CROSS FIELDS is a nonprofit that works toward "a world where social issues continue to get solved" by connecting people who work at companies with the frontlines of social issues. Since its founding in 2011, it has created opportunities to experience frontlines in Japan and abroad in various forms. In 2021 it renewed its vision and mission, setting out to "increase the number of people who take ownership of social issues" and to "deliver resources to the fields of social issues and co-create solutions."
At the center is the Corporate Volunteering Program, in which young company employees spend several months to a year at startups and NGOs in Japan and overseas, tackling issues with the skills from their regular jobs. It also runs a field study for managers and executives who visit frontlines for several days to a week, an Empathy VR Program that lets people experience issues through 360-degree video and other media, and initiatives against social isolation and loneliness that bring together NPOs, government and companies. New efforts include an inquiry-based learning program for high school students.
More than 110 companies have introduced its programs, and participants are reported to number over 3,000. Participants have been sent to 228 organizations in 17 countries (cumulative figures through fiscal 2024).
Key points
- Learning through experience, such as corporate volunteering in which working people dive into the field
- 3,195 participants and 126 partner companies in its programs (cumulative through fiscal 2024)
- Efforts spanning generations and fields, including inquiry learning for high school students and work on social isolation and loneliness
Why this organization deserves attention
It starts from the awareness that, although interest in social issues is growing, the number of people who actually take action is still limited. By creating chances to think of issues as one's own through firsthand experience, it builds a foundation on which companies and NPOs can work together more easily.
It is also instructive in showing a way to engage with society through the skills one has built at work, not only through donations or volunteering. Supporter memberships are available, so there is a range of ways to get involved.
Editor's comment
Social issues can feel like a distant world, but CROSS FIELDS shows that there are entry points that extend from our everyday work and studies. Knowing the frontlines, I feel, leads to the next step.
Why not take a look at the program introductions on the official website for ideas about what you could do at your own workplace or school?