Reasons for participating in the launch of FDS
Future Design Shibuya (FDS) was established in April 2018 and has entered its fourth year, and more than 100 partners are currently working with this organization.
After deciding to retire from my previous job in 2017, I started by volunteering to help start the organization, and after that I got into planning a lot and officially participated in my current position. Became. How did the existence of this newcomer appear in this organization that was held in the center of Shibuya Ward?
Working at a company in Shibuya Ward and being a citizen of Shibuya Ward was also an opportunity to participate in the organization, but more than that, what kind of mechanism is "town development" working and what is the aim? It may be because I wanted to experience that in person. From the perspectives of the government, citizens, and companies, it was also attractive to be able to flexibly propose how to collaborate and create new value because it is a completely new organization.
Having worked for a foreign-affiliated company for many years, I haven't had much experience with Japanese customs. It is true that I was worried about whether it would be okay for an organization related to the administration, but from the perspective of others, it seems that the only question was "what will this person do?"
By the way, I didn't do anything with the government and local governments, and in my previous job, I worked with local governments in each region to spread the value of Japan and the region to the world through events, contents, athletes, artists, and so on. I am still here because there were some factors that could contribute to that point.
Three years of steady but "hot feelings"
In 2018, FDS was established by the fund of 15 participating partners including Shibuya Ward, and started by working on several projects together. Shibuya Ward is backing up, but it is a startup as an organization. Initially, I made a five-year business plan, but when I started, I was straying every day, and I began to think that it was necessary to involve more partners in order for this organization to proceed independently.
It's been a while since the start of 2018 that we started gathering friends for dynamic and quick movements and innovation. At first, there was an opinion that such a movement was not necessary, but first we started by trying it, and now it is a feature of this organization that it is a platform that can gather many opinions and friends. I think there is.
It is certain that it is all due to the strong iconic existence of Shibuya Ward, but at the same time, the passionate feelings and collisions between the involved side and the involved side are also important factors. People often say, "You can do it because it's Shibuya," but it's not that easy. And I feel that such an organization will work if you think about solid thoughts, leading human resources, and ways to do it in other regions.
By the way, thankfully, there are many companies that came in from the connection from the previous job relationship, and just because they know each other, they are able to enjoy the merits properly. It is immeasurable how much I have been helped by my colleagues who have the desire to try new things together in the last three years. That's why I personally give advice on marketing that is a little different from the original role, and I think that this is actually a very profitable collaboration (laugh).
By the way, FDS was an organization that was somehow known to people involved in Shibuya Ward, but at least at the beginning, no one knew about it. When exchanging business cards, it may still seem like a "design company", but anyway, as the person who created the public relations plan before starting up, the mission was to get to know the organization by himself.
In my previous job, I didn't appear in the media due to company rules, but thanks to my active branding activities such as interviewing, speaking, and attending seminars in order to convey the existence of FDS. And recently, when I do something in Shibuya, I get a lot of voices. More and more people are saying, "Oh, Future Design Shibuya?" It's taking a long time, but I'm glad that the effect of continuing the action gradually permeates.
Actively and boldly. Aiming for an organization that evolves day by day
On the other hand, we must properly accept that we have entered the fourth year and so many partners are interested in participating. I think it is important for everyone in the FDS to act with that feeling, and I should think and act with more interest in things other than my own project.
Since it has a large theme such as designing the possibilities of the city from Shibuya, it is exactly required to create a mechanism that allows both members and partners of the organization to participate more actively. There is a need in the world to be able to listen to the voices of the city, grasp social trends, and take quick action, and this team must evolve day by day.
When many things froze due to the Corona disaster from last year, thinking about "what can be done" instead of "can't do anything", online study for elementary and junior high school students, crowdfunding for entertainment support, virtual Shibuya, Social Innovation Week (SIW), Next Generations Dance @ Home, etc., the importance of not stopping attacking while fighting time, and the members who participated beyond their roles at that time, a true team (both inside and outside) ) I felt the power.
He has been striving for the fourth year with the aim of being "modest" but "acting boldly", which was his motto in his previous job. And without forgetting to thank all the partners who participated in FDS, I sincerely hope to proceed with a project that is meaningful to society while repeating various discussions.
Since this is the first time, I will focus on my own thoughts, but from the next time I will touch on the project concretely.
