"At home, I have to take care of my young siblings and feel restless" "At school, I read the atmosphere of the place and it is difficult to express my individuality"
As the problems surrounding children become more complicated, it is necessary to create a place where they can always feel safe outside of school and home. The Children and Families Agency has started discussions at the study group.
What kind of place is "a place for children other than home and school"?
"Interaction space" where junior high and high school students gather
There are local governments that are actively working to create a "place where children can belong."
In Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, B-Lab, an exchange space for junior high and high school students, was established eight years ago and is used by a total of 8,2 people annually.
In addition to the common space, there is a hall where you can exercise and practice musical instruments, where you can study and play games.
It is open from 5000 a.m. to 9 p.m.
It is available every day except for the New Year holidays.
In addition to the staff, there are also volunteer university students on the floor, and they casually talk to junior high and high school students so that they can feel comfortable even if they come alone.
Some students feel suffocated at school or at home, such as developmental characteristics or truancy, but the staff does not dare to ask.
It means that I try to grasp what I want to do and new interest opportunities from the conversation.
Don't just use it...
In addition to using it, there are also students who are involved in the operation as staff themselves.
At meetings, we take the initiative in reporting on planned events and sharing ideas for bulletin boards in the museum.
One of them, Keishin-kun, a second-year high school student, comes here almost every day.
At school, I read the atmosphere of the place and it is difficult to express my individuality, and I feel that I am a withdrawn person.
Here you can talk with the staff, make music as a hobby, and play games with the friends you meet.
"Everyone is friendly and comfortable, you can do what you like, you can make more friends, and I think it's an environment where you can come home from school and heal your fatigue."
A "refuge" outside of school
"At school, it is difficult to have relationships due to the stress of studying for entrance exams, and I feel that it is difficult to live," said Rino-san, a second-year high school student.
(Rino-san)
"There are times when you have relationships at school and you feel that your relationship has broken down or you don't want to go to school. I think I can live just by having a place to escape."
"At school, there are many people who feel the same way as me, but when I work here and interact with everyone, other people's values are also different.
Meimei, a first-year high school student, said that when she came here, she thought, "I found a place to belong."
"At home, I have to take care of my young siblings every day, so I feel restless, but here I can relax by having the staff listen to me. If I hadn't met here, I would have been tired every day."
"If there is a place to belong, the possibilities of children will expand"
Rumi Yoneda, director of the Bunkyo Ward Youth Plaza "B-Lab," spoke about the need for a "place for children" as follows.
"Junior high and high school students who are in the midst of puberty are prone to mental fluctuations, have many conflicts, and are worried about the future when they cannot see the future. On the other hand, I feel that it is necessary to intentionally create a place where people look out for themselves, without having a neighbor's older brother or sister who watches over them like in the past. If you have a safe place to belong, you will have the possibility to discover what you really like and want to do and express yourself. In the future, I hope that the government will work on this as a policy to expand the diversity of places where people can belong."
Voices that want a place of belonging: high among junior high and high school students and older
According to a questionnaire survey conducted by the Children and Family Agency last fiscal year on 2036,<> children and young people, a high percentage of junior high and high school students and older responded that they "do not have" a place other than home or school, even though they "want a place other than home or school."
Among those who answered in the questionnaire that they wanted a place other than home or school where they felt they wanted to belong, those who answered that they had such a place and those who answered that they did not have such a place ...
▽Up to 9 years old "Yes" 80.7% "No" 19.3% ▽10~12 years old "Yes" 81.7% "No" 18.3% ▽13~15 years old "Yes" 73.3% "No" 26.7% ▽16~18 years old "Yes" 73.1% "No" 26.9%
"No" as you get older The percentage of people who answered this is high.
Also, when we asked those who answered that they had no place to go what kind of place they would like to go to with multiple answers,
Among those under 15 years old, the percentage of respondents who answered "I can go whenever I want" and "I can do what I like and spend my time freely" tends to be as high as
around 50%, and among those aged 16 and
over, in addition to those two, "
I can spend time alone,
The
percentage of respondents who answered "I can relax without doing anything" also increased from about 2% to 1%.
Guidelines for creating a "place where children belong" The government has started considering
On the 17th, the Children's and Family Agency began discussions on "a place where children can belong" where they can spend time with peace of mind outside of school and home, at a study group of experts.
By the end of this year, we plan to formulate guidelines for creating places where people belong.
Creating a place where children can belong is one of the pillars of the policies of the Children and Family Agency, which was established in April.
As it becomes more difficult for children to grow up in their local communities and issues such as abuse, bullying, truancy, and suicide increase, it is necessary to create a place where children and young people can feel safe outside of school and home.
At the expert meeting that began on the 4th, opinions such as "It is important for local governments to collaborate and be able to use their place regardless of where they live" and "We should discuss it keeping in mind that things that were not previously envisioned, such as online games and SNS, are functioning as places of belonging."
This fiscal year, the Children and Family Agency will conduct an open call for local governments, launch a model project, listen to the opinions of children and young people, investigate precedents, and formulate basic guidelines by the end of this year that will set the direction for the development of "places where children belong."
Expert: "Creating an environment where children can spend time with peace of mind"
We asked Associate Professor Tetsuhei Aoyama of Bunkyo University, a member of the national study group on creating a "place where children can belong."
(Associate Professor Aoyama)
"There are many children whose community ties have become weak and have no community other than home and school. Therefore, if things go wrong there, there is nowhere to go, and there are situations that lead to difficulties in living. In addition, due to the corona disaster, we had to prioritize infection control measures, and the space that can be freely created with plenty of space has been shrinking for a long time, so it is necessary to intentionally prepare a place where children can feel relieved and secure."
"The location of children is an issue that involves a complex of various issues such as education, welfare, and community issues, so it is important for the entire country to tackle it without dividing it vertically. I hope it will be an opportunity to lead to concrete initiatives."
"In creating a place to belong, it is essential not only to prepare a 'place' but also to create an environment where children can spend time with peace of mind.