Please excuse the draft format with notes, I'm trying to publish content as fast as possible.
So um, we have like a million cheap houses in Japan.
I previously made a post on the sustainable development corps, where people are provided housing to work on sustainable development work and projects. It's a program specifically targeted for people who would not qualify for other types of programs because they are disabled or need to escape abuse or poverty.
This idea was inspired in part by a conversation with a friend. We were talking about how a lot of people have social issues they care about and ideas for how to make it happen, but they don't have time to work on it- they are too busy working trying to get their bills paid.
This is also a big issue for people who want to be entrepreuers. The most successful people have unlimited time to stay at their parents place and work on their dream projects. Everyone else just doesn't have the freedom of time.
I was doing research to figure out a way to set up a small intentional community that could be used as a future model for the sustainable development goals when I stumbled upon ghost towns.
Ghost towns, for some reason or another, are filled with empty houses. And Japan is full of them.
Here's my thought process on making this happen:
There could be different types of houses. Some could be like Moishe house. Others could be like a volunteer corps.
It would be a residency, where people apply with a project in mind that they would like to work on while they are there.
Houses in Japan for Sustainable Development Goals.
You'd need to navigate Japan's visa requirements. For projects people are working on, the probably could not do revolutionary work. But the program should have views supportive of that type of work even if it's not something that would ever be done in the program, and encourage the type of peaceful work that is absolutely necessary to provide a vision and example of what functional systems could look like.
How do you recruit people who are homeless, disabled, and may not even have a family or connections and not worry about people illegally staying in Japan to avoid going back to their previous situation?
Have an alumni program. The corps would provide an address, references, and an emergency contact. They would connect those graduating the residiency with other fellowships and corps programs. Those that are disabled would be connected to appropriate social services or an ideal house for squatting- finding a house and doing research in the whereabouts of the owners can be a difficult process, the corps program would do that research and provide several options in the desired city. If they are from a developing nation where properties are cheap, the alumni program could purchase a house for them.
If for some reason a person really can't go back, they could be promoted to a longer-term position in the corps program or connected with employment in Japan with a path to permanent residency.
The houses in Japan are abandoned. Houses for the corps program would not have the same amenities as one might expect. As long as it's stated clearly, that's okay.
I made this idea with people like me in mind- I'm scrappy and resourceful. I don't mind getting dirty. I'd be happy with a woodburning stove, camping lantern, and a high-quality composting toilet with waste removal services. Quite frankly, if I hand-wrote my ideas and there was a program employee that could type it up for me I wouldn't even need internet. This isn't the ideal situation for the main program participants, but it is a great situation for those that crave opportunity and would rather start developing their ideas now than wait for the program to have a fancy set up. They could spend one day a week working on the house, and the rest of the time doing whatever they choose.
Here's what people would get out of the program rather than just moving to Japan on their own:
- everything described on the sustainable development corps post, with the exception that participants are working on their own projects rather than having their projects chosen for them
- navigating Japanese visas, and ideally providing working holiday or working visas solely for being part of the program
- navigating public infrastucture like perscription refills and transportaion
-identifying ideal locations and houses
-assisting with DIY renovation and connecting with contractors for tasks that are too difficult
-cowokring, body doubling groups, and goals setting for personal accountability
- an alumni program that sets them up for success and can assist people for the rest of their life access and navigate professional and case management resources, including an online alumni coworking group
- doing it with other people! Good energy, networking, and some fun outings
Learning a new language isn't as hard as people make it out to be. Here's how people could approach it:
-learn the 200 most common words in Japanese (this could be on a poster in each house)
-watch Japanese films
-learn the top practical words for navigating in public and emergencies
-learn the top words of local slang, your profession, and your hobbies
Roommate compatibility is much more important than people think- usually the responsibility is placed on individuals to tolerate roommate situations, but people don't consider preventing bad roommate situations from happening in the first place. It can be done with a roommate compatibility score comparable to the Myers-Briggs structure. Here's what would be measured:
-Clean/Messy
-Quiet/Loud
-Early Bird/Night Owl/Unpredictable Sleep Schedule
-Low Needs/High Accomodation and Intentionality Needs (this is based on how much a person needs their roommates to accomodate them. This can apply to things like food alergies, a strong need for alone time, windows closed and locked, or really anything that other people need to adhere to. Intentionality needs are different from disability accomodations such as wheelchair accessibility which could be solved with a ramp rather than a need for roommates to adhere to specific rules. People with extremely high needs could have their own house.)
Ideally, at the corps program's mid-growth point there is one house per compatibility score, per top ten most common native language, per gender (female, male, and co-ed) with some extra houses for people with very high needs. Then it would grow to as many houses as possible.
Volunteer Corps/ Residency program
-You could find houses and do the basic work.
-Have volunteers do the work you can’t do
-Hire for the rest.
-Online, show how much more needs to be done before it can be used as a house.
Business Plan
Certifications/ Permits /Licenses
Site
Budget
Insurance
Risk Management & Safety (Prevention)
Staff
Staff do the not-fun things.
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