Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2014

According to author, speaker, fundraiser, human rights advocate and environmental activist Lynne Twist, commitment is an antidote to resignation and hopelessness—which she thinks is certainly pertinent to modern Japan. And empowering committed communities—both large and small—around important issues on the local and global level is the essence of her work. Returning to Tokyo for the first time in 20 years, on May 13 she’ll be engaging in a roundtable discussion on empowering women with First Lady Akie Abe. The meeting was brought about with the assistance of Hide Enomoto, who has worked with Twist in the past. His group of facilitators, Seven Generations, includes writer Miki Takatsuki, who regularly meets with Mrs. Abe in a women’s circle. She, along with filmmaker Jin Tatsumura, invited Twist to join their May get-together.

Twist creates focus groups wherever she travels, listens and hears about people’s dreams, then works to find ways to put tools in their hands that match the locally available resources, whether in sub-Saharan Africa or in Japan. “The mobilization of so many concerned people around 2011’s Great East Japan Earthquake could become a focal point for addressing our environmental crisis around the globe,” she says. “Japanese corporations could play a leading role in bridging the gap between profit-driven enterprises and ‘socially responsible’ NPOs operating on shoestring budgets. And this bridge could extend to more Japanese women in leadership and management roles in all areas of society.”

Her meeting with Mrs. Abe will be followed by a discussion on the same topic at Nippon Zaidan Hall in Toranomon, which will be open to 150 members of the public. Twist will also be speaking on leadership, fundraising, global citizenship and more at daily events across the city from May 9.

See community listings for details.