- Brother Supports Young Entrepreneurs Who Address Social Issues and Community Revitalization as a Business
- Brother Helps Disadvantaged Youth Find Employment in the Republic of South Africa
- Brother Organizes Environmental Event "Brother Earth Kids Academy"
- Brother Supports Economically Disadvantaged Rural Women in China
Brother Supports Young Entrepreneurs Who Address Social Issues and Community Revitalization as a Business
Brother participates in the launch of Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar and provides continued support to entrepreneurs
Brother Industries, Ltd. (BIL) participated in the launch of the "Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar" to assist young social entrepreneurs who address social issues and community revitalization through their businesses in the Tokai area, where BIL's headquarters are located, and started cosponsoring the activity in 2008.
In the Seminar, Brother works to place businesses on a trajectory for growth, such as by supporting entrepreneurs to formulate business strategies and develop services. Over the 16 years up to FY2023, it had supported a total of 68 entrepreneurs engaged in nursing care and welfare work, multicultural coexistence, the creation of learning spaces for children, childcare support, town development, and so forth.
Brother establishes a system in which employees can address social issues as pro bono workers*1
Every year since 2012, BIL employees have participated as "Pro Bono Workers" to support students at the Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar.
The employees involved in the Seminar as Pro Bono Workers allowed to spend a total of 50 working hours in six months on the activity. While using time outside of working hours as well, they teach these entrepreneurs how to formulate strategies to enhance the value of the services they provide, narrow down their targets, perform market studies, and develop sales plans.
Participation in the Seminar as Pro Bono Workers enables employees not only to provide support using the skills and experience they have gained in their own work but also to learn about entrepreneurship*2, which leads to increasing opportunities for employees to learn and grow further and promoting the resolution of social issues through business.
FY2023 Efforts
In FY2023, four people chosen through a careful selection process participated in the Seminar as the 16th class, and four employees from BIL took part as Pro Bono Workers. One of the students was aiming to start a business that would help children develop confidence in themselves and the ability to take on challenges through education and the management of a comprehensive sports club. This time, with six months of support from their Pro Bono Workers, the students developed a more concrete vision and strategies regarding their businesses.
At the final presentation session held in March 2024, the students presented their plans and vision for future business development. Employees who participated as Pro Bono Workers made comments, such as "Supporting entrepreneurs has broadened my perspective."
In addition, in FY2023, we held a meeting called "Gathering Day" for past Tokai Young Entrepreneur Seminar students and employees who had participated as Pro Bono Workers, with the aim of building a network of past Pro Bono Workers within the company and strengthening the community of entrepreneurs. At the Gathering Day, past students shared the current status of their businesses and activities, and relevant challenges, and all participants discussed ways to address those challenges. Through the consultations and discussions at the Gathering Day, participants were able to share the experience and skills they have gained, providing a good opportunity to apply them to their future activities.
BIL will continuously contribute to addressing social issues and revitalizing communities by cosponsoring the Seminar, which aims to support young entrepreneurs. In addition, through Pro Bono activities by employees, we will increase opportunities for employees to learn and grow further and to encourage the solving of social issues through business.
- An activity in which employees use their skills cultivated through their work in the company in supporting individual entrepreneurs.
- The attitude of creating a new business and taking risks.
Brother Helps Disadvantaged Youth Find Employment in the Republic of South Africa
Brother International S.A. (Pty) Ltd. (BI S.A.), Brother's sales facility in South Africa, promotes activities conducted in line with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) with the aim of contributing to economic growth and job creation in the country. B-BBEE is a national policy of strengthening the economic power of South Africans who have historically been unfairly discriminated against and disadvantaged. Under the policy, companies are scored by factor in their commitment and contribution to eliminating inequality and are rated according to their scores on a scale of Level 1, the highest, to Level 8 and "Non-compliance."
In FY2024, BI S.A. worked with TBL*1 and SEDA*2 to provide entrepreneurs with a program for training in the basic skills and knowledge necessary for starting up, maintaining, and expanding businesses, as well as skills in using practical tools. This program attracted about 80 participants. In addition, BI S.A. also provided women and young people with opportunities for capability development and employment.
The Brother Group will continuously contribute to resolution of social issues by improving the conditions of historically disadvantaged South Africans.
- Abbreviation for The Business Lab, an organization that supports entrepreneurs and assists small, medium-sized and large companies in achieving business growth with the aim of economic development in South Africa
- Abbreviation for the Small Enterprise Development Agency, an agency established by the South African government to support small and medium-sized enterprises
Brother Organizes Environmental Event "Brother Earth Kids Academy"
Providing learning opportunities for children attending after-school clubs
Brother Earth Kids Academy is an event that has been held since FY2018 for children attending after-school clubs during summer vacation, providing them with opportunities to learn about environmental issues through crafts. At the event, through the creation of an "endangered animals picture book," the program gives the children an opportunity to study the causes of the increase in endangered species and allows them to learn about the mechanism of global warming, which is one of the causes, and efforts to prevent it.
The event is held in two formats:* at the Brother Museum located in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and as an "on-site event" where program facilitators visit after-school clubs. From FY2018 to FY2024, the event has been held over 60 times, with approximately 2,900 participants.
- In FY2018 and FY2019, the event was held only at the Brother Museum. In FY2020 and FY2021, the event was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brother Earth Kids Academy in FY2024
In FY2024, a total of 13 sessions were held from July 24 to August 28, including 8 sessions at the Brother Museum and 5 on-site events at after-school clubs, with approximately 400 participants, including children and instructors.
In sessions held at the Brother Museum, in addition to creating the endangered animals picture book, the main program of the Brother Earth Kids Academy, participants engaged in activities that help them recognize environmental issues as something close to home, such as making "environmental declaration posters."
Making environmental declaration posters is an activity where participants choose one initiative they feel they can undertake from four options: saving electricity, saving water, recycling, or reducing food waste. They cut out icons representing each initiative using Brother's ScanNCut* and paste them onto a tree illustration to complete their "environmental declaration tree." Participants then took the completed posters back to their after-school clubs to display them and help them stay aware of their commitments.
In addition, the event prepared programs that not only allowed participants to learn about the global environment but also to create fun summer memories. These included the "Brother Crossword Quiz," where participants explored the Brother Museum while learning about Brother's history and products, and "Name Tag Making" using Brother's ScanNCut.
The children who participated shared many positive comments, such as, "I had fun learning while doing crafts," "I learned that animals are disappearing due to global warming," and "I will be more conscious of saving electricity." Furthermore, BIL later received comments from instructors at the after-school clubs: "Some children reviewed the animal picture books they made, and others checked the air conditioner settings," and "Our own awareness of our daily habits has also changed."
In recognition of these activities, BIL has received the Aichi Biodiversity Company Certification from Aichi Prefecture as a company that is making excellent efforts in biodiversity conservation.
Going forward, toward achieving a sustainable society, Brother will continue to contribute toward Goal 4 "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all," Goal 13 "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts," and Goal 15 "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss" of the Sustainable Development Goals by conducting educational support activities in regions and initiatives leading to global environmental conservation.
- A product that allows you to cut paper, cloth, thin plastic sheets, stickers, etc. using a touch panel (without using scissors or a cutter).
Brother Supports Economically Disadvantaged Rural Women in China
Brother donates sewing machines to women in Yunnan Province
Brother (China) Ltd. (BCN), one of the Brother Group's sales facilities in China, has made its mission to "contribute to the development of Chinese society and the abundance of people's lives " and is engaged in initiatives to support economically disadvantaged women in Yunnan Province, China.
While China has achieved remarkable economic growth, there is a gap between urban and rural areas, with some women struggling to find employment in the southwesternmost province of Yunnan as well. Although women in Yunnan make a living such as by hand-sewing embroidery, which is a traditional culture of the province and is listed as one of China's intangible cultural heritages, they must migrate to work to earn a sufficient income and live apart from their families and children. These children left behind in rural areas as a result of their parents' migrations are known as "left-behind children," and they represent a social problem unique to China.
To address this, from FY2022 to FY2023, BCN donated 26 sewing machines and provided training on how to use them. This initiative enabled women in Yunnan to earn more income by making bags, wallets, and other handicrafts using traditional Yunnan embroidery. In addition, this has enabled them to continue working locally and live with their families and children, thereby improving the problem of left-behind children.
The Brother Group has identified five materialities to "contribute to society and help protect the earth" as Our Purpose in the Brother Group Vision "At your side 2030." BCN will work to solve social issues through business towards "supporting people's value creation," one of the five materialities.
