Children's Support Kanagawa Ward 1 Local Whereabouts of children connected to foreign countries-Friend space ~

　Kanagawa Ward has a population of about 250,000, of which about 8,000 are foreign nationals. In this month's "Exploring People and Towns in Director General (outside site)" we talked to the members of Yu-Space, who have been supporting foreign countries in Kanagawa Ward for more than 10 years.

　It was one day's learning classroom. When you open the door, "Hello!" And the children welcomed us in a cheerful voice. On this day, 2nd to 6th grade children from China, Nepal and Indonesia gathered, and the children who finished homework and school study supplements spent their time doing what they liked, such as crafts. A cheerful voice echoed in the classroom, and it was such an impression that "every child is alive at their own pace."…
　Listening to the story, most children who use the learning classroom at Tomo Yu Space often come to Japan without understanding Japanese at all in order to live with their families working in Japan. It seems that communication is difficult and to make friends.
　Even adults are worried about spending time in places with different language and lifestyle habits. The friends of Yu Space is working to help children who are full of anxiety and live a school life with peace of mind while taking the form of "learning support". This learning classroom is a place where I could meet friends in the same position, and I thought that the children's burst smile was because of the trust and security of everyone who supported me.

　Friends Yu Space has been in operation for more than 10 years, and is now holding weekly learning classes at three locations in the city. Currently, there are 49 volunteers from high school students to a wide range of ages. It seems that members of Soshin Gakuin are also active on Saturday, when the welfare and health activity base "Hato Tomo" is the venue.

　The lounge is scheduled to be opened in Kanagawa Ward at the end of this fiscal year.
　I want everyone in Kanagawa Ward to live with a smile. To this end, I would like to work with you so that this international lounge will become a hub for multicultural coexistence, not only as a place for Japanese and foreigners living in Kanagawa Ward to interact, but also as a place where people can learn and understand each other's culture and customs.

May, 2023

Masayoshi Hibino, Director of Kanagawa

※"Director General's People and Town Exploration (external site)" will be serialized on the theme of "children" and "child care" from this month.