Yuzu (Post-Saitama) Cheer Project

[Vulnavia]

Reading this article about them now, it's from 2013 but talks about how the org got started: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/09/06/our-lives/playground-of-hope-project-builds-communities-benefits-affected-kids/ 

[4Nessie]

1 hour ago, Vulnavia said:

Reading this article about them now, it's from 2013 but talks about how the org got started: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/09/06/our-lives/playground-of-hope-project-builds-communities-benefits-affected-kids/ 

 

Reading this, I fell in love with this project. 

If the money is really spent this way, I am in!  

[PoohandYuzu]

19 hours ago, Veveco said:

Doing a bit of research on possible charities that we might want to support (as an alternative to a material gift to Yuzuru), if we are being serious about the idea. On the assumption that (1) it has to be on a 100% voluntary base (people could contribute to the "book" and not give money and vice versa) and (2) we want something related to Yuzuru so most likely "disaster relief" or "sport/FS" in Tohoku (or more broadly Japan).

 

As far as disaster relief goes, a lot of foundations (both Japanese and international ones) have stopped focusing on Tohoku in favor of other causes after 2014 or 2015. So, this is what I found (under spoiler because of length). It's a starting list, I'm sure a Japanese speaker for instance could find additional (and probably more local) options. Also, if anybody has an opinion on these organizations, it's obviously very welcome since I am mostly relying on their website/SNS information.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

In no particular order:

• Japan Red Cross Society. http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/ Why? One of the major actors of disaster relief in Japan, currently acting to help the areas of Okayama prefecture and Hiroshima prefecture (floods & landslides in 2018) and Hokkaido (2018 earthquake). I am certain that most people are familiar with the crucial role of the Red Cross, not just in Japan. Pros: Very-well established & trust-worthy society. Easy to make donation. Information available both in Japanese & English on their website. Cons: More generic (understand: less directly Yuzuru-related)
• Apricot Children. https://apricotchildren.org/ Why? Ongoing effort to support mental health for people affected by the Tohoku earthquake (as well as other disasters in Japan). They work with local mental health professionals to treat depression, PTSD and other mental illnesses of survivors and their families. Worth mentioning: Jason Stinton has been hand-cycling (!) all across Japan (south -> north, ~3000km), starting on 3/11, to promote their action. He's in Hokkaido right now so only a couple days left. You can follow his adventures here: https://www.facebook.com/outspire.org/   Pros: Long-term action in Tohoku. The mental aspect is an interesting "twist" and too often overlooked. Easy link for donation on the website and information in Japanese & English. Cons: not as well-known NPO (unless some favor a smaller organization vs a "giant"?), less detailed reports of the exact actions/spending (although they seem legit as far as I can judge).
• Blue for Japan. http://blueforjapan.com/english.html Why? Japanese NPO created by various retail shop & restaurant owners across Japan to support orphans of the Tohoku disaster. Their main focus is on education and care. Pros: Japan-based organization, focused on helping children. Given their business background, they appear to be very well organized in terms of fund-raising. Focus on education. Cons: Limited information in English (since it's a purely Japanese NPO), although nothing that can't be countered with a good online translator. No direct link for donation on their website, but, if my translator is not lying to me, the necessary information should be at the bottom of this page: http://blueforjapan.com/member.html
• Playground for Hope. https://poh.ngo/en/  Why? The original focus was to rebuild children playgrounds around Tohoku in order to promote and stabilize the social aspect of life in affected regions, but they have expended their activities to other regions since, for instance the regions affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Pros: They have been directly active in Tohoku. Focus on children. Information available in Japanese & English. Easy donation link (and you can chose which type of project to support). Cons: Not sure if they are still active in Tohoku right now? (if that is a main concern) Like Apricot and Blue for Japan, it is a more recent and thus less well-established organization (compared to the Red Cross), but as far as I can tell, they seem legit as well.

 

As far as sports & FS go... hum, sorry not many options from my disappointing research. Very difficult for me to find any serious foundation or NPO so I welcome any input 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

• The obvious option would be Sendai Ice Rink. https://icerink-sendai.net/ Why: I won't insult anybody's intelligence by developing this. Pros: Well. Yuzuru Hanyu. Figure skating. Sendai. Enough said. Cons: No information in English (not unexpected, and translating app really are life-savors). No straightforward way to make a donation (which makes sense since it is not a foundation... but an ice-rink). So I assume that we would need to contact them directly (and probably in Japanese) to figure out how to proceed.
• I was hoping to find a cause along the lines of "supporting sports for children" or "promoting FS for kids" (that seems like the sort of causes that Yuzuru would approve of) but I couldn't find anything truly relevant. I think a Japanese satellite (or one familiar with Japan) would have to step up here to provide better information if we want this kind of theme. Sorry - I really tried.

 

 

Fanyus are always wonderful!  Happy to join donation too if we can work the way out.  Two additional thoughts are: 1) vaguely recall sb translated an announcement from sendai (?) ice rank after his OGM2, about certain donation amount from the ‘Yuzuru Hanyu fund’ (?)... is this possible to look up the japanese announcement and seek a jap fanyu’s help to call and find out how to donate to that fund?  Perhaps his fund can be spent in different rinks/charity areas too.  2) or can local Fanyu help ask Line Japan where overseas fans should donate to even if we cant really buy Yuzu’s stickers directly?  Yuzu should have endorsed that fund /org for 311 rebuild work.  And he may then see the combined power of onshore and offshore support he has...

[Veveco]

10 minutes ago, PoohandYuzu said:

vaguely recall sb translated an announcement from sendai (?) ice rank after his OGM2, about certain donation amount from the ‘Yuzuru Hanyu fund’ (?)...

There is in fact a report of Yuzuru's donation on the website of the ice rink (in Japanese). But it's a personal donation. As far as I know, there is no such "Yuzuru Hanyu fund". It's simply him giving away his earnings. He's not even advertising it himself. My guess is that he doesn't want the attention to be on him?

[Xen]

So um, which are we doing and when? I'm okay with doing both, and I guess my skating poohs will need to be readied. 

(I did think about doing a jump series of poohs in various Yuzu costumes)

[PoohandYuzu]

1 hour ago, Veveco said:

There is in fact a report of Yuzuru's donation on the website of the ice rink (in Japanese). But it's a personal donation. As far as I know, there is no such "Yuzuru Hanyu fund". It's simply him giving away his earnings. He's not even advertising it himself. My guess is that he doesn't want the attention to be on him?

Thanks for the correction!  Dont read japanese, so might have mistaken sth else then...  

Can go with any method that works!

[makebelieveup]

sorry i havent checked this thread for a while but what are you settling with? i like the idea of donating under his name.

[makebelieveup]

On 3/30/2019 at 3:45 PM, Veveco said:

Doing a bit of research on possible charities that we might want to support (as an alternative to a material gift to Yuzuru), if we are being serious about the idea. On the assumption that (1) it has to be on a 100% voluntary base (people could contribute to the "book" and not give money and vice versa) and (2) we want something related to Yuzuru so most likely "disaster relief" or "sport/FS" in Tohoku (or more broadly Japan).

 

As far as disaster relief goes, a lot of foundations (both Japanese and international ones) have stopped focusing on Tohoku in favor of other causes after 2014 or 2015. So, this is what I found (under spoiler because of length). It's a starting list, I'm sure a Japanese speaker for instance could find additional (and probably more local) options. Also, if anybody has an opinion on these organizations, it's obviously very welcome since I am mostly relying on their website/SNS information.

 

  Hide contents

In no particular order:

• Japan Red Cross Society. http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/ Why? One of the major actors of disaster relief in Japan, currently acting to help the areas of Okayama prefecture and Hiroshima prefecture (floods & landslides in 2018) and Hokkaido (2018 earthquake). I am certain that most people are familiar with the crucial role of the Red Cross, not just in Japan. Pros: Very-well established & trust-worthy society. Easy to make donation. Information available both in Japanese & English on their website. Cons: More generic (understand: less directly Yuzuru-related)
• Apricot Children. https://apricotchildren.org/ Why? Ongoing effort to support mental health for people affected by the Tohoku earthquake (as well as other disasters in Japan). They work with local mental health professionals to treat depression, PTSD and other mental illnesses of survivors and their families. Worth mentioning: Jason Stinton has been hand-cycling (!) all across Japan (south -> north, ~3000km), starting on 3/11, to promote their action. He's in Hokkaido right now so only a couple days left. You can follow his adventures here: https://www.facebook.com/outspire.org/   Pros: Long-term action in Tohoku. The mental aspect is an interesting "twist" and too often overlooked. Easy link for donation on the website and information in Japanese & English. Cons: not as well-known NPO (unless some favor a smaller organization vs a "giant"?), less detailed reports of the exact actions/spending (although they seem legit as far as I can judge).
• Blue for Japan. http://blueforjapan.com/english.html Why? Japanese NPO created by various retail shop & restaurant owners across Japan to support orphans of the Tohoku disaster. Their main focus is on education and care. Pros: Japan-based organization, focused on helping children. Given their business background, they appear to be very well organized in terms of fund-raising. Focus on education. Cons: Limited information in English (since it's a purely Japanese NPO), although nothing that can't be countered with a good online translator. No direct link for donation on their website, but, if my translator is not lying to me, the necessary information should be at the bottom of this page: http://blueforjapan.com/member.html
• Playground for Hope. https://poh.ngo/en/  Why? The original focus was to rebuild children playgrounds around Tohoku in order to promote and stabilize the social aspect of life in affected regions, but they have expended their activities to other regions since, for instance the regions affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Pros: They have been directly active in Tohoku. Focus on children. Information available in Japanese & English. Easy donation link (and you can chose which type of project to support). Cons: Not sure if they are still active in Tohoku right now? (if that is a main concern) Like Apricot and Blue for Japan, it is a more recent and thus less well-established organization (compared to the Red Cross), but as far as I can tell, they seem legit as well.

 

As far as sports & FS go... hum, sorry not many options from my disappointing research. Very difficult for me to find any serious foundation or NPO so I welcome any input 

 

  Hide contents

• The obvious option would be Sendai Ice Rink. https://icerink-sendai.net/ Why: I won't insult anybody's intelligence by developing this. Pros: Well. Yuzuru Hanyu. Figure skating. Sendai. Enough said. Cons: No information in English (not unexpected, and translating app really are life-savors). No straightforward way to make a donation (which makes sense since it is not a foundation... but an ice-rink). So I assume that we would need to contact them directly (and probably in Japanese) to figure out how to proceed.
• I was hoping to find a cause along the lines of "supporting sports for children" or "promoting FS for kids" (that seems like the sort of causes that Yuzuru would approve of) but I couldn't find anything truly relevant. I think a Japanese satellite (or one familiar with Japan) would have to step up here to provide better information if we want this kind of theme. Sorry - I really tried.

 

I like both playground for hope and sendai ice rink. is it possible we do a poll here so we can be set on one. i think we have a lot of satellites here or other platforms who speak japanese. we can ask them to help

[Vulnavia]

Just wanted to bring this thread back to life because I think we ended up in a state of  thanks to having too many good ideas. Maybe we should consider stuff like the book to be longer term projects, and also continue to research the charity idea, but also come up with something simpler that we could do during this off season. Planet Hanyu merch care package? Gift with a planet theme? We've seen Yuzu use towels that were gifts from fans during practices, so maybe a custom Planet towel? 

[Yuzu_GOAT]

2 hours ago, Vulnavia said:

Just wanted to bring this thread back to life because I think we ended up in a state of  thanks to having too many good ideas. Maybe we should consider stuff like the book to be longer term projects, and also continue to research the charity idea, but also come up with something simpler that we could do during this off season. Planet Hanyu merch care package? Gift with a planet theme? We've seen Yuzu use towels that were gifts from fans during practices, so maybe a custom Planet towel? 

Maybe if anyone is going to the monument opening in Sendai (Although it is highly unlikely lol) We could arrange something for then? But yes, I agree that maybe we need to have a think about short term ideas.

[Veveco]

I was going to write a long post a few days ago about how I think we need one person (or a few but in limited number) to take the lead on the "book" in order to get things done - but life happened and I've been crazy busy for the past week 

 

Anyway. I really want to make this idea become real and I'm ready to take the time to organize everything. But I also don't want to "hijack" a project that I did not start. So - anybody interested in joining me? I have ideas on how to proceed based on everything that was mentioned in this thread, I just need a day or 2 to organize my thoughts. 

 

Collecting everything from everyone will probably take a while anyway so maybe we can talk more about the charity in the meantime? Let's be realistic, this is not going to be finished in a week.

 

I'm not sure about the feasibility of another short-term project considering how difficult it is to decide anything we all agree on. Are we in a rush? I know it was meant to be a post-Saitama cheer project originally, but after Yuzu 's recent reactions it seems to have naturally shifted into a "thank you" project instead. So, I' m personally not bothered if it end up taking an extra month (as long as it gets done!). But, hey, if there's an easy, concrete idea - why not?

[Yuzu_GOAT]

22 minutes ago, Veveco said:

I was going to write a long post a few days ago about how I think we need one person (or a few but in limited number) to take the lead on the "book" in order to get things done - but life happened and I've been crazy busy for the past week 

 

Anyway. I really want to make this idea become real and I'm ready to take the time to organize everything. But I also don't want to "hijack" a project that I did not start. So - anybody interested in joining me? I have ideas on how to proceed based on everything that was mentioned in this thread, I just need a day or 2 to organize my thoughts. 

 

Collecting everything from everyone will probably take a while anyway so maybe we can talk more about the charity in the meantime? Let's be realistic, this is not going to be finished in a week.

 

I'm not sure about the feasibility of another short-term project considering how difficult it is to decide anything we all agree on. Are we in a rush? I know it was meant to be a post-Saitama cheer project originally, but after Yuzu 's recent reactions it seems to have naturally shifted into a "thank you" project instead. So, I' m personally not bothered if it end up taking an extra month (as long as it gets done!). But, hey, if there's an easy, concrete idea - why not?

I'm willing to help out if you have ideas on how you want to proceed, I really want to make sure this is decent quality, not rushed or anything. I agree with you completely!

[Ashley2162018]

I am all in for the cheer up project, are there any final things to do now?

[4Nessie]

17 hours ago, Veveco said:

I was going to write a long post a few days ago about how I think we need one person (or a few but in limited number) to take the lead on the "book" in order to get things done - but life happened and I've been crazy busy for the past week 

 

Anyway. I really want to make this idea become real and I'm ready to take the time to organize everything. But I also don't want to "hijack" a project that I did not start. So - anybody interested in joining me? I have ideas on how to proceed based on everything that was mentioned in this thread, I just need a day or 2 to organize my thoughts. 

 

Collecting everything from everyone will probably take a while anyway so maybe we can talk more about the charity in the meantime? Let's be realistic, this is not going to be finished in a week.

 

I'm not sure about the feasibility of another short-term project considering how difficult it is to decide anything we all agree on. Are we in a rush? I know it was meant to be a post-Saitama cheer project originally, but after Yuzu 's recent reactions it seems to have naturally shifted into a "thank you" project instead. So, I' m personally not bothered if it end up taking an extra month (as long as it gets done!). But, hey, if there's an easy, concrete idea - why not?

 

I agree that we need to assign people to the work, otherwise nothing will be done in the end. And we would need to set a date when we want the project to be finished, if we don't want it to drag for long. This can be only tentative, but the work won't start, until we have some final decisions.

 

I would gladly volunteer to set up the project and be the one to organize this, but I am leaving for vacation soon and I wouldn't be able to offer help in a reasonable time, so it would be better for someone else to do it. I still want to participate and help as much as I can, but I can't promise a stable internet connection for few weeks. 

 

Doing the photobook as a short-term project is probably not wise, as it would result in an imperfect work and we surely don't want to give something imperfect to our ninja perfectionist, do we? So, we should work on that for some time, do some polls probably through the wider fandom, as someone said before, connect more people to do the input. Imho, it would be quite impressive, if we could do it as a little bit of research work and add some statistics and graphs (someone said that before as well). However, this is going to take more time and workload.

 

Short-term, this is a window for that donation idea. I love that very much and if we can come up with a proper charity and gather enough people, we could do something meaningful, make Yuzu happy, and probably, if we are lucky, it could have a positive impact on other people and on top of that, maybe, show other people, that fans of Yuzuru Hanyu are trying to do their best too.

 

Now I hope I don't sound bossy. It is not my project, it is ours, so, please, don't think I want to order someone to do something. 

[Yuzu_legend]

Hi guys, I have been busy as well... but I also want this to happen. So why don't we split it? Short term and feasible would be the donation, maybe we could try to get it by April 20th done? The photobook would definitely take longer. Should we start with the donation part?