A cross-cultural exchange
Oki Nexus, Inc. empowers women and brings together Japanese and American students in English-language immersion, promoting understanding and mutual respect in Okinawa, Japan.
In 2017, co-founders Elana Bertram and Olena Wildman attended a Women of Okinawa Power Alliance Network event that highlighted successful Japanese women working in traditionally male-dominated fields. The differences between American and Japanese working mothers is stark, and even more dire if the children's father is not contributing to their welfare. But why? Was it cultural? Lack of education? Lack of ambition? We set out to find a solution that would help Japanese women take strides towards a work-life balance more like ours, and reliable child care for young children surfaced as the largest rate-limiting factor for a woman returning to the full-time work force after having kids.
Both mothers ourselves, our young children benefited from the multicultural international preschools. By big-city US standards, they were high quality care at an affordable price, but in Okinawa they are prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest local families. Even though English instruction is becoming a requirement for Japanese elementary students, less affluent families cannot afford tutors or special classes to help their children become employable in a competitive global market.
Okinawa is the poorest of the 23 Japanese prefectures, with a fraught history of conflict with both mainland Japanese and American residents. If we could find a way to empower Okinawan women by giving them an alternative to relying on family for child care, expose the children to English-language learning and multiculturalism, and ultimately create a stronger, friendlier community around the US military bases, we couldn't stand idle. Along with co-founder Nicole Russell, we developed a pilot program to enroll a class of Japanese pre-Kindergarten students at an English-immersion preschool, with the innovative scholarship granted to the mothers of those children to invest that time in themselves.
We are rallying the support of local Japanese and American organizations and are counting on your donation to support our mission. Thank you.
Both mothers ourselves, our young children benefited from the multicultural international preschools. By big-city US standards, they were high quality care at an affordable price, but in Okinawa they are prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest local families. Even though English instruction is becoming a requirement for Japanese elementary students, less affluent families cannot afford tutors or special classes to help their children become employable in a competitive global market.
Okinawa is the poorest of the 23 Japanese prefectures, with a fraught history of conflict with both mainland Japanese and American residents. If we could find a way to empower Okinawan women by giving them an alternative to relying on family for child care, expose the children to English-language learning and multiculturalism, and ultimately create a stronger, friendlier community around the US military bases, we couldn't stand idle. Along with co-founder Nicole Russell, we developed a pilot program to enroll a class of Japanese pre-Kindergarten students at an English-immersion preschool, with the innovative scholarship granted to the mothers of those children to invest that time in themselves.
We are rallying the support of local Japanese and American organizations and are counting on your donation to support our mission. Thank you.
