REI Talks

REI Talks present an opportunity for members of your organization to learn about REI and its projects and broader refugee issues. These present an opportunity for your team to obtain a new perspective through a variety of themes.  

Your choice could be an educational session about wider refugee issues, stories from the field, economic impact, or the methods that REI uses to support communities.  

An REI Talk can be its own 45-60 minute presentation, or a Lunch-&-Learn where we can come and talk to you during your lunch hours, or a workshop that presents your team with interesting scenarios for them to experiment with.   

This is possible due to our executive director, Jane Best, OBE. Her experience in the field for the past 20 years, which led her to travel to over 20 countries with REI gave her a deep understanding of refugee communities and their needs. The talks mostly stem from her experience, and can be centered around anything that she has been involved in.  

The location of the Talks is flexible. They can be organized at your office, online, or any agreed upon venue. They can also be organized in English, Japanese, or bilingually.  

Book an REI Talk today and have an educational experience that is seldom found in Japan.  

Our speakers are: 

JANE BEST OBE, Executive Director 

Jane entered REI (then RIJ) in 2000. Since then she has visited refugee camps in Kenya, South Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Thailand (along the border with Myanmar), and others, inspected the current situation of refugees, and built close relationships with local projects. Jane became the Executive Director in 2006, and in 2014, she was honored with the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her achievements. 

YASUKO CHOSA ELISON, General Manager 

Yasuko graduated from Keio University’s Faculty of Economics. She has worked in banking, airlines, as an in-house interpreter and freelance coordinator at NHK, and in translation services before joining REI in 2022. In August 2023, she visited a refugee camp in Thailand (along the border with Myanmar). she strives to convey Jane’s experiences to the Japanese people and work towards increasing awareness, interest, and support for the true refugee crisis.