Supporting
Our Youth
for the Future
Japan
Honda Marks the 20th Year of Children's Idea Contest in 2022
The Children's Idea Contest is Honda’s learning activity aimed at fostering the qualities and abilities that children will need to survive in the future world filled with uncertainty through the course of envisioning their dreams and experiencing the importance and joy of creativity.
The contest that marked its 20th year in 2022 received a total of 8,250 entries that year. Over the past 20 years, a cumulative total of 83,000 entries have been submitted. For the past few years, the final review process had been carried out online to comply with the safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID 19 infections.
But in 2023, for the first time in three years, it was conducted in a face-to-face setting where all the children participating in the latest contest assembled with big smiles on their faces. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of this activity, Honda Motor Chairman Kuraishi also participated as one of the judges. The submitted ideas covered a wide range of themes from everyday challenges, contemporary trends like computers, robots and AI to social issues pertaining to nature and environment, as well as matters related to communication. The Children's Idea Contest also took place in Thailand and Vietnam, which led to drawing a grand total of over 9.8 million entries from both countries and Japan combined.
Honda believes that this contest provides a great opportunity to nurture the next generation of young people in each country where it is held.
North America
Educational Support for Students of Color
For over 30 years, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) has supported the success and dreams of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students through initiatives including the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge and Honda Battle of the Bands. These programs provide unforgettable experiences and opportunities for HBCU students, including meeting and networking with peers from other HBCU schools.
AHM has impacted the lives of more than 200,000 students and in FY2023,awarded more than USD 450,000 (over USD 14 million to date) in grants in support of HBCU education programs and facilities improvements.
AHM also has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to provide annual scholarship fund to support HBCU students pursuing an education in engineering, supply chain management and manufacturing-related fields.
South America
Bachiana Musicalization Project Sponsored by Honda Serviços Financeiros in Brazil
Honda Serviços Financeiros (HSF) served as the sponsor of "Projecto de Musicalização Bachiana (Bachiana Musicalization Project)” which ran throughout 2022 in the City of São Paulo, Brazil. The project focused on providing near-graduating students broader employment opportunities in the job market through technical training and support on receiving professional qualifications in the musical field.
The project also aimed at promoting social inclusion by offering education to 90 children aspiring to overcome the challenges of poverty and other social vulnerabilities. HSF invested a total of USD 66,037 (BRL 350,000) for this sponsorship. The Bachiana Foundation, the beneficiary of this HSF-sponsored project, also held a concert featuring the young musicians who participated in this vocational training program. Their live performance, conducted by Mr. João Carlos Martins, one of the household names of classical music in Brazil, was streamed online that was viewed by over 530,000 people.
Asia
Establishment of a Girl’s Senior Secondary School in India
In India, over 60% of the population lives in rural areas, so cultivating the next generation is critical for the development of villages. A government survey found that half of the students in the classroom were unable to read and write, which presents a challenge to the educational environment.
Honda Cars India Ltd. has established a school for female students in Tapukara,Rajasthan, where the company’s vehicle assembly plant is located. The aim is to aid the development of female students who have had limited educational opportunities compared to their male counterparts.
We started the project by finding the land. The new building was completed in March 2020, fitted with spacious classrooms, a clean and well-equipped cafeteria, and restrooms. In terms of education, the program focuses on a wide range of areas, including classes that incorporate STEM education, together with moral and leadership training.
In total, approximately INR 83 million has been provided so far, with 1,253 students enrolled in the program in FY2023.
China
Honda Dream Fund by HMCI
On September 11, 2017, "SCLF Honda Dream Fund", established by Honda Motor (China) Investment Co.,Ltd. (HMCI) and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, was formally launched in the former residence of Comrade Soong Ching Ling in Beijing.
The project is funded by HMCI to provide support and assistance to young people in low-income families in hopes of encouraging them to keep dreaming and working to fulfill their dreams by continuing to embrace their challenging spirit, passion and vitality, and use imagination to nurture their inspiration that would help them create new values that are ahead of the times and expand their possibilities of their future lives. In April, 2018, the Honda Dream Fund created a publication that featured 8 students who shared a variety of dreams they wished to pursue. And in March 2019 and June 2020, the second and third groups of dream-filled students were announced. After that, a further improvement of selection standard has been put in place to enhance the quality of this social contribution initiative. Then in March 2021 and March 2022, the fourth and fifth groups of students were published. So far, the Honda Dream Fund has supported 36 students in their endeavors to chase their dreams for two years and is looking forward to empowering more youngsters to broaden the paths to their bright future. Unlike the traditional forms of public welfare, Honda Dream Fund places particular importance on the effectiveness of long-term personal support and is committed to invest necessary time and money for this cause.
The fund not only supports young people in building their self-worth, but also expects them to play a leading role in the process of achieving what they aspire to become, in order to encourage more young people to feel the power of their dreams.
Honda Dream Fund focuses on providing more chances for students from low-income families to continue advancing their learning opportunities in colleges and universities. While taking into account the low starting point, weak competition, and slow development of the remote areas, some vocational colleges in central and western regions of China were selected as key partners to help such students from vulnerable background strive to pass the entrance examinations, believing that such cooperation will lead to generating a larger flow of resources and drawing more attention and participation from social and business communities.