Ricoh 2014 Annual Report Download - page 84

Ricoh Group Sustainability Report 201483
Third consecutive year of new employee support
in communities hit by the tsunami
Activities to help re-establish the shing industry
inMinamisanriku, a town in Miyagi Prefecture
thatwas hit hard by the tsunami, have been part
ofRicoh’s training program for new employees
forthree years now. These activities contribute to
community rebuilding in the disaster area and also
serve an educational purpose as new employees
areable to gain a different perspective and learn a
different skill while lending a helping hand.
In scal 2013, we divided a total of 224 people
into two groups across nine places along the coast.
Eachgroupwenttoworkalongsidemembersof
the local shing industry for four days. Involved in
the program now for three years, the shermen
look forward to the interaction with Ricoh’s new
employees. There were many happy scenes, with
one person remarking that “lots of the young folks
willingly start up conversations with us.” Ricoh’s
presence is really being felt here, and a bond of
trust between the Company and the community
has developed as a result. On the surface, the
program is a way for new employees to experience
supportactivitiesrst-hand.Butthetruestarsofthe
program, so to speak, are ultimately the local folks
who benet by Ricoh’s decision to play a role in the
reconstruction process.
Support activities for people and areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake
First-term graduation ceremony at Future Creation School
Participating as support staff in Kamaishi Yoisa, a local festival
Supporting Tohoku Future Creation Initiative
What activities were implemented in the past year, and where do
things stand now?
A year ago, I was a total stranger here. I was so anxious and apprehen-
sive about everything. But through our involvement in the first term of
the Future Creation School, a program to develop the future leaders of
Kamaishi, and the First Kamaishi Hyakunin Kaigi (Council of 100 Peo-
ple), which emphasizes increased participation by young people and
the realization of citizen-led community building, we met lots of like-
minded people who have talked about the future of Kamaishi with us.
We now feel that our efforts here have meaning. We busy ourselves
every day with preparations for the second term of the School and
the Second Council to lay the cornerstone for the foundation of
tomorrow’s Kamaishi.
What was your most memorable moment of the past year?
It was the rst-term graduation ceremony for the Future Creation
School. At the graduation ceremony, the 10 graduating students—all
keen to become local entrepreneurs—spoke in front of a huge crowd,
including the mayor of Kamaishi. They each described a vision for the
region and the business concept that they had ne-tuned with the help
of their instructors to realize that vision. I was impressed by their busi-
ness concepts, which were inspiring, pointing a path to the future.
Hearing the students’ comments, I was very pleased to be working in
this ofce.
Going forward, what does the community need?
The area devastated by disaster is in transition, moving out of the
restoration phase and into the reconstruction phase. This shift will
probably bring about a noticeable decrease in support and assistance
from across the nation. The people here must realize it, too. Still, I feel
it is important to reemphasize the idea that a community is cared for
and developed by its people, so more citizens should take part in the
process and ensure a future for Kamaishi and the rest of the area.
What kind of activities would you like to see happen next?
By the time I leave Kamaishi a year from now, it would be great if the
cornerstone for the foundation of tomorrow’s Kamaishi were in place.
The Future Creation School will continue, along with the Kamaishi
Hyakunin Kaigi, and we will meet more people with great ideas for the
future. These people need support to take that vital rst step into busi-
ness, and I hope we can create the necessary opportunities for promot-
ing development toward their independence.
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Since August 2013, two Ricoh employees have been involved in disas-
ter reconstruction support activities as special staff of the city of
Kamaishi, in Iwate Prefecture. They are members of the organization
Kamaishi Satellite, which helps drive the Tohoku Future Creation
Initiative, a cooperative, cross-sector effort encompassing industry,
government, academia, and the public, with a mission to create a new
future in the area destroyed by the great earthquake and devastating
tsunami of March 11, 2011. Based in Kamaishi, the employees tackle
two issues: developing young businesspeople on whose shoulders rest
the future of the Kamaishi- Otsuchi region; and promoting concrete
reconstruction plans for Kamaishi. Below, they talk about the local
activities they have had a hand in so far.