INFORMATION
2023.10.13The Oneness Foundation has been awarded the “Good Design Award Gold Prize”.
Following the Japan Wellbeing Promotion Council’s Wellbeing Award and the Asahi Shimbun Wellbeing Award, I am truly honored to receive the Gold Award for our work.
It has been 18 years since I founded the organization in 2005, dedicating my life to those who, feeling abandoned by both society and themselves, struggle to rebuild their lives. Receiving such a widely recognized and prestigious award is truly a historic milestone.
I am proud of the journey we have traveled together with my colleagues.
This award also signifies a shift in society’s perception, acknowledging that issues once ignored are now seen as “challenges worth addressing.”
With pride in our role as a valuable resource for society, we will continue moving forward. Thank you all for your ongoing support! Osu!
Comments from the judges:
The program and community-building efforts have been recognized for their comprehensive support of those facing significant hardships, such as ex-offenders, in a society where recovery from failure is challenging. By creating an organization and developing projects centered on wellbeing, the organization not only fosters the strength to live among its participants but also engages with their families, communities, and society at large. The pioneering efforts in addressing mental health, a pressing issue in Japan, are highly anticipated to continue.
Excerpt from the award presentation:
In traditional welfare services, if we express hardship as a negative 10, support generally focuses on alleviating this to reach zero. This approach is, of course, admirable. However, at the Oneness Foundation, we define our mission as “cultivating people from negative 10 to positive 10.” Our aim is not only to bring people from negative to zero (neutral) but to support them in their self-actualization journey from zero to positive, a concept we describe as “purposeful recovery.”
Empowering individuals to shape their own paths in life.
Over 1,200 people have achieved happiness through the Oneness Foundation. Beyond direct support, we also strive to raise wellbeing across society through a comprehensive approach that includes family support, raising public awareness, and collaborating with educational and correctional institutions.
October 2023
Yushi Yazawa
It has been 18 years since I founded the organization in 2005, dedicating my life to those who, feeling abandoned by both society and themselves, struggle to rebuild their lives. Receiving such a widely recognized and prestigious award is truly a historic milestone.
I am proud of the journey we have traveled together with my colleagues.
This award also signifies a shift in society’s perception, acknowledging that issues once ignored are now seen as “challenges worth addressing.”
With pride in our role as a valuable resource for society, we will continue moving forward. Thank you all for your ongoing support! Osu!
Comments from the judges:
The program and community-building efforts have been recognized for their comprehensive support of those facing significant hardships, such as ex-offenders, in a society where recovery from failure is challenging. By creating an organization and developing projects centered on wellbeing, the organization not only fosters the strength to live among its participants but also engages with their families, communities, and society at large. The pioneering efforts in addressing mental health, a pressing issue in Japan, are highly anticipated to continue.
Excerpt from the award presentation:
In traditional welfare services, if we express hardship as a negative 10, support generally focuses on alleviating this to reach zero. This approach is, of course, admirable. However, at the Oneness Foundation, we define our mission as “cultivating people from negative 10 to positive 10.” Our aim is not only to bring people from negative to zero (neutral) but to support them in their self-actualization journey from zero to positive, a concept we describe as “purposeful recovery.”
Empowering individuals to shape their own paths in life.
Over 1,200 people have achieved happiness through the Oneness Foundation. Beyond direct support, we also strive to raise wellbeing across society through a comprehensive approach that includes family support, raising public awareness, and collaborating with educational and correctional institutions.
October 2023
Yushi Yazawa