| OVAC Quarterly News Magazine Vol.1 January, 2001 |
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| "Share the view" is quarterly publication providing current information
and topics on NGO/NPO sectors in Japan and opinions of Mr. Noboru Hayase,
our Executive Director and editorial writers out of our monthly opinion
magazine "Volo". Taking into consideration of the wide-ranged
non-governmental activities in Japan, it also includes information on volunteering,
activities & movements of non-profit & community-based groups. |
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| Punished for not doing community service activities? |
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 An idea described as "pub talk about education" (Manabu Sato,
a professor of Tokyo Univ. graduate school) is supported by the Japanese
ruling party, and now the party tries to legislate for this idea. This
idea is "mandatory community service "proposed by an education
advisory panel to the Prime Minister, "The National Commission on
Educational Reform".
The panel proposed that elementary and junior high school students spend
two weeks performing community service, while high school students spend
one month. They are required to live together at public facilities during
the period. The panel states "this law will be applied to every citizen
at equivalent ages including youths who have already left school to work",
and "(students) will be required to perform some kind of humanitarian
work such as farmwork, forestry, nursing care for the elderly, etc. The
panel "plans to expand the service period to a whole year as soon
as possible". If students refuse to perform community service, "they
will lose qualifications to receive higher education or to be employed
by companies"said an executive member of the ruling party.
We strongly oppose this proposal and urge our government and the ruling
party to reconsider their support for this idea.
Why does this reform attach importance to "mandatory community service"
instead of "learning through community service experience"? Actual
experience gives one
an opportunity to realize one's social responsibilities. Many people now
understand the effectiveness of experienced-based learning, and those people
have positively accepted an approach called "learning through voluntary
service experience" in many cities in Japan.
Spontaneity and experience gained through thinking and acting for oneself.
These are the two most important elements of, and in fact these are real
joys of, experience-based learning. That is why school staff who supports
the "learning through experience" approach have been making an
effort to create environments where participants can spontaneously perform
voluntary service. As in the fairy tale, this idea is based on the approach
of "sun” rather than “north wind".
If participation is forced and students are under threat of punishment,
such a spontaneous learning attitude can never arise. Indeed, if students
are forced to perform a service, they may adopt a passive attitude and
only do things that they are told to do.
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Volunteer groups hold a symposium to discuss mandatory social services
for all youth. ( article of The Asahi dated October 25, 2000 )
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I am also concerned that forcing students to perform mandatory service
will devalue the service, and the idea of social service. Understanding
toward others can be nurtured through every social activity , but not just
through "humanitarian work" proposed in the panel's interim report.
However, we can not expect students to develop such an ability if authority
obliges the performance of community service. For me, mandatory community
service seems to force students to accept a narrow definition of "good".
"What is good" here is defined by the government, and it seems
to be based on the concept of "service to our country".
I should also point out the problem of using social welfare service facilities
as "teaching materials". We have repeatedly criticized this problem
in our monthly magazines, and we think mandatory community service will
add further troubles to these social welfare facilities. The panel's proposal
lacks respect for the human rights of people now receiving care. Social
welfare facilities will be used as teaching materials (places) for students
who are supposed to learn understanding toward others. In 1998, the Japanese
government started to oblige all candidates for teacher's employment examinations
to have nursing care experience. In the May issue of our monthly magazine
(1998), we presented a detailed report on this topic as a feature story.
If the participation were a spontaneous one, participants could naturally
develop a positive attitudes towards people's diverse personalities. On
the other hand, if participants were forced to participate, their attitudes
would be passive, and would not show any enthusiasm or subtlety to compensate
their lack of skill. As a result, they would only be a burden to the staff
members in each facility.
In other words, this mandatory nursing care experience is causing unethical
situations in which one person is always sacrificed for someone else to
learn patience. The panel's proposal will involve many students in these
already-controversial situations.
What we need to recover now is not an education forced by authority, but
the one in which students can realize the joy of learning and pleasure
of discovery. In such an education, each student has the opportunity to
use their ability for others. This is a feeling of, so to speak, "not
MUST, but CAN". I believe an ideal education should provide each and
every student with the opportunity to realize this feeling. |
| Noboru Hayase, Executive Director, Osaka Voluntary Action Center |
In Japan, two out of three people have an intention to do volunteering,
one of which has not yet done it. |
| In Japan, three out of four people hope to contribute to society in some
way. Two out of three people have an intention to do volunteering, one
of which has not yet done it. This means that the willingness to volunteer
is fairly high if include those with no prior experience. |
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Source:Economic Planning Agency,
"The National Survey on Lifestyle Preferences"(2000) |
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There are many differences in personal motivations for giving
and volunteering between Japan and the U.S |
| There are many differences in incentives and reasons to start volunteering
between Japan and the U.S. First, the activities for acquaintances and
a sense of obligation make people volunteer in Japan. On the other hand,
attitudes toward fulfilling personal satisfaction are relatively strong
in the U.S. Second, there are few people in Japan who consider "Serving
as an example to others" to be a reason to volunteer. |
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| Source:Economic Planning Agency, "The National Survey on Lifestyle
Preferences"(2000) |
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