Fruits in Suits Japan kicks off Fruition Mentorship Program 2017-2018
If you are a university student who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (“LGBT”), genderqueer or friendly with the LGBTQ+ community, or if you are a working professional in the LGBT and allies community, you are invited to participate in the FinS Mentorship Program 2017-18!
MENTEES please make an application at:
https://fruitsinsuitsjapan.typeform.com/to/h3KqGj
MENTORS please email hello@fruitsinsuitsjapan.org expressing your interest
(See notes for registration below).
Fruition is a collaborative project involving LGBT university student networks, Job Rainbow, sponsoring corporations, cooperating university gender centers and faculty and the premier LGBT professionals’ network, Fruits in Suits (FinS) in Tokyo. The program will bring together 25-50 pairs of Mentors and Mentees to cover a curriculum in career guidance, entrepreneurship and personal development modeled on Global Leaders Program of Hive.org.
Because still so few men and women “come out” professionally in Japan, LGBT youth are rarely exposed to role models that identify as LGBT and demonstrate a positive and proud stance towards one’s work and life. The opportunity to work in an open, diverse and understanding corporation as someone lesbian, gay, and transgender is also beyond the ken of many. Our aim is to change this.
Fruition will connect LGBT youth with multi-dimensional development of over 200 Mentees through the guidance of
Our Mentors are from a wide range of fields, including Architecture, Banking & Finance, Education, Entertainment, Hospitality, Human Resources, Law, Literature, Marketing & PR, Psychology, Shipping and Technology.
Objectives
The key objectives FRUITION are:
1. To support the career and personal development of our mentees; and
2. To connect and build a strong LGBT-friendly network across different industries.
Target Participants
1. Students from all universities in Tokyo, who are LGBT or LGBT-friendly, may become a Mentee;
2. Any working professional who is part of the LGBT community or a strong ally may become a Mentor.
Key Dates in Program Calendar (2017 – 2018)
1 July – August 15 Mentee Applications
Mentees will express their interest and apply through the form above. The selection committee of FinS members, university professors and volunteers will sift through applicants and endeavor to match each applicant with a mentor based on career choices, general interest and expressed areas of personal development need.
15 August – September 15 Participants Selection
Announcement of selected applicants and mentors will be conducted at the FinS 3rd Anniversary Gala in September.
1 October 2017– 31 March 2018 1st Program Term
April 2018 –Participants’ Presentations
Additional details and information will be provided at our kickoff event, July 6th, at GRID Nagatacho. If you’d like to join the Mentorship Program as a Mentee or Mentor, feel free to come for a night of networking and drinks!
NOTES
1. We take GREAT CARE in the matching process, and we hope to find the best possible matches, so please answer the two open-ended questions in as much detail as possible.
2. This is a Mentorship Program aimed primarily for LGBT youth, so participants must be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) or must be friendly to the LGBT (which means it’s perfectly okay if you are straight, so long as your are “friendly”), and they must be able to be comfortable in talking about LGBT issues with each other (even if you might not know a lot about LGBT issues!).
Throughout the Year – Various micro-events will be organized by FinS and other firms to benefit our mentees, support the curriculum and learning process, and bring together our mentors and mentees to share.
About the Organizers
Fruits in Suits Japan (FinS) was established in 2014 and continues to grow in size, the largest group connecting LGBT professionals in Japan. The organization is extremely committed to the development of the LGBT community and seeks to extend access to resources, aid in the influence on the local businesses and take part in furthering LGBT causes in Tokyo through its support of local organizations and activists. FinS EVENTS, primarily focus and showcasing those activities while giving a platform for corporations that wish to market to our membership.