Introducing PLAINE

This article is translated from the original material:
https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/536697

Hello everyone. I am Miki from PLAINE.
I returned from England last year, and as a result of various exploration periods regarding my career in Japan, I decided to develop my own idea.

With the three keywords of "studying abroad, football, and management" that I have been involved in, I will make full use of everything I have experienced and encourage youths who are aiming overseas to set goals and take action.
I believe that the world will change into a better society if young talents aim to explore new cultures and live their own lives with aspirations.

First of all, in 2022, I will take on the challenge of building a community where they can be inspired towards achieving their dreams and goals.

I hope that you will be interested in the project and support us.
Thank you :)

Miki's Profile

- Born in Kobe, Japan in 1993
- Spent the second year at a high school in New Zealand and experienced her first study abroad program alone
- Studied Kinesiology and Psychology at the University of North Texas in the United States
- Worked in corporate sales for three years at a sports manufacturer, Mizuno in Japan
- Obtained an MBA (Master of Business Administration) in the football industry from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom
- Founded PLAINE in 2021

Introduction of PLAINE

What is the PLAINE Community?
PLAINE Community is a place where people who have studied abroad and those who want to study abroad interact with each other.
All members look into their inner self, find their own unique personality, and aim to grow continuously as a person.

Mission:
1. Make use of the experience of studying abroad to contribute to society
2. Increase the number of youths who study abroad
3. Increase the number of young adults who start their own business by utilizing their unique individuality

Location of activity:
There are three places where we are active: online, offline and football.

1. Online:
We will spread information about our study abroad experiences and thoughts online, and create a place where people who have similar experiences and those who want to study abroad can gather.
2. Offline:
We will provide face-to-face meetings to share our study abroad experiences with students who are aiming to go overseas and their families, answering various questions.
3. Football:
Taking advantage of our international football experience, we will create a place where we can interact by playing together on the pitch.

How PLAINE started

Throughout my life, I studied in New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, at high school, university and graduate school, respectively.

Looking back on those times I feel that, whilst learning a lot and having many encounters, I was always faced with anxiety and pressure.

Before studying abroad:
When I imagined actually going to a different country, I was worried about the language, communication with the local people, and having to say goodbye to everyone in my surroundings.

While Studying abroad:
I could not express myself well by feeling the barriers of culture and language. There were few people I could truly rely on and talk to about the stress caused by cultural differences.

After studying abroad:
After learning a new culture, I had difficult moments when I returned to my local community. I felt that having my own opinions and being independent isolated me from a traditional Japanese society and made it difficult to express who I am.

I can expect that those who are seeking to study abroad will follow a similar path to what I have been through.

I believe that individuals who study abroad choose to do so because they want to continuously grow and pursue their dreams.

There may be many situations in which they feel lonely and anxious in the process, in return for the passionate visions they want to achieve by learning various perspectives ​​and interacting with people around the world.

I wonder how much better I would have felt, when I was having a hard time in a foreign environment, if I had a network where I could share those feelings.

This is how I came to start PLAINE, with a vision to create a place where we can share our feelings of loneliness and anxiety that comes from the new challenge and turn them into positive energy to move forward.

Strengths of PLAINE

Information & events held by members with studying abroad experience
By sharing our studying abroad experiences both online and offline, the participants can imagine what it is like to study abroad.

Social contribution utilizing sports experience
Utilizing our sports experience, we will seek out and execute contributions to society that maximize the value of sports.

Approach to individuals
Recognizing that things like life goals, careers and subjects of study vary from person to person, we will take an approach to maximize each individual's personality and abilities.

With gratitude to all the people who led me to who I am today, I will aim for further growth and take action towards the realization of a better society.

The support of each and every one of you will be a great source of vitality for us to move forward.

Thank you.