100SEED Interactive Seminar: Turning Social Issues into Personal Action
JAPAN
Sumitomo Corporation holds interactive seminars in Japan as part of its 100SEED initiative, inviting experts from NPOs and other organizations working on various social and educational issues to serve as lecturers. These seminars support the Group’s long-term goal of “developing human resources who will drive the future by providing quality education” and emphasize the importance of each employee and officer taking action. As one example, in December 2025, the company hosted an exchange event at its headquarters, inviting junior and senior high school students to participate.
Learning, thinking, and taking action:
The actions that follow the seminars
Sumitomo Corporation has been continuously holding seminars in Japan since FY2024 as part of 100SEED, the Group’s social contribution initiative. Through this program, employees and officers hear directly from experts, including those from NPOs working to address a wide range of social and educational issues. The seminars encourage employees and officers to view these issues as personally relevant, think about possible solutions and the kinds of education needed in the future, and translate these insights into action.
Each 1.5-hour seminar typically receives around 100 applications, reflecting a high level of interest.
In FY2025, the seminars were held on the following themes:
・Challenges faced by children in social care / Bridge for Smile
・Child poverty and educational disparities / Certified Nonprofit Organization KIDSDOOR
・Issues surrounding children’s after-school time and well-being / Houkago NPO Afterschool
・The potential of nature-based experiential education in fostering life skills / NPO Greenwood Outdoor Experience Educational Center
At the July seminar, NPO Kidsdoor introduced the educational disparities faced by junior and senior high school students from economically disadvantaged households and the organization’s efforts to address them. Participants also learned about the free learning support programs held across Japan, where university students and working adults support as volunteer instructors. The employees and officers in attendance listened attentively to the presentation.
During the seminar
In the post-seminar survey, many participants said they would like to take part if the company offered related initiatives. NPO Kidsdoor also shared that many of the children they support have limited opportunities to interact with adults outside their parents or teachers, making it difficult for them to envision their future careers.
In response, the company decided to create an opportunity for direct dialogue between these students and its employees and officers. As a result, an event was organized combining “Mirai School”, Sumitomo Corporation’s career education support program, with a networking session between students and employees and officers.
*You can find more information about Mirai School here.
Opportunities to think about the Future – Career Education “Mirai School”
NPO Kidsdoor students visit headquarters for Mirai School and exchange with employees and officers
On December 26, 2025, the final working day of the year, Sumitomo Corporation’s headquarters welcomed 42 junior and senior high school students across Japan who participate in study sessions run by NPO Kidsdoor, along with members of the organization’s staff. From Sumitomo Corporation, 17 employees who volunteered in advance participated.
The program consisted of two parts. After an icebreaker, the first half featured a Mirai School talk by an officer who has visited schools to give similar talks.
In the second half, students, employees and officers sat in small circles for free conversation over dinner. Students asked about higher education, their future careers, and work at trading companies. Employees and officers reflected on their own teenage years while sharing their perspectives and experiences.
According to the post-event survey, students shared comments such as, “Seeing the speaker’s life journey presented as a graph made it easy to understand and helped me think about my own future,” “I was surprised to learn that if you fully master high school-level English, you can communicate to some extent overseas,” and “It was my first time visiting a company, and I got a real sense of what the work and workplace atmosphere are like.” Another student said, “I was really happy to make friends who are in a similar situation.” The event achieved a 100% satisfaction rate, suggesting that although the program was short, it provided meaningful learning and new insights.
Parents also shared many words of appreciation, including comments such as, “My child’s anxiety about entering the workforce seems to have turned into excitement,” “After the event, my child spoke positively and even seemed more open to learning English. I think it really motivated them,” and “Opportunities to visit a company are extremely valuable, and it clearly encouraged my son to think more seriously about his future.”
Comments from participating employees and officers
・The students clearly understood the lecturer’s message, responded positively, and shared their own opinions and impressions.
・Hearing from a generation we don’t usually interact with was highly stimulating. Their words, expressions, and overall atmosphere left a strong impression.
・Giving students opportunities to learn about a range of professions may help motivate them to study by connecting learning with future careers and their dreams.
・It was a valuable opportunity for both students and employees to gain new perspectives.
Comments from the seminar organizers :
Contributing to society also enriches employees and officers’ lives
The interactive seminars are designed to give employees and officers an opportunity to engage with social issues related to education and take action. However, there is often a significant gap between understanding an issue and actually taking the first step. Although this event was conducted on a trial basis, we felt it successfully encouraged participants to take their “next step.”
Through the experiences shared by employees and officers who have taken part in these initiatives, we have come to realize that supporting the well-being of others can also enrich one’s own life. Going forward, we hope to continue working with a variety of organizations to create opportunities for employees to learn about social issues, reflect on them, and take action.
