What is 'Future-Oriented' Community Development?

I have received three consecutive requests for lectures and speaking engagements, including for the next fiscal year.
All of them are in the same genre.
I feel that these things tend to come in waves, and while writing this, I would like to try and organize my thoughts a little.

That genre is related to
'Social Education', and my field of activity is
'Community Development'.

1. What is Social Education?

'Social Education' is difficult to define in a single word, but to put it simply, it is learning that is not school education.
Sometimes it is referred to as 'lifelong learning,' but I feel that it is not completely synonymous, as there seem to be both broad and narrow definitions.

Apart from 'school education' aimed at children and students,
for people of all ages,the right to learn that everyone possesses is social education.
And, rather than in places like classrooms or lessons,
it is about noticing, learning, deepening, nurturing together, and growing together in various situations and activities.
I believe thatsuch a wide range of situations and fields is social education.

What we must be careful about here is that it is better not to have a learning environment that is a top-down, knowledge-transfer type of 'teaching' like school education.

My ideal is like the 'Medaka School' (Killifish School), where
'Who is the student and who is the teacher?'
Everyone has the seeds of learning, and everyone influences the learning of others.
If anything, it is a bottom-up image, a vector that we lift up ourselves.

Such awonderful place for learning is social education!
Oh yes, thisworld of note is exactly that!
Every day, I receive various lessons from many people!!

2. Lectures and other requests I have received

I have received the followingthree requests.

First, the most immediate one is
my appearance as a panelist at the 20th Anniversary Project of the 'Kitakyushu Social Education and Lifelong Learning Research Association'.
Kitakyushu has been designated as an 'SDGs Future City' and is an environmental city looking toward the future! But,
SDGs are not just about ecology, are they?
I think a major factor is that there was a foundation cultivated over these 20 years, such as social education, lifelong learning, and ESD (Education for Sustainable Development).
It is this research association that created this foundation!

Speaking of Kitakyushu's environmental measures,it is the history of overcoming pollution.
The keywords 'women' and 'community centers' are indispensable to the story of this overcoming.
(Oops, it looks like this will get long, so I will write about this again later.)
Discussion, mutual learning, and a circle of empathy expanded, and a movement was born.
As a result, society changed, and it is a truly wonderful story that leads to the present.
It was truly an activity as 'social education'.
It is this research association that inherits the foundation and will of Kitakyushu. (Or so I believe.)

As a player in the same field myself,
it is the research association I respect the most,
and it is an extreme honor to be invited to the commemorative project!!

The theme of this commemorative project is,
not only social education and lifelong learning, but
it puts forward these three themes: 'SDGs', 'Future', and 'Children'.

Second,
although I also conducted it this fiscal year,
it is a training request for the 'Home Education Class Leaders' Training Session'.

Home education classes are learning venues aimed at PTA members and others.

Regarding the planning and operation of these classes, without leaving it to schools or parents,
it is also called the Kitakyushu method, but
we proceed with planning and consideration centered on community centers.

For this leader training session, not only PTA members (parents and school teachers) but also community center staff will participate.

Since it is a home education class, we often deal with themes of 'home education' such as child-rearing and human rights, but
because it is hosted by a civic center, which is a base for local communities and community development,the nuance of 'community education'is also reflected.

Thirdly,
'Citizen College'I was asked to give one session for this adult learning course.
I think this Citizen College in Kitakyushu is something we can be proud of nationwide!
(Oops, this story seems like it will get long too, so I'll stop here...)
Being invited as a lecturer for the Citizen College is a great honor, and it is one of my goals to have my activities evaluated.
(I was feeling down because I hadn't been invited for the past two years)

And, as for the course theme,
they asked me to lecture on 'new community development'.that is what they said.

...

New community development!?

That is another huge theme!!!

Sigh.
What should I do?

There is nothing 'new' or 'old' about community development.
It is not something that has a clear dividing line from this point on.
For now, I got them to settle for 'future' community development (laughs).

3. Current issues in social education and community development

In social education and community development,
ifwe draw a line at 'now',
and try to divide the past from the future,the primary example is
the 'PTA voluntary membership issue'.

It is written in the law that the PTA is a social education organization.

The PTA is organized by parents at the school wherethe children living in that areaattend. (Teachers are also included)
Living in that town,of the same generationas parents raising children, the'common ground'becomes the connection and nourishment for the town'sfuture community development.

From now on, it means thatyou can freely decide whether to participate or notin the PTA.
Beyond just what is in front of us,
the impact on subsequent social education and community development is significant.

Speaking of the primary issue in community development,
the issue of non-membership or withdrawal from neighborhood associationsis a similar story.

The necessity of forming a local community is being lost,
and it is certain that the significance and meaning of joining a neighborhood association are fading.

Local festivals and events.This wave of infectious disease is affecting these non-essential activities.
Fearing the spread of infection,
even traditional events have been canceled one after another.

Those situations were places to revitalize the local community.
They were situations where people connected, cooperated, and enjoyed themselves together.

Children's associations, for instance, are only surviving in a very small number of cases.
They are being abolished due to factors such as the declining number of children caused by the falling birthrate,
the existence of extracurricular lessons,
the abundance of other places and opportunities for play,
and a shortage of people to take on roles, including the parent generation.
This collapse of children's associations has led to the collapse of neighborhood associations like a ticking time bomb.

4. Future Community Development

I have briefly written about the current situation,
but I would like to consider it a little further.

Just like with PTAs and neighborhood associations,
the fact that they are 'voluntary' means that
being 'chosen' is essential.

To be chosen, it is necessary to enrich activity content and create mechanisms that participants can understand and empathize with.

And, 'broad-based' initiatives are impossible,
and they will increasingly shift toward 'point-based' initiatives.

In other words, rather than just moving the group along in a vague way,
it feels more like enthusiastic, active participants moving things forward voluntarily.
In terms of activities, the nature will change from 'everyone is semi-compelled'
to 'only those who truly want to do it will do it'.

In activities and learning situations,
rather than shallow and broad,
I believe things will become narrow and deep.

I think the elements of civic activity will become stronger than those of local activity.

As has been the case until now,
from here on, I believe that
• Enjoying it yourself • Involving others • Expanding the circle of empathy • Appealing both internally and externally • Raising awareness of 'collaboration'

will become even more important.

With the advancement of the information society,
not only food, clothing, and shelter, but also information has become abundant,
and connecting with people is no longer essential.

However, it is so overflowing with information
that one doesn't know what to believe.

Coming full circle,
I think it will become more important to
gain reliable information, learning, and knowledge
from conversations with people nearby, people within reach, and people whose voices can be heard directly, within 'face-to-face relationships'.

When thinking about the 'future',
I have reached the conclusion that
the basics we have focused on until now are even more important.

I would like to think about this more and more.

Thank you for watching again today.
I have posted a few related articles here.