Rakuten Social Accelerator

Collaborating organization: NPO After School (Tokyo)
NPO After School is working towards a mission to "Save children's After School!". The NPO makes use of elementary school facilities, with community teachers serving as staff operating "After School" classes around Japan. With the goal of creating a space where children can enjoy STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) activities, NPO After School teamed up with Rakuten employees to prototype an "After School STEAM Lab" program. After the collaboration's conclusion, NPO After School continued to work on the program, and now collaborates with various companies, local governments and other stakeholders to offer the "After School STEAM Project" to children around Japan.

Collaborating organization: Maru Office General Incorporated Association (Miyagi Prefecture)
Maru Office is based in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. It was founded in 2015 by a group of young locals and people who moved to Kesennuma following the Great East Japan Earthquake. The group collaborates with local schools to support discovery-driven learning among Kesennuma junior and senior high schoolers. As part of an initiative ("My Project") to empower high schoolers to pursue their passions and tackle local issues, Rakuten employees played the role of counselors, supporting 55 students through online collaboration to come up with ideas and create presentations. A pitch by two high school students to create a discovery-driven learning portal called the "Online Discovery Lab" won a prize at the local presentation stage of the "My Project" event, and one student went on to present the idea at the national finals.

Collaborating organization: Tatsugo Town (Kagoshima Prefecture)
Tatsugo is one of five towns and cities that make up Amami-Oshima, an island that was registered as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2021. The area has established itself as a commuter town, with its abundant nature and convenient location attracting many new residents. At the same time, Tatsugo is also facing problems with decreasing birth rates and an aging population, so Rakuten employees lent their support to help promote the town.
Attracting new residents is crucial for Tatsugo's survival. Potential residents must first gain an understanding of the region, so the team launched a "leisurely tour of island life" initiative making use of e-bikes, alongside other marketing and promotion strategies. The Rakuten employees proposed three new resident experience tours, two of which were trialed together with local council workers. The findings of these trials were later implemented in the town's own tour program.