Gifu Collaborative Activities between Community and School Forum 2024
On Tuesday, September 17, 2024, the "Gifu Collaborative Activities between Community and School Forum 2024" was held online. It was a valuable opportunity for the members of 'Gifu Center for collaborative activities between communities and schools (short for 'GIFU CCCS')' to report on their achievements over the past year and to facilitate mutual learning.
The GIFU CCCS was jointly established by the Gifu Prefectural Government and Gifu University with the aim of supporting and promoting region-school collaboration activities in communities, municipalities, and schools, thereby supporting the growth of children through community-wide efforts and revitalizing the community.
The Forum is held on a regular basis to share academic knowledge and practical information associated with region-school collaboration activities within Gifu Prefecture. It targets stakeholders involved in region-school collaboration, such as social education commissioners, social educators, community center staff, region-school collaboration activity promoters, youth development personnel, town development council members, and community development personnel, municipal administrative staff, and school personnel.
This year, the Forum 2024 was attended by 280 participants, including those actively engaged in region-school collaboration, municipal administrative staff, social education staff, and school personnel across Gifu Prefecture.
At the forum, Mr. NISHI Koichiro, a lecturer at Osaka Seikei University Graduate School and Kyoto University of Education, and a former Community School (CS) Meister at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, delivered a lecture titled "Integrated Promotion of Community Schools and Region-School Collaboration Activities: Schools Connected with the Community for the Sake of Children." Mr. Nishi explained the purpose of community schools and the concept of "schools connected with the community." He discussed what is needed to transform support activities, such as school support volunteers, into collaborative activities between the community and schools. He also addressed how to promote the integrated operation of school management councils to connect both the community and schools, and how to build collaboration for the future of the community. His explanation was based on keywords such as "commitment" and "deliberation," drawing from his own experiences.
Next, Mr. OIDA Nobumasa, Principal of Akutami Higashi Elementary School in Gifu City, and Mr. TADA Kiyonori, Head of the Akutami Higashi Branch of the Social Welfare Council and Advisor to the Akutami Higashi Neighborhood Association Federation, introduced practical examples on the theme of "Collaboration between the Community and Schools."
Mr. Oida explained the overview of region-school collaboration activities at Akutami Higashi Elementary School, the current status of specific activities, and future prospects. Mr. Tada gave a lecture from the perspective of a resident participating in the activities, discussing his thoughts on the activities and their significance from the community's viewpoint.
After the lectures and reports, a Q&A session was held. Participants asked various questions about region-school collaboration activities, such as how to create spaces where the community and schools can connect, ways to revitalize communities where activities have become stagnant, and the children's reactions to the activities. There were also specific questions about issues like coordinating collaboration with security measures and other school programs, which deepened the participants' understanding.
Finally, Professor MASUKAWA Koichi, GIFU CCCS Director, reported on the center's achievements over the past year and summarized the entire forum before closing.
The GIFU CCCS will continue to hold forums and training sessions to further promote region-school collaboration activities in the future.
