Undaunted by initial setback

NPO Bokuichi pushes “voter nurturing”

―挫折を乗り越え―

 

「票育」を軸に活躍するNPO「ぼくいち」


Raising political awareness among young people

 

若者の政治関心向上を狙う

Goto said Hyoiku aims more than mere political education. Members of his organization not only give lectures to participants (aged 22 years or younger) but encourage them to play the leading role in their routine activity. They are advised to identify issues in their regional community and propose policy measures to help resolve them. “By so doing, they can learn the importance of policy making process,” Goto said. The participants who have finished their training are certified as a member of the “Hyoiku crew” and are obliged to assist in tackling issues in cooperation with their regional government. When they are still students, they usually organize and manage lectures to enlighten their classmates about political knowledge essential to eligible voters. Goto said, “Younger people can practically improve their understanding of politics by resolving problems at hand through political approach,” adding, “We’ll spread our Hyoiku lectures all over Japan.”

 

票育とは単なる政治教育ではない。ぼくいちのメンバーは参加者の若者(22歳以下)に研修を施すだけで、行動の主体はあくまでこれら若者たちだ。研修では地域の課題を自分たちで発見し、それを解決するための政策を自分たちで提案することを経験する。「その過程で政治的なプロセスが重要だと学べる」と後藤さんは言う。そして研修を受けた若者は票育クルと認定され、地域の課題解決のために地方自治体と協力して活動することが義務づけられる。学生であれば、自分たちの学校で同級生に有権者としての教養を養う授業を企画、運営する。「身近な問題を政治の力で解決することで若者の政治への関心は本質的に改善される。将来的には全国で実施したい」と、後藤さんは語った。

Hyoiku is drawing nationwide attention as a means to provide new possibilities to conventional political education which is apt to end up in a classroom lecture. In May this year, the municipal government of Minokamo in Gifu Prefecture adopted Hyoiku as part of its human resources development program, followed in succession by the city governments of Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture. Those governments have budgeted their programs. Let us keep watching how Bokuichi will evolve their activity in the years ahead.

票育は、教育現場では座学で完結しがちな政治教育に、新たな可能性が見出されたとして脚光を浴びている。今年5月の岐阜県美濃加茂市を皮切りに、長崎県大村市、宮崎県日南市の3自治体で、票育が自治体の人材育成事業として採用され、予算化された。躍進する彼らの活動から今後も目が離せない。

 

(Written by Hideki Kato)