“Children’s Third Place” Project Secretariat
“Wajima Teen Lab”, a “third place for children” that provides comprehensive care for children in the community, restarts and draws together with children the town development of Wajima reconstruction ……
The specified non-profit corporation Jikkuraato (Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Chairman: Uta Koura) has been selected as part of the Nippon Foundation’s “Children’s Third Place” project, and will hold a program at home or school on Sunday, December 24th. We have officially opened “Wajima Teen Lab” as a new place for children without children. Due to the effects of the 2020 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, Wajima Teen Lab had stopped accepting children, but from March 26th (Tuesday) it will be opened as a safe place for children to spend their time. We have resumed our activities.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/104626/70/resize/d104626-70-2fe36952189350594a6c-6.png&s3=104626-70-1847e31a3c99e8c427e4755d22df9626-884×265.png ]
(Photo left) Opening ceremony held last year Group photo (Photo right) Town planning workshop held
While working as a pediatrician, Koura, the representative of our organization, has also served as a school doctor at a junior high school in Wajima City. As I work with children, I feel that the various things surrounding children are shrinking due to the declining birthrate and aging of the population, and that there is no place for teenagers to feel free to spend time or an environment where they can discuss their concerns with adults. I felt that, and established the organization in July 2022. Since our establishment, we have been operating a safe and secure place for children to spend time in Wajima City, as well as providing classes and counseling services for children at schools. Wajima Teen Lab’s strength is that it contributes to the growth of children and provides comprehensive care through connections with medical care, schools, and local governments. After the disaster, we utilized that network to act as a liaison with external supporters, and in collaboration with Katariba, a certified NPO, started operating a shelter in a room at Wajima High School, which has been used as an evacuation center, since January 14th. Wajima Teen Lab is used by children from preschoolers to high school students, and the high school students who used it are actively supporting elementary and junior high school children. The Shiki support system (a support system in which older children look after younger children) became a place where they came to life.
The second evacuation period for junior high and high school students has ended, and classes will resume at elementary, junior high, and high schools from April, but the situation differs for each household, and the living and school environments are not necessarily the same as before the earthquake, and there is a need for a place for children. is increasing. By reopening their spaces, children can gather with friends, get active by playing table tennis, and concentrate on studying, allowing them to regain the activities and feelings they had during normal times. We also believe that we can help children who are worried about their future or have mental worries due to the effects of the disaster. Furthermore, we will work together with children to think about urban development for Wajima’s recovery, and work to create a community where children can live in good health.
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/104626/70/resize/d104626-70-a4e3682b71a418bbeb9f-5.jpg&s3=104626-70-0d7bacdaaa64de4d534ac2d57e7d5400-208×141.jpg] After reopening, on March 27th (Wednesday), we will be hosting the “Oku-Noto Teen Festival 2024 Spring” featuring Maverick Mom, a high school band from Ishikawa Prefecture with whom we have been connected. They performed “Dawn Footprints,” which they wrote and composed with Noto in mind, and deepened their interaction with the children and local residents by writing and composing the songs together. We will continue to work together with the people who support Wajima and the local community to rebuild Wajima with children at its center, centered on the third place for children.
Comment from the Nippon Foundation: Because we have been involved in activities with children at the center of our community during normal times, we are able to quickly provide support to children in times of disaster in collaboration with outside supporters. We will continue to work on fostering local child-rearing communities, focusing on children’s third homes throughout Japan.
https://prtimes.jp/a/?f=d104626-70-f68b2429161cdae58bdd698c870cbf87.pdf More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000070.000104626.html