"Leadership Training for Foreign Volunteers" Completed

Since June 2009, APFS has been holding "Leadership Training for Foreign Volunteers" with funding from the Tokyo Volunteer and Citizens Activities Center.

The final session was held on March 21, 2010, with the theme of "How to deal with child bullying." It was held at the Itabashi Ward Green Hall and about 20 people gathered.

Many of our foreign volunteers have children, and we have long been interested in this issue. This time, we invited Ms. Sachiko Takeda from the NPO "Angel Heart Project" that tackles bullying issues.

Mr. Takeda introduced various cases of bullying that occur in elementary and junior high schools. Recently, there have been cases where parents of bullied children have filed lawsuits against schools and the Board of Education. However, lawsuits require time and money, and are not always successful. Mr. Takeda then gave a detailed explanation of the measures parents should take to face and resolve bullying among their children. Mr. Takeda listed the key points for early detection of bullying as "listening carefully to your child on a daily basis and noticing changes," "becoming parents that children can trust," and "not letting your child become a bully." He also emphasized, "in order to be kind to others, you have to be happy yourself. Adults should also be happy in front of children. Let's start by helping each other from our immediate surroundings."

Takeda points out that bullying in elementary and junior high schools has been increasing in recent years. Foreigners are particularly vulnerable to bullying because they are underrepresented in schools and because they look and speak different languages. Bullying in elementary and junior high schools can range from minor to serious problems that can pose serious obstacles to a child's future life. APFS will continue to tackle this issue so that children can live happily in Japan.