"Sumitomo Corporation Youth Challenge Program for the Revitalization of East Japan - Internship Encouragement Program" to Begin Inviting Applications

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Susumu Kato) implements the Sumitomo Corporation Youth Challenge Program for the Revitalization of East Japan to provide support for young people, including university undergraduate and graduate students, who participate in activities aimed at rebuilding areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Sumitomo Corporation hereby announces that it has started to accept applications for the second part of the Youth Challenge Program, the Internship Encouragement Program. Applications for the first part of the Program, the Activity and Research Subsidy, were accepted starting from January this year. (Application results will be made public in May 2012).

The Internship Encouragement Program provides a financial incentive to young people who work on a long-term basis as interns for NPOs that carry out activities in disaster areas. It aims to support their efforts to get firsthand experience of NPO revitalization activities and take part in the reconstruction as NPO workers. In the first year, the program was implemented in Miyagi Prefecture, mainly focusing on Sendai City. In its second and later years, it will be expanded first to Iwate and then to Fukushima Prefecture. Like the Activity and Research Subsidy, this program is planned to continue for the next five years, with cooperation provided by the Civil Society Initiative Fund.

Wishing for a quick recovery and full revitalization of the affected areas, Sumitomo Corporation will continue to provide long-term assistance for reconstruction efforts by encouraging young people to participate in local revitalization activities.