About the event

The Communities Foundation of Texas’ NTX Giving Day is an 18-hour online giving event designed to empower every person to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about in one easy-to-use platform. Although the focus is one day, the giving portal is open from September 1.

The event helps build awareness and support for nonprofits like nothing else. In 2021, $66 million was raised through 103,000 donors benefiting over 3,300 local nonprofits, bringing the thirteen-year total to over $441 million for our community. NTX Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.

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Education programs at Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth

At the Japan America Society of Dallas Fort-Worth, we have a front row seat to the emerging and ever-growing international economy in North Texas. Japan represents the #1 foreign investor into the area through its 280+ companies and thousands of jobs tied to this economic activity. We believe in building local communities that understand and welcome Japanese and Japanese Americans, who make North Texas one of the most prosperous regions in the country. How do we do this? We accomplish it through the education of our children, students, and young professionals.

Our education offerings are designed to build holistic learners that are prepared for the challenges of tomorrow, including encouraging critical thinking and exploring multidisciplinary learning. Please read below about our current programs and our plans for the future. We ask for your support in sustaining our current work and achieving our long-term goals!

What do we do now? See our current offerings

Japan-in-a-Suitcase gives students an authentic experience of Japan through TEKS-linked presentations about culture, customs, contemporary life, and the arts. This program has taught over 50,000 students in 20+ years about Japanese traditions and language. Teachers choose from several topics according to class interests and applicability to what their students are currently learning. Learn more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg3EMzsmUFQ and https://jasdfw.org/program-overview/japan-in-a-suitcase/.

Language Education at JASDFW currently focuses on adult learning in an online environment. Courses are offered in 8-week sessions and special workshops, covering introductory Japanese conversation, vocabulary, and grammar. JASDFW’s first two years have been supported through seed funding from the Japan Foundation. We are looking to expand programs for students and language learners looking for certification in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test(JLPT). Learn more at https://jasdfw.org/japanese-language-class/.

JASDFW’s annual summer camp, titled Destination Japan, celebrated its inaugural year in 2022. This camp is designed for ages 8-12 and focuses on Japanese language, pop culture, food, and hands-on cultural activities. Campers in the first year enjoyed exploring Japan through group projects, storytelling, and small workshops. We are already planning for growth in the second year of the camp. Learn more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vRGW6ZjcXA.

What our community members are saying

“We really enjoyed having you and the wonderful Japan-in-a-Suitcase presentation on Japan. Our students are still talking about it… We want to include this for next year. At lunch yesterday, the students experienced eating with chopsticks. Some of them did quite well! Even our principal received instructions on chopsticks from the participants. It was a fun conclusion to our introduction to Japanese culture.”

“My son had an absolute blast at the summer camp! He loved all the different traditions and enjoyed explaining them to me afterwards. What you offered was very unique. What he was excited about was language, so this was perfect! I was pleasantly surprised at his huge interest in practicing hiragana and calligraphy. I hope you all do this again and keep the same focus on the cultural aspects. You all did such a great job! Location was convenient, check in/out was easy and gave parents peace of mind. It really was a perfect camp experience.”

Every dollar counts! Where your contributions will go

$25 — Assists with material costs for a Japan-in-a-Suitcase presentation

$50 — Pays for supplies at 1-2 Japan-in-a-Suitcase presentations

$75 — Provides one school’s ability to host a Japan-in-a-Suitcase presentation

$100 — Pays for supplies at a summer camp hands-on workshop, such as sushi-making or a tea ceremony

$250 — Supports one summer camp student’s attendance for a week-long session

$500 — Covers basic administrative costs of an 8-week language course

$1,000 — Sponsors a session at a future student summit and career fair

Want a sneak peek of our planned programs? See our future offerings

Our Next Generation Engagement Initiative will create programs spanning from the high school level to universities and to young professionals. Our mission is to give our up-and-coming leaders the real-world, real-time, in-depth, knowledge and skills they need to walk boldly into the future and take hold of every opportunity the Japan-America relation has to offer both here in North Texas and abroad!

We are already in the planning stages for fall 2022 Career Readiness Workshops, helping high –school and university students understand opportunities to engage with Japan in their professional lives. Our team is also planning to Develop our Career-Related Programs for university students, including a Career Fair and Skills Summit for spring or fall 2023 and Expanding our Internship Program from the summer to include positions for the fall and spring semesters.

We are also planning to launch Business Etiquette Training, available primarily for adults and companies, that may also be incorporated into existing or new projects. Lastly, we are looking into bringing Japan Bowl, a trivia competition about the Japanese language and Japan, to the North Texas region for the first time – with the goal of getting some of our hard-working high-school students to represent North Texas at nationals in Washington DC!

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