What I Saw Beyond "Casual Volunteering" [Part 2]

I had some time to think about mutual support in the community after taking the city's "Life Supporter Training Course."

The course brochure listed things like:

Why not help out a little in your community or school?

No qualifications or experience needed.

Want to make new friends?

Want to put your skills or hobbies to use?

Those were the kinds of words lined up.

I think it's a very good initiative as an entry point.

It becomes a gateway to getting involved in the community.

People who previously had no connections can take on a role within the community.

They can get involved little by little with the needs of schools and the community.

If it goes well, it's a beneficial system for both the people involved and the community itself.

That is why I don't want to deny the system itself.

In fact, I think this kind of entry point is necessary.

However, while taking the course, I also thought about something else.

That is,

"Can we really keep supporting things on goodwill alone?"

For example, in schools, there is a role called School Support Staff.

It is an important job to support busy teachers and ensure they have at least some time to face the children.

I believe this kind of support is necessary for both the school and the children.

But in reality, due to factors like budget cuts, such paid support is sometimes reduced.

On the other hand, expectations for community volunteers are rising.

Of course, the power of the community is important.

But I felt that replacing parts that should fundamentally be supported by employment with goodwill is a bit off.

I think the administration side is thinking,



"We want to create a system where the community supports each other."That in itself is not wrong.

In the coming era, community connections and mutual support will become increasingly necessary.

However, a system of mutual support won't last just by creating it.

Nurturing those who support.

Ensuring those who support can continue.

Having the younger generation participate.

Passing it on to the next generation.

If we don't think that far, in the end, we will just be relying on the energetic people who are currently there.

The people I was with during this course were truly energetic, bright, and active individuals.

Some were already active in the community, and I found them very reliable.

Hearing this story reminded me of when I signed up for the course.

The person in charge was very happy, saying,

"I'm so glad a young person could come."

I instinctively thought,

"I'm not that young. I'm a middle-aged lady."

But since I started getting involved in community activities, neighborhood associations, and unions, I have had that same feeling several times.

In those settings, I am still seen as a "young person."

That is a bit grateful, but at the same time, it is also a bit scary.

Because it also means there are that few people to take over next.

When these people eventually go from being the ones who support to the ones who need support, who will take over that role?

When the people currently supporting the community reach the point of needing nursing care, will there be anyone left in that community to support them?

Perhaps we should have created a system to connect to the next generation much earlier.

But in reality, I think there are things that cannot be moved easily, such as community entanglements, budget issues, institutional convenience, and political circumstances.

I am not well-versed in politics.

I don't want to talk about politics either.

It's just that if we really want to continue mutual support in the community,

"Asking the energetic people who are currently there"

is not enough.

That is what I felt.

Creating a system is difficult.

But regaining lost talent and experience is even harder.

That is why I think we need sustainable middle grounds, such as paid volunteering or honorarium-based activities, rather than a binary choice between unpaid volunteering and professional work.

Increasing the number of people who support.

Ensuring those who support can continue.

Protecting the supporters themselves.

I believe community mutual support will only continue when both of these are present.

I thought I also need to be careful.

When there is someone in trouble, I tend to want to do something about it.

There are surely people who will push themselves too hard.

I feel like I might become one of them.

That is precisely why the phrases

"Please don't overdo it"

and "It's okay to go at your own pace"

came up many times during the course.

If the person providing support collapses, it defeats the whole purpose.

Community activities may often start from goodwill.

But if we rely only on goodwill, it won't last.

A system where supporters don't get exhausted.

A system where the next generation of leaders is nurtured.

And a system where money and employment properly circulate where needed.

I think that perspective is also necessary for the community of the future.

This course was an entry point to getting involved in the community, and at the same time,

it became an opportunity to think about "how to continue mutual support."

The first part is here.

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#CoinBridge
Verbalizing structures and connecting the field with systems.

For those reading for the first time: I have summarized my activities and CoinBridge here.