"Leadership Training for Foreign Volunteers" Completed

Since June 2009, APFS has been holding "Leadership Training for Foreign Volunteers" with the support of the Tokyo Volunteer and Citizen Activities Center.

On March 21, 2010, the final session was held with the theme "How to deal with bullying among children." It took place at Itabashi Green Hall, and about 20 people attended.

Many of our volunteers from abroad have children and have long been interested in this issue. This time, we were joined by Sachiko Takeda from the NPO "Angel Heart Project," which works to address bullying.

Ms. Takeda shared various examples 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 boards of education. However, lawsuits require time and money, and there is no guarantee of winning. With that in mind, Ms. Takeda gave detailed advice on what parents should do to confront and resolve bullying in their children. As points for detecting bullying early, Ms. Takeda listed "listening carefully to your child on a daily basis and noticing any changes," "becoming a parent that your child can trust," and "never letting your child become a bully." She also emphasized, "In order to be kind to others, you yourself must be happy. Adults should also be happy in front of children. Let's start by helping each other in our immediate surroundings."

Ms. Takeda points out that bullying in elementary and junior high schools has been increasing in recent years. In particular, foreigners are often targeted for bullying because they are few in number in schools and their appearance and language are different. Bullying in elementary and junior high schools ranges from minor incidents to serious problems that can cause significant obstacles to their future lives. APFS will also address this issue in order to ensure that children can live happily in Japan.