OCA Report 2021
Off Campus Activities under MRA Foundation

Having Fun, Making Friends, Promoting International ExchangeWhat We Want to Do!
What Is MRA？
OCA is a subsidiary initiative of MRA Foundation.
MRA is an acronym for Moral Re-Armament. Following WorldWar l, Dr. Frank Buchman advocated for the establishment of a

Action Goals●Japan-Thailand Student Exchange Program
Students from Chulalongkorn University, Mae Fah Luang University
in Thailand, Chuo University, Saitama University, and Keio University
in Japan are recruited through online programs.

peace movement known as the Oxford Group. After World War II a

Thai students are scheduled to visit Japan in May, and a summer“World conference”was held at Caux, Switzerland to facilitate thecamp will be held in August. In October and February of the following“Reconciliation of Germany and France”and unity among Asianyear, Japanese students will visit northern Thailand to learn about

nations, including Japan. The goal of the group was not to advocate

the current situation in Thailand and make friends.

for the military re-armament during the Cold War, but to re-arm thehttps://thaijapan.mrafoundation.or.jp/

world with morality. This is the starting point of MRA activities.
Later, MRA expanded its activities in the United States to include●Support for Mae Kok Foundation and Ban Rom Sai

an educational foundation called“Up with People”whose goal was

This is a program to organize support and volunteer activity forto educate youth through performing musical shows throughout

the Mae Kok Foundation, an orphanage for hill tribes in the Chiang

the world. In Japan, the“MRA House”was founded to support

Rai Province of Thailand, and Ban Rom Sai – an HIV orphanage in the

projects that promoted international understanding and to develop

Chiang Mai Province, also in Thailand.

international leaders.

What Is OCA? What Are We Doing?
OCA, an acronym for Off Campus Activities, was created under the
auspices of the MRA Foundation in 1971 with the goal of promotinginternational exchange and student exchanges in Asia. The program

What We Want to Do?
We would like to share the following ideas and ways of life withothers through the international exchange program:
1）Make close friends throughout the world and think of the world as
our home.

began with Japanese university students visiting their counterparts in2）Expand our views about world events and voice our opinions.

Southeast Asia, and has continued for more than 50 years conducting3）Listen attentively to our hearts and follow our own voices ininternational exchange activities among young people in Southeast
Asia, Korea and Taiwan.
In 2021, it was not possible to travel abroad due to the pandemic,

honest ways.
4）Recognize that each person is different, accept diverse values, and love
people as they are.

but OCA is engaged with young people overseas and with the5）Care and think about people’s feelings.

training of international leaders through the following programs….

6）Think about what is right rather than who is right.
7）Always think of others and ways to help society.

●Asian Beat ProjectThis is an international exchange program rooted in song andWe want to embrace these ideas as we interact with others, enjoy
daily life and live our lives.

dance. Every year, members from Japan, Taiwan, Korea andSoutheast Asia countries create a show and perform at universities
and orphanages in Asian countries. Participants first interact with
Asian Beat online, becoming familiar with the program that way, andthen later they visit Asian countries, and make lifelong friends.。
https://asianbeat.net/

1

OCA Report 2021

The MRA Foundation
OCA International Exchange Program

What Will the OCA Projects Look like in the Future?
Response to a Global Pandemic

and, they have live-streamed two of Ms. Anuluck's Thai cooking classes.

Many of the OCA's planned exchanges programs have been canceled
due to the pandemic. We discussed what kinds of projects are still
possible under this situation, and have expanded what we do online.

Future OCA Projects
In 2021, we made good friends online through our network in
Asia. However, what we really want is an international exchange that

Online Asian Beatfeatures visits overseas, we want to meet with these people face to

Asian Beat has hosted approximately 30 virtual weekend gatherings,
in an effort to recreate online the already proven value of cultural
exchange.

face, we want travel with them, and we want everyone to get to knoweach other.
So let's discuss future OCA projects....

These were creative collaborations whose culminating product were
English-language YouTube videos. We have organized three of these

Expand Online Recruitment
Through the Asian Beat Online project, we have now learned that itprojects thus far.

is possible to recruit a wide range of overseas staff and cast members

1st: March 21st-April 18th

through our home page and through our email campaigns.

2nd: June 5th-July 11th

We now know that future projects can be launched easily and3rd: October 30th-November 14th

inexpensively -- recruiting participants through our online programs.

About 35 participants have joined in each time. The staff for these

Before the pandemic, we relied on organizations in Taiwan and South

projects and the participating cast members were recruited from Asian

Korea to recruit participants, but during the pandemic, we could nocountries, and as two-thirds of the cast are from Asian countries, andlonger rely on those entities. From now on, we intend to recruit a wider

only one-third are from Japan, the projects are conducted entirely

range of overseas participants on our own.

in English. We have thus far created two YouTube videos that send
messages to Asia through song and dance.

Make Plans with Overseas Friends

Online Japan-Thailand Student Exchange

networks of friends. We want to encourage everyone to get together

Probably a lot of our potential for growth lies in our existing informal

Joint online seminars were held by Chulalongkorn University, Maewith friends -- overseas friends especially. Get online with them and

Fah Luang University, Chuo University, and Saitama University. The first

discuss possible projects. Make this the first step to planning real tours

seminar was held on March 16, 2021 by Professor Piti of Chulalongkornwith these overseas friends. Foster these friendships with the goal of

University, and the second was held on January 27, 2022 by Professor

ultimately meeting in person.

Goto of Chuo University. In each case, 50 students from 4 schools
participated online.

So What Shall We Do?

We held online student exchange meetings as well as an online

1 First of all, it is important to improve the homepage so that ourseminar. Three representatives from each of the four universities were

information is widely available. Asian Beat and Japan-Thailand

selected, and the student representatives from Japan and Thailand

Student Exchange, need to be featured there.

organized three online exchange meetings on June 17, July 5, and

2 It is important systematically to develop young leaders that canplan and implement projects.

August 10.
The number of students participating in these three exchange

3 We will create a risk management manual to study how to deal
with risks in actual project implementation, and new recruits will

meetings has thus far reached 127

study how to deal with these risks.

Online Mae Kok Foundation Visit

4 We will insure ourselves against those risks that are not covered

The Mae Kok Foundation (MKF), an orphanage serving the hill tribes

by general travel insurance, such as measures against infectiousof Chiang Rai, Thailand, has suffered financially during the pandemic.

disease, earthquakes at travel destinations, tsunamis, wars,

MRA donated ¥700,000 to MKF for the financial help.

evacuation advisories, etc.

Another¥900,000 in individual donations have been allocated towards the

While taking these measures, we would like to promote online

building of a computer room for the children.

exchanges further, meet in person someday, travel together, andSo that donors can see the faces of the children that benefit, as well as

engage in international exchange activities that deepen friendship.

exactly how the money is being used, MKF has organized visits online
OCA Report 2021

2

Asian Beat Online

I'm Yuka Shimabayashi (Yukachin), a staff member of Asian Beat

Number of people: 28 (including 5 staff)

Online.

Participating countries: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia,

The Asian Beat Project started in 2013 and has been carried out in

Philippines, and Vietnam

various Asian countries, centering on exchange tours. In 2021, wemoved all of our operations online due to the pandemic.
By going online, we have been blessed with a more diverse
membership than ever before and have made irreplaceable friends
all over the world. It wasn't always just fun, as together we had to
overcome many complex challenges.
Here, I will report on our on-going activities.

During each program, we met online for 3-4 hours each weekend tointeract with each other, play games, talk, or sing and dance. Primarily,
everything was conducted in English, but the atmosphere was relaxed
and affirming, making it easier to bridge any misunderstandings.

Make Friends Online
At first, we were worried about what kind of exchanges would bepossible online because up to now, these were always projects where
we actually met face-to-face to deepen the cultural exchange through＜Outline of Project Implementation＞
ASIAN BEAT Online (ABO) 1

singing, dancing, and traveling.
We could not touch each other, and when we sang songs, there was

Period: March 21st-April 18th (4 weeks)always the complication of the time delay by online performance. In

Number of people: 28 (including 7 staff)

such a context, what remains important is the desire to build friendships

Participating countries: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia.

and cultivate a program that encourages people to get along with eachother. We thought it would be difficult to facilitate these activities online

ASIAN BEAT Online (ABO) 2

in English, and to convey our enthusiasm for the program to people we

Period: June 5th-July 11th (5 weeks)

were meeting for the first time, but we found we were actually able to

Number of people: 32 (including 7 staff)

convey our feelings through the screen. Little by little, friendships were

Participating countries: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia,

formed with those that shared our vision.

Philippines, Laos, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Palestine.

Continue Singing and Dancing
I don't know this person at all; but if I know the same song and the same dance,

ASIAN BEAT Online (ABO) 3

I feel an intimacy with this person at once! Do you have such an experience?

Period: October 30th-November 14th (3 weeks)

Uniting people through shared experience -- that is the power of singing and3

OCA Report 2021

dancing. I don't mind if I'm not good at it, I just try to imitate the movement.
I'm not enthusiastic about it, but I try to move my body.

the relationships amongst the staff deepen.
Cast members who participated after ABO1, said they wanted to be theIn such simple ways, you can laugh and understand each other even if you

staff who could facilitate the next program! Many voices were raised. The

don't share any words.

atmosphere was fun and carefree, with an ethic of helping each other.

This time, we created an original song for Asian Beat, incorporating thestaff. It was our first time to write and compose songs online together like

A Community Has Been Createdthis, but each of us shared our impressions of what he had learned during the

Recently, Casts themselves have held classes where cast members can learn

program, we put those impressions into words, and combined our thoughts.

Indonesian and Japanese, and other voluntary exchanges have continued.

It was very difficult to make the final product cohesive because our wide-

Moreover, after the first program finished, we found that ABO had become aranging values, but our joy when it was finally completed was exceptional

kind of self-perpetuating community, the participants remaining in touch andand the song that was our finished product was now very special to us.

planning drinking parties.

I hope that one day we will be able to sing this song face to face.

"ABO" is now a nickname for this community to create by casts themselves.

Making Videos to Reach the World

feel that across many different countries, we had managed to build something

What can Asian friends do to get together online? We came up
with the idea of creating a videos.
ABO1 is "Hope of Being Alive." We put the thought that we canmake friends in the world even in such a world as we have now,and cherish the hope and happiness that we have now.
ABO2 is "Energy of Diversity." We created energetic dance videos,
incorporating the work of many friends.

It's hard to build these kinds of connections between people, but we could
that might be called a family. We will continue to recognize each other's
differences and nurture a membership that is eager to learn from each other.

2022 Asian Beat Project
From now on, we will work toward promoting "tours,"
where friends can make their first acquaintance online!
We are planning to go to "Indonesia" in March 2023. This tour is

Even in times when the news from around the world was getting

limited to those who have participated in Asian Beat Online thus far.

pretty dark, our project was filled with a positive power with which

If you are interested, please join ASIAN BEAT Online 4. We have

we hope to reach the world, celebrating a connection

scheduled three informational sessions. Please apply at the home page!

with people whom we would come to learn are verymuch like ourselves, and wishing for peace.

How to Make Friends?
The purpose of the program is to“become life-long friends.”<Cast briefing session> @ Online
Saturday, April 23, 14: 00-16: 00
April 24 (Sun) 14: 00-16: 00
Saturday, April 30 14: 00-16: 00

Having just a few short weeks, there was not much time to simply enjoy
a dialogue with each other. We realized that we needed to create a time
window for the dialogue.
At ABO3, we decided to work with multinational staff to think about whatkind of projects should be planned during the program to promote life-longfriendships.

※We closed the cast application for ABO4. Thank you.
We have discovered the power of organizing and building
relationships on line.
With this new confidence in our ability to reach people, we are
eager to expand.

The program content was structured so that the cast could deepen theirrelationships with each other by actively incorporating one-on-one talks andsetting aside time to learn each other's languages.

The Importance of Staff
From the time we started ABO1, we have sought to recruit multinational
staff. The reasons are:l Multinational staff are indispensable for recruiting a diverse cast.
2 Drawing from various ideas and values, the program becomes rich. Also,
OCA Report 2021

4

Online Japan-Thailand Student Exchange
Student Representatives
June：

Preaw/MFU、Din/Chula、Kamoshi/Saitama、Soma/Saitama

July：

Pennie/MFU、Tan/MFU、Hiroki/Saitama、
Masutami/Chuo

August：Cookie/Chula、Nice/Chula、Fukui/Chuo<Number of Participant＞
Chulalongkorn University

June 17
July 5
August 10
Total

25
17
8
50

MFU

10
14
5
29

Chuo University

Saitama University

17
2
12
31

9
5
3
17

Total

61
38
28
127

＜ Questionnaire ＞
The satisfaction level from the participants was very high, and thatquestion aside, it was worth taking on this challenge because we discoveredthat it was possible to do this online. After this exchange program, somestudents volunteered to be appointed as student representatives for 2022,
so we were happy that we could remain connected.
Due to the pandemic, it has become impossible to run
university exchange programs between Japan and Thailand as
we had in the past. But not wanting to give up on this project we
conducted these exchanges online.
It was our first attempt, and we were worried if we would be
able to get along meeting only online.
Here is how we adapted the program:
1 We had three online monthly exchange meetings for threemonths sothat the students could meet frequently.
2 The students scheduled their exchanges independently sothat they
could interact with each other at their own convenience.
The OCA staff helped the students plan for this new andunfamiliar online operation, helped to host events online, andhelped with language barriers that might arise between Japaneseand Thai student participants.

<Program Contents>
The student representatives were able to engage in a deeper
exchange by forming teams drawn from the four universities.
Pooling their collective expertise and collaborating to create
an enjoyable event. This effort becomes a very important
experience for all students.

5

OCA Report 2021

<Questionnaire>

Respondents in total
Very satisfied
Satisfied
NormalDissatisfied
Very dissatisfied

57
36
19
2
0
0

63.2％
33.3％
3.5％
0％
0％

4 University Online Seminar
1st: March 16, 2021 2nd: January 27, 2022
It has become difficult to travel abroad due to the global pandemic, andThis time, the number of participants decreased because some MFU

students are still unable to come to campus. We arranged with Professor

students had to attend their classes during our seminar time.

Komoriya of Chuo University and used Zoom to hold a joint online seminar

Professor Goto held a number of discussions from the perspective of

among the four universities.

economics. He discussed methods for privatizing road and railway

The first lecture was from Professor Piti of Chulalongkorn University, and thebusinesses in both countries. He discussed measures to eliminate

second lecture was from Professor Goto of Chuo University. Each teacher

road congestion. He discussed the construction of high-speedrecorded the day's lecture on a video and distributed it to the participating

railways to replace air routes. After the seminar, OCA announced thestudents in advance. The students attended the seminar after studying the Video.

plans for this year's "Japan-Thailand Student Exchange Program".

On the day of the seminar, after explaining the summary of the lecture contents,
Thai and Japanese students were divided into several rooms and discussed theissues presented by the teacher. They were encouraged to add the perspectivefrom within their respective social and environmental contexts, and personal
beliefs. After that, the entire group reconvened and resumed the discussion.

1st 4-University Online Seminar
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Thai time 13: 00-15: 00
Japan time 15: 00-17: 00
Lecturer: Dr. Piti Srisangnam
Professor, Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn
University
Deputy Director of ASEAN Research Center
Theme: The Indo-Pacific Strategy"A New Paradigm for Relations in China, India, and ASEAN …"
Participants: a total of 55 people gathered for the seminar -- 12 students
from Chulalongkorn University, 10 from MFUs, 12 from Chuo University, 10
from Saitama University, 6 professors from 3 universities, and 5 OCA staff.
The students discussed the strengths and weaknesses of various options
presently before Thai and Japanese policy-makers on a range of issues
presented by the seminar discussion leader. All of these topics were issues
relating to the Indo-Pacific region.

2nd 4-University Online Seminar
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022
Thai time 13: 00-15: 30
Japan time 15: 00-17: 30
Lecturer: Dr. Takao Goto
Professor, Faculty of Economics, Chuo University
Theme: Differences in traffic conditions between Thailand and Japan
Participants: a total of 35 people gathered for the seminar on Zoom:
9 students from Chulalongkorn University, 2 from MFU, 19 from Chuo

Comments from Each Teacher of the 1st Seminar
Comments from Sirima sensei of Chulalongkorn University

This first online exchange activity was a very good opportunity
for students of both countries to meet and exchange their ideas.
Thanks to this pandemic, we have discovered another channel ofinternational exchange.
In my opinion, this first attempt at online exchange activity
went out quite well. Students were able share their ideas on theassigned topics.
The program was designed in such a way as to allow students
time to learn about a given topic before discussing it. My hopeis that -- having formed these international connections -- thesestudents stay in touch.
Comments from Rapipong sensei of Mae Fah Luang University

This was the first time that OCA has organized an online
seminar for students from four different universities, and I foundthe event quite interesting.
Even though the topic of some seminar discussions might
have been outside of the field of mainstream economics, it was
fruitful, as students need a broader view of what is happening in
our region.
The online discussion room was also interesting -- for example,
the SWOT analysis of Indo-Pacific policies. I have to confessthat the students did a much better job than I would have doneat their age. This was a great experience for all participants.
Comments from Komoriya sensei of Chuo University

The pandemic has forced the world to rethink and rework
how it does things. Students are constantly interacting
internationally using Zoom and similar tools. We have had toaccommodate ourselves to these tools, and protocols pertaining
to them. But also the lecture content, the nature of seminar
discussions, and the quality of collaborative presentations haveundergone a new style. And through this project, students

University, 5 from Saitama University were nominated and 28 students

from our four universities were able to participate in thatparticipated on the day. Dr. Sirima and Dr. Pear of Chulalongkorn

transformation.

University, and Professor Komoriya of Chuo University participated.
OCA Report 2021

6

Mae Kok Foundation Support
The Long-Awaited Computer Room Has Been Completed!
Mae Kok Foundation (MKF)'s business income fell due to the pandemic,
putting it in a very difficult financial situation.
In addition to our annual donation of ¥400,000 yen to the agriculturalprojects that MRA Foundation organizes, MRA Foundation made an
additional remittance of ¥300,000 yen for emergency support. At thesame time, we were able to collect ¥660,000 in individual donations bysoliciting donations from OCA members beginning in November 2021.
"Make a Difference" members who are active mainly in Nagoya, andcharity projects centered on Asian Beat cast members participated in thefundraising events. These personal donations were sent to MKF throughthe account of MKF Support Association. We also received a donationof ¥240,000（71,000 Thai Baht）from everyone at OCA Thailand. In all, we

The room is fitted withglass dividers and doors,and has panel stated“donated by OCA andOCA Thailand”.

collected and sent a total donation of ¥1.6 million for MKF in December
2021.
To those that donated, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude.
Thanks to you, MKF's business situation has stabilized. With these
donations, we were able to build a children's computer room, which was
one of our goals for the year. We put a glass door in one corner of theactivity rooms, installed insulation, installed an air conditioner, added a
remodeled desk, and bought two computers. Wi-Fi was set up, and an
opening ceremony was held on February 19th. They invited the Directors.
The children are now doing homework, doing research, and studying
each on his or her own computer -- provided by you. We eagerly
anticipate the wider range of knowledge they will now have access to.

Children studying at their newly provided computers.

Visit a "Make a Difference" Charity Event”Make a Difference”– active mainly in Nagoya – has been hosting
successful fundraisers for MKF since the end of 2020. We heardthat one event would be held at Mihama Farm in Mihama Town,
Aichi Prefecture, so we visited. Mihama Farm is a long-term project
aimed at“preserving soil for our children,”and aims to open in 2013.
This event featured rice balls cooked in a mess tin, pork miso soup,roasted sweet potatoes, and professional hand massages.
This rice ball and pork miso soup were the best!
Another attraction was a waterless toilet – treated with sawdust andmicroorganisms. The children got to learn how it worked. Mihama
Farm was a relaxing and comfortable space dotted with orange trees.

From the left, Ms. Yamada, Ms. Noda (Make a Difference), Ms. Takizawa,
Ms. Ueda (Mrs. Mihama Farm Owner), Mr. Okumura

MKF also produces pesticide-free vegetables, fruit trees, and beehouses. There were many things in common between Mihama Farmand MKF, and I felt a strange connection between them.
Thank you for donating all the profits from the ticket and food sales.
We were inspired, and we hope to plan such events in Kanto -perhaps even in the suburbs of Tokyo.

7

OCA Report 2021

Bags for used toilet paper, made from newspaper, for using
the waterless toilet. In lieu of flushing, put used paper in thesebags and throw them away.

MKF Support Charity Project③Global Charity Tidying Up（decluttering）
Period: December 26-30, 2021 (14 days)
Number of people: 21 (participating countries: Japan, Indonesia)
Donations collected: ¥57,500
Each program incorporates a lot of ideas that participants canparticipate in happily.
1. No quotas are set and each participant pursues the goals he/she wishes to achieve over the course of the event.
2. Charity goals are subordinated to the goal of forming
meaningful connections.
3. Charity becomes another context for discussing what we cando for society.

This is a report of a new charity project launched by the Asian
Beat Program staff.
Participation fees for this program went to MKF through theaccount of "MKF Support Association."

4. We recruit participants not only from Japan but also fromoverseas.
For more information about these initiatives, please check thelatest information from our website and join us!

①Global Charity Run & Walk
Period: July 10-25, 2021 (14 days)
Number of people: 29 (participating countries: Japan, Thailand, South Korea)
Donations collected: ¥56,616.
Combined distance of all walkers and runners: 1366.23km②Global Charity Cooking Class (Thai cooking class)
Period: October 10, 2021 (2 hours)
Number of people: 7 (participating countries: Japan, South Korea)
Donations collected: ¥10,500
Cuisine: Green curry, banana coconut milk

Ban Rom Sai, Library Project Donation
Ban Rom Sai is a living facility for orphans infected with HIV in Chiang Mai,
northern Thailand. In recent years, they have also accepted children from the
National Orphanage. At the time of its inception, there was prejudice anddiscrimination in the village, but the library has become available to children andmothers in the area, and attitudes in general towards the facility have improved.
The library now serves as a community center in the area. Since the library wasbuilt, OCA has donated ¥400,000 a year to maintain and improve it.
However, due to the pandemic, external use of the library has been
restricted, so, this year, it was only available to the children in the facility. It
was reported that the library and computer room, where the coolness canbe taken amid concerns about the record heat and the effects of PM2.5, have

Ban Rom Sai's computerroom. OCA makes donations
for maintenance.

enriched the children’s stay home and made great use of them.
Our hope is that the Corona disaster will soon be over and lively reading
events can resume.
OCA Report 2021

8

Ms. Kitano and Ms. Muraoka,

Thank You for Your Hard Work on the School ProjectThis school project ran for eight years (beginning in 2014). It wascanceled in 2021.
To Ms. Kitano and Ms. Muraoka, we thank you very much for taking charge
for such a long time. What follows is a retrospective of those eight years….

◆ Project History
In the future, not only English and other language skills, but also the ability torespect diverse values ​​and the ability to express one's own culture and opinions
across linguistic and cultural barriers -- especially on questions that may nothave normative answers -- and an ability to live and let live will be necessary, anability to look past differences to work together and solve problems as a team.
Common Beat is a precursor organization from which evolved Asian Beat.
In the context of the school project, OCA and Common Beat organizeda course aimed at nurturing a zest for life in children.
The purpose was to open children to a broader range of opportunity
through meeting adults from various backgrounds and through engaging
in school projects that emphasized creative expression.
Beginning from 2014, after a great deal of planning, the project ran atfull scale, and entailed various activities such as workshops for faculty andstaff, and program development both online and offline (on as well as off
premises). We have been able to deliver classes to more than 13,000
children -- from elementary to high school.

◆ Effects of the Project
The main program, "Dance of the World," features dances from 3 to 4
countries. It features greetings and expressions of good will in the language ofeach country, as well as a sampling of the culture of each country.
To make it easier for children that are shy about dancing, or perhaps arelimited by disability, to participate, there is space in the program for children
to express themselves through other media -- the emphasis being on learning
through fun. The result was a shared experience of moving minds and moving
bodies, with a wealth of self-expression opportunities. As one teacher put it, "forchildren who have so little opportunity to actually come into contact with foreigncultures (though they may have learned of these cultures in the abstract), here
was an opportunity to engage with these cultures with their whole bodies."

9

OCA Report 2021

Records of School Project
Number of schools visite

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Total

15
17
33
45
40
11
0
161

Children who participatedin school visits

1397
1000
2393
5003
2524
1184
0
13,501Children who participated in
the online program

0
0
0
0
0
493
170
663

◆ Sanpoko (Ms. Kitano) Impressions
I want to provide a space where each child can express him or herself and learn to respect theindividuality of others. I want time, in education, to be set aside for simply enjoying the growth ofinternational understanding.
This was why I stayed with the school project for so long.
Looking back, interacting with adults of various professions and ages was a valuable opportunity
for children, and at the same time, it proved an exciting learning environment for the visiting adults,
especially where opportunities arose for adults to bridge language barriers between children.
Children themselves by nature are great teachers. I was able to take joy in the life-enrichingexperiences for myself and everyone involved -- child and adult.
The pandemic changed a lot, of course, but we will continue to support the project. Once again, we
would like to express our sincere gratitude to OCA and its affiliates for their support.

◆ Maru-chan (Ms. Muraoka) Impressions
While conducting "World Dance Class" at the various participating schools, one student asked,"Why do we have these classes?"
We answered by saying, "How you enjoy it is up to you." But this program conveys the consistentmessage that there are many "differences" and many "commonalities" between people and once welearn to relate to others person-to-person the next much easier step is "self to friend."
It's not just about building country-to-country awareness, but also people-to-people awareness,and ultimately person-to-person. We are seeking a meta-linguistic shift towards "Mr. X who
happens to live in the country X and myself who happens to live in Japan."The student who asked this question seemed confused by my response. He needed time tocome around on his own to what I supposed was an unfamiliar concept, but that's education.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games were held in Japan, and while events such as these allow me
to feel closer to the world, I am more profoundly impacted by my experience in the school program
because we live in a world where there is too much conflict. The school program, I think, gets at
the fundamental challenges when it comes to ending conflict.

Interim Plan: 2022 to 2024
１）Background (Three-Year Business Plan)

organizations, were constrained by the pandemic, it has been proved

The 2017 business plan reached its final year in 2021 so this three-that it is possible to easily and inexpensively recruit participants

year interim business plan -- 2022 to 2024 was prepared by the OCA

from a wide range of Asian countries online. Going forward, we will

management committee.

continue to recruit participants through our online programs, deepen

At the first management committee meeting on April 15, 2021, thefriendships by going to meet friends in person on tour after gettingareas of concern and persons in charge were resolved as follows....
Meeting Date

Area of Concern

to know each other on line, thereby enhancing and revitalizing
our international exchange initiatives which have been our core

Person in Charge

competency, as an organization, from the beginning.

May 6

MRA Foundation Policy and OCA Policy Hamaguchi

May 12

Thai student visits Japan, Northern Thailand Project Okumura

May 20What we want to do, the internal
environment, the external environment,
principles to defend, securing participants,
evaluating method of the project

OkumuraMay 27

Outsourced expenses, succession planning,
operations systems and protocols.

Shimizu

June 4

Support to MKF and Ban Rom Sai

Takizawa

5. Asian Beat will make one brief tour and visit Asia twice a year. In ourJune 16

The Asian Beat Project

Mitsuya,
Shimabayashi,
Kobayashi

third year, we will invite Asian friends to Japan for an Asian Assembly.

June 25

3. In order to further the online program, we have to upgrade thehomepage for each project, and optimize these web pages as a
medium for disseminating information.
4. In order for the online program to be successful, it is necessary todevelop young leaders and young staff from Asian countries; so

The School Project

we need to be explicit and proactive when it comes to succession
planning across all OCA operations.

6. The Japan-Thailand Student Exchange Project will focus on training
for Thai students to visit Japan, a project to visit Northern Thailand,

Kitanoand 4 universities online seminars.

An interim report was made at the Management Committee Meeting

7. In addition to donations from the MRA Foundation,“the MKF Support

on June 10th and July 30th, and the final draft was approved at the 4th

Project”will collect individual donations and, every year, will organize

Management Committee Meeting on August 19th and submitted to thefundraisers for MKF children under the auspices of“the MKF Support

President of MRA Foundation.

Association”. In addition to fundraising, we will visit with MKF staff
and volunteers. We will continue to support the library project at Ban

２）Key Points of the Interim Business Plan

Rom Sai and seek better relations with the surrounding community.

1. We reaffirmed the mission of the OCA and reached consensus on
how to realize the vision for each project.
2. While outreach to domestic and foreign allies, and cooperating３）Annual Activity Budget from 2022 to 2024
The annual activity budget for 3 years beginning in 2022 is as follows.

Annual Budget Projections from 2022 to 2024

（Thousand yen）

20,00015,00010,000

5,000

0

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

■■ Budget ■■ Achievements

OCA Report 2021

10

OCA Operation Policy
Organizational structure:

OCA operates as a program under the direct control of the MRA Foundation.

Activity policy:

The goal of OCA is to foster global leadership through interaction with local
communities and cross-cultural exchanges with other countries.

Budget for Activities:

The budget for activities is based on the annual budget of the MRA Foundation,
which is financed by its endowment and management of basic assets.

Annual Budget

OCA activities and annual expenses of the fiscal years 2021 (actual)and 2022 (budget) are as follows.
Program2021 (actual)

Asian Beat Project2022 (budget)

59,874

1,801,000

0728,000

Japan-Thailand Student Exchange
Thai Student Visit Program
Northern Thailand Project0

1,047,000

Donation to MKF

700,000

400,000

cocoWA Project0

800,000

MKF, Ban Rom Sai
Donation to Ban Rom Sai

400,000

400,000

Keio IIR Project0

686,000

School Project

650,000

0

Japan-Thailand Exchange HP Creation

259,0130

OCA Report

100,100

210,00002,215,000

3,720,000

1,200,000

834,7322,500,000

6,776,187

12,037,000

Other Programs

Asian Beat HP Repair

50,0000Christmas Party
Overseas Business Trip Expenses
Outsourcing Expenses
General Expenses
Total (yen)Steering Committee:

052,468Sato, Kehara, Koseki, Takahashi, Shimizu, Adachi, Agatsuma, Takizawa, Koinuma,
Okumura, Kitano, Akiyama, Shimabayashi, Mitsuya, Kobayashi, Mori

How to Join:

OCA does not have a membership system. No membership fee is required.
Information on OCA activities are available on the MRA Foundation website.
Please contact us from the web site.

Contact:
MRA Foundation, OCA International Exchange Program
REFIR Minami Azabu 1F 9-17, Minamiazabu 4-Chome Minato-ku,Tokyo 106-0047 Japan
Asian beat https://asianbeat.net/

Japan-Thailand Student Exchange https://thaijapan.mrafoundation.or.jp