of the Nissan-NPO Learning Scholarship Program, as well as an orientation seminar to commence the third term. The combined events are taking place in the Auditorium at Nissan's Head Office, attended by Mr. Carlos Ghosn, Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Ghosn will be personally presenting the second-term scholarship recipients with certificates of completion and wished them every success in their future careers. In his remarks to the attendees, Mr. Ghosn will tell the third-term scholarship recipients that what the global community needs in the years ahead is capable people who have the ability to think for themselves, creativity and the capacity for self-initiative.
Inaugurated in 1998 as one of Nissan's corporate citizenship activities for contributing to society, the Nissan-NPO Learning Scholarship Program is a totally new type of initiative that is carried out through partnerships with participating nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Under this program, Nissan recruits and selects students who want to experience the activities of an NPO and provides those selected with scholarships as compensation for their work at such organizations. The objective of this program is to help students to acquire intellectual experience at NPOs, where specialized and self-reliant action is required, as part of their preparation for leading meaningful lives in society. Nissan has positioned this Learning Scholarship Program as an investment in youth, education and the future.
In March, Nissan began accepting applications for the third term (FY 2000) from students at Kanto and Kansai universities by mail and also through the Internet. A total of 98 students applied this time, which exceeded last year's figure. The applicants were from 27 universities in the Kanto and Kansai areas and included ten foreign students from Asian countries. Based on a screening of their application documents and interviews, 18 scholarship recipients were chosen for the third term.
Serving as the host organizations for the students are sixteen NPOs that endorse the objective of this program. These NPOs are active in a variety of fields, including the environment, social welfare, international cooperation, culture and the arts. Thirteen of them are located in the Kanto area and the remaining three are based in the Kansai region. Each organization will host one or two students and will provide them with learning opportunities through a choice of activity programs that include a long-term course, limited to a maximum of 300 hours, and a short-term intensive course with a maximum limit of 150 hours. These programs have been designed so that the activities will not interfere with the students' studies.
The following comments are typical of the reasons mentioned by the third-term scholarship recipients as their motives for applying to the program. "I want to acquire broad vision and the ability to consider things from many different angles, as a result of meeting people from all walks of life at an NPO." "I want to gain field experience in putting ideals into practice based on a clear awareness of objectives at an NPO, which is not merely swayed by the pursuit of efficiency and market principles." "I want to deepen my own research by learning how things are done in the real world, which is something that one cannot study at university and it goes far beyond the intellectual knowledge obtained through university lectures and research." These comments seem to indicate that young people increasingly want to "find themselves" through intellectual experience gained at an NPO.
For young people who will be the bearers of the future, the experience of working in pioneering and specialist organizations like NPOs is seen as being effective in fostering their development as capable individuals with internationally competitive abilities. For that reason, this learning scholarship program has attracted considerable attention from all quarters of society since it was established.
Outline of the Third Term (FY 2000) of the Nissan-NPO Learning Scholarship Program
1. Form of implementation
Sponsor: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Partner: Japan NPO Center
2. Target participants
Students currently enrolled in a university or a graduate school
3. Host organizations (16)
Kanto: Sawayaka Welfare Foundation, The Foundation for Child Well-being, Shapla Neer Citizens' Committee in Japan for Overseas Support, Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA), Tokyo Children's Library, Japan NPO Center, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE), Association of Art, Culture and People with Disabilities, Japan, Ecosystem Conservation Society-Japan, The Association of National Trusts in Japan, Alice Center (Kanagawa Information Center for Citizens' Activity), Institute for Folktale Research, Meguro Parasitological Museum
Kansai: Osaka Voluntary Action Center, Kobe Foreigners Friendship Center, Kobe Empowerment Center
4. Application period
March 21 - April 21, 2000
5. Activity period
June 2000 to February 2001 (The longest period is nine months, but the actual activity period differs depending on the program.)
6. Number of applicants and scholarship recipients
No. of applicants: 98 university and graduate school students from 27 universities in Tokyo, Ibaraki, Osaka, Hyogo and other prefectures
No. of scholarship recipients: 18 students
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