About Us
GOROM Association’s Activities were born through the ideas cultivated by CEO & President Goro Mutsuura through his years of field experience. Mr. Mutsuura worked for many years in international organizations and often traveled to Latin America for the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, where he had the opportunity to meet many talented young people. However, Mr. Mutsuura learned that is difficult for these young talents to develop their careers due to numerous economic factors, and began to think about what he could do to develop greater human resources in a way that can contribute to global society. At the same time, the shortage of human resources in Japan due to the declining birthrate and aging population is a serious issue, and the discovery of highly skilled human resources is indispensable for regional revitalization. Against this background, Mr. Mutsuura started activities in which young people can create a better society through international exchange in collaboration with NGOs, universities, and business in Japan and Latin America. Before long he had assembled a team of members who resonated with that idea and GOROM Association was born.
message from the representative director
“I want to realize a lively and energetic society through the bonds of young people across various cultures and nationalities!” This is the goal of GOROM Association. Just as today’s increasingly globalized world is very diverse, so too are the challenges it faces. While young people in Latin America who face poverty and inequality feel uneasy about their future and spend their lives wisely studying and learning, they do not have many opportunities to make use of it. On the other hand, in Japan, due to the declining birthrate and aging population, young people are living in a sense of limitation. By providing such young people with opportunities for international exchange aimed at the realization of a sustainable world, we offer an opportunity for diverse young people to work together on activities to improve their societies and to contribute to society with a sense of self-confidence and awareness that “you can do it if you try.” In this way, we hope they will regain confidence in themselves, grow into human resources who can play an active role in global society, and serve as a bridge between Latin America and Japan through positive thinking and the belief that all problems have a solution. GOROM believes in the unlimited potential of young people and supports the growth of people from a long-term perspective while emphasizing diversity.”
Team Members
Goro Mutsuura 🇯🇵
Representative Director
Goro Mutsuura served for 25 years at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., engaged in poverty reduction and sustainable economic and social development work in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. In 2020, he returned to Japan and established GOROM Association. He established a social entrepreneurship program through international exchange among young people from LAC and promoted international business aimed at solving social issues. Additionally, he currently deepening ties with influential experts and NGOs in the LAC region and promoting youth empowerment projects through music and sports.
Mari Asano 🇯🇵
Advisor
Mari Asano holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Sussex and has 10 years of experience as a Project Manager/Coordinator leading multinational teams. She worked for IT firms including startups in Japan and Colombia, a university in Colombia, and non-governmental organizations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Rwanda. Building on her work experience in various institutional sectors, now her mission is to facilitate public-private partnerships to bring innovations into the international world, especially for sustainable development.
Leslie Benitez 🇨🇴
Academic Coordinator
Leslie Benítez is an International Business Professional graduated from Santo Tomás University, Colombia. Her professional background includes key roles at the Colombian-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Initially, she served as an International Business Intern, later advancing to the position of International Business Assistant. Currently, she works as a Business Advisor in Japan while completing her Master’s degree in International Relations at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Her passion for Asian culture has been a driving force in her personal and professional development, enabling her to establish significant connections both personally and academically with individuals from various countries and cultures, proficiently communicating in Spanish and English, and currently learning Japanese. Her primary objective is to facilitate collaboration and teamwork among students, promoting effective communication and organized coordination to achieve group objectives optimally.
Alonso Hernandez 🇨🇴
IT Coordinator
Senior student in the faculty of Engineering at Los Andes University in Bogotá, Colombia. He pursues a degree in systems and computer engineering along with a minor degree in Japanese Language and Culture. Alonso is part of the founding team of the SEED program Alumni network and works on the implementation and maintenance of digital platforms within Gorom Association. He participated in the 2023 edition of the SEED program as part of the Textiles team. As a member of the GOROM team, he seeks to expand his knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship and international relations while contributing with his experience and academic knowledge to future participants and the organization.
Shin Marin 🇯🇵
A third-year student majoring in Social System Design at Eikei University of Hiroshima. Fascinated by South American countries through volunteering with Goromu association, I have previously engaged in activities for regional revitalization and currently focus on leveraging international expertise for local development. Eager to deepen my understanding of my own country while expanding my international perspective through interactions with people from diverse backgrounds, I am committed to addressing societal challenges.
Hana Toyosaki 🇯🇵
Senior Intern
Hana Toyosaki is a second-year student in the Department of Social System Design at Eikei University in Hiroshima. Hana has learned about a wide range of fields and studies the creation of new social values and actively participates in activities for promotion of local economy and culture. She is concentrated on communications and internal strategies, as well as data support for the SEED Program. Hana’s academic interests include environmental issues, gender studies, and Information Technology, and she aspires to work on solving various social issues from an international perspective.
Nonoka Tagashira 🇯🇵
Senior Intern
Nonoka Tagashira is a second-year student in the Department of Social System Design at Eikei University in Hiroshima. She participated in a program called Stanford e-Hiroshima in cooperation with Stanford University, where she learned about solving social issues. Through this program, she aims to further develop her international perspectives and is engaged with outreach and operations at the SEED program offered by GOROM Association. Currently, she aspires to use her international communication and professional skills to work on issues related to revitalization of regional culture.
Camilo Abello 🇨🇴
Communications Intern
Originally from Colombia, Camilo holds an B.A. in Languages and Culture from Los Andes University in Colombia. He has been part of projects involving peer support and teaching English, German and Japanese as a foreign language, organization of cultural events, and student leadership. His interests include intercultural communication and cooperation, content creation, community integration through education, and foreign language teaching. In the future, he aims to support minority groups in both Colombia and Japan by fostering comprehension opportunities through Japanese language education and content creation.
Company Profile
| Company Name | GOROM Association |
|---|---|
| Address | Tokyo, Japan 4-12-10 Kugayama, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-0082 |
| Contact | E-mail address GOROM Association：info@gorom.org |