Wakasa life
Unaided visual acuity among elementary, middle, and high school students is at an all-time low. The cumulative number of participants in the “Menokoto Genki Classroom,” an eye health class for children who will lead the next generation, has exceeded 45,000.
～Continuing social contribution activities since 2007～
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Wakasa Seikatsu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City) has participated in the “Menokoto Genki Classroom,” an eye health class that has been running since 2007 with the desire to protect the eye health of the children who will lead the next generation. We would like to inform you that the number of people reached 45,000 on November 27th.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced on November 28, 2020 School Health Statistics Survey, that the percentage of elementary, junior high and high school students with unaided visual acuity of less than 1.0 has reached a record high, and expectations for the educational effects of digitalization are increasing. It is essential to take measures to protect children’s eye health. Comparing 1979, when statistics began, to 2022, the rate of myopia has increased in all age groups, and in particular, the number of elementary and junior high school students with visual acuity of less than 1.0 has nearly doubled.
◆ Comparison of numbers between 1979 and 2022 when the survey started (cited from the School Health Statistics Survey)
●1979
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●2022
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◆The reason for holding “Menokoto Genki Class”
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Our company is a comprehensive eye health company founded in 1998 and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The impetus for the activities of the eye health class “Menokoto Genki Classroom” came from the voices of parents who were concerned about their children’s eyes, which were received by our customer service department. Although dental health maintenance activities are active, we are concerned about the lack of information and educational activities regarding eye health maintenance.
I want you to enjoy it. We want to live in a society that thinks about healthy eyes and longevity. In 2007, we started Menokoto Genki Classroom (formerly Hitomi Genki Classroom) as a visual education program to convey the importance of eyesight. In response to requests from each school, we have held a total of 674 classes at nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, and schools for the blind across the country, conveying the importance of eye health to 45,369 children. . We will continue to protect children’s eye health and smiles.
◆History of “Menokoto Genki Classroom”
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“Food education” teaches how to protect your eyes through cooking lessons using blueberries
“Tree Planting” teaches children the rich spirit of interacting with plants through planting blueberry seedlings.
“Visual education” that uses vision training and other methods to convey the importance of protecting and training the eyes.
Since 2007, we have been conducting classes using the following three topics. *Since the coronavirus pandemic, we are only providing “visual education” to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
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As we continued our activities, the needs of the field increased and we started receiving requests from schools all over the country to hold events.
In 2016, we held a total of 500 lessons at Oyake Kindergarten in Kyoto City. [Image 5
We often receive letters of thanks from the children after classes have been held. Naoko Nishio, who has been involved in this activity since 2009, says, “When I see the cute illustrations and letters of appreciation that I receive after classes, it gives me the motivation to continue this activity.” Masu.
Our company will continue to communicate the importance of eye health, aiming to create a society that thinks about healthy eyes and life expectancy, so that children can enjoy the colorful world for a long time.