Held from November 2020 to February 2021, the Takahashi River Shijuku is underway.
Students and occasional auditors are taking a total of 41 classes divided into three categories: the SDGs Vision course, the Liberal Arts course, and the Skills course. 23 students are enrolled.
On Saturday, January 30, 2021, as part of the Liberal Arts course, Chikaku General Incorporated Association Representative Director Akagi Yoshiko (Akagi Yoshiko) gave a lecture.
There were 12 in-person attendees, including young people in their 20s, mothers raising children, and company employees. Seven people attended online via Zoom.
This time, I attended online from home.
From among the many topics covered, I’ll focus on three that made a particularly strong impression and report on the lecture.
The information presented was current when this article was published in February 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Overview of the Takahashi River Shijuku
The Takahashi River Shijuku is a Kurashiki City-commissioned program run by the Takahashi River Basin School, a general incorporated association. Through the study of history, culture, industry, and fieldwork in the Takahashi River Basin, it aims to foster people who will contribute to community development and create a “sustainable” region, and to inspire them to take action.
There are two types of courses:
- The “SDGs Inquiry Course,” which includes practical exercises and presentations
- The “Auditor Course,” in which participants attend lectures of their choice
The opening ceremony was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, and 41 classes will be held through the closing ceremony on Sunday, February 14, 2021.
There are three themes:
▼ SDGs Vision
A course where participants gain a deep understanding of the Takahashi River Basin’s 2030 vision and current efforts to address its challenges through lectures by practitioners and experts, and discover ways to take action.
▼ Liberal Arts
A course for learning about the history, culture, and industry of the Takahashi River Basin and gaining the knowledge needed as a foundation for activities.
▼ Skills
A course for acquiring the skills and know-how needed for inquiry-based learning, including presentations, nonprofit accounting, data analysis (using RESAS), effective use of IT tools, and using blogs and social media.
For more details, see the special page for the Takahashi River Shijuku.
About Yoshiko Akagi and Chikaku General Incorporated Association
Yoshiko Akagi is a highly energetic and active woman who wears many hats and runs numerous projects at the same time.
- Representative Director of Chikaku General Incorporated Association
- Board member of Takahashi River Basin School
- Social Education Committee member, Kurashiki City Board of Education
Her main projects are as follows:
- 2011 onward: “Yochien Gokko Petit Palette (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Community Business Know-how Transfer Project)”
- “Children’s Disaster Prevention Network Okayama (collaboration with businesses and NPOs)”
- 2012 onward: “Chayakko Hiroba Chikaku (commissioned by Kurashiki City)”
- 2012–2016: “Kurashiki Machizukuri-bito Exhibition (commissioned by Kurashiki City)”
- 2018 onward: “Community hub project specializing in developmental support for infants (WAM grant),” and more
The impetus for establishing Chikaku General Incorporated Association was the closure of Kurashiki Tivoli Park, which was located in front of JR Kurashiki Station.
She had been involved in parent-child programs while working at Tivoli Park. After it closed, she decided to establish the organization because she wanted to “pass on the know-how I’ve gained and work on community support centered on parenting support.”
In this lecture, she shared what she learned from visits to childcare settings in three Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, and Sweden), prompted by the “community hub project specializing in developmental support for infants,” and showed many photos of what she saw on the ground.
Raising children alongside nature
As I listened to the reports from childcare-related facilities in the Nordic countries, what made the strongest impression on me was how natural it is to raise children, and how it fits harmoniously with the environment and society.
- Rain or snow, children always play outside at least once a day
- In one town, stairs were paired with a slide, as well as a ramp with no steps that could be climbed while pushing a stroller
- Many blind spots were deliberately created inside the facilities, because children love to hide
In this way, children are treated as beings who are always close to nature. Care is taken to create environments where they can engage fully with nature and develop their childlike qualities.
The chairs were also set at a height that made it easy for adults to care for the children, creating an environment where staff could work comfortably.
The caregivers’ work was also very natural and unstrained. Everyone had time to spare, so the staff seemed to enjoy their work, too.
Nurturing the way we are as people
Nordic early childhood education places great importance on children’s own feelings and their ability to make their own decisions.
In every situation, they respect children’s own decisions, encourage them to express their feelings, and constantly give them opportunities to value themselves.
I was struck by the words, “Even in city planning, adults put into practice in society what they teach children, and show them by example.”
- They value what kind of person a child wants to be, even from before birth, while the child is still in the womb
- They placed great importance on letting children express exactly how they feel in the moment
- Even when they are very young, children choose and serve themselves only as much food as they want to eat. Even if food spills onto the floor, no one panics
The priorities for goals that children set for themselves for their final year before starting school were also very striking.
- Interaction (communication) and self-control
- Daily living skills
- Play and activities
- Physical activity
- Self-expression and the arts
- Knowledge and learning
How do children themselves want to live?
I could clearly see how, from an early age, they nurture their own “core” by encouraging children to express how they feel in all kinds of situations and to make their own choices and decisions.
Special support for all children
What particularly impressed me about Nordic early childhood education settings was that special support is not treated as something separate and special.
Rather than clearly separating children who need support from those who do not, they create supportive learning environments and use teaching materials that can benefit every child.
- Picture cards were posted throughout the facilities so children could immediately see what to do next
- Mirrors were placed around the facilities, with features designed to help children learn to read their own and others’ feelings from facial expressions
- In Denmark, children’s developmental histories are kept as data at the national level and shared with their families
Akagi has met many parents and children through the community space, helping them connect with appropriate support and advice at the right time.
Parents realize, “There may be something going on with my child.”
They go for advice, but at various places they are brushed off with, “They’re still little, so let’s wait and see” …
Akagi says this doesn’t solve anything.
She points out that in Japan, people tend to avoid telling parents about a child’s characteristics as they are, because doing so immediately becomes an evaluation.
In Denmark, it is simply a “fact,” but in Japan it turns into a discussion about standards of evaluation.
She feels this difference likely stems from the difference in the social environment: in Denmark, children are accepted for who they are and cherished from the age of zero.
Summary
As I raise my two children, I feel that Japan’s education and childcare environments still put the convenience of society and adults first, and are far from seriously considering the value of the time children spend simply being children.
I felt that early childhood education in the Nordic countries is a system thoughtfully designed by mature adults, based on respecting the dignity of children and adults alike as people, without making a major distinction between them.
People become aware of their own values by encountering different cultures.
It is difficult to visit in person, but Akagi shared the details of her study visit along with many photos, giving me a wonderful opportunity to reflect anew on my own values regarding society and raising children.
How will I put what I learned to use? I’ll take some time to think it over.
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