APFS 100-Day Action to Nurture Children's Dreams Report ① Children's Conference

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The "APFS Children's Conference" was held on Saturday, August 29, 2015, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM.
「APFS 100-Day Action Plan to Nurture Children's DreamsIn launching this initiative, we need to understand what challenges children in undocumented residency situations perceive.
We also held these meetings to discuss what we should do to solve our own problems.
Ten children, ranging from upper elementary school to vocational school age, participated, all of whom had Filipino or Iranian parents.

At the beginning of the meeting, we heard from a former participant who had previously been in an undocumented immigration situation but, after various efforts, managed to obtain a valid residence status.
From former individuals, the message was: "Don't give up on yourself and live each day to the fullest," and "The hardships I faced due to not having a residence status have become a positive influence on my life now."
The existence of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Japan's ratification of it were discussed.
The children who listened to the talk said things like, "I realized that taking action is important," "I realized there is a contradiction between the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the situation I am currently in," and "I decided that I should continue to have dreams."

Next, we discussed the challenges we currently face and how we should address them.

The challenges are,
- As things stand, I won't be able to achieve my dreams, such as going to college or getting a job.
- Inability to obtain insurance and therefore unable to go to the hospital.
- My parents are unable to work, which is causing me financial hardship.
- Being the only one who cannot participate in overseas training programs (at high school)
These were some of the points raised.

As a solution,
- Talk to a trusted friend about your situation and ask for their help.
- Start a petition
- To demonstrate the seriousness of the issue in a public forum.
- Embrace being different from others in a positive way.
These were some of the points raised.

What was particularly impressive was that the children themselves said things like, "We want to gain our freedom," and "We want to break down the barrier of visas."
APFS will be working with children for 100 days starting in September to help them nurture their dreams.
We ask for your support and cooperation.