Making use of our employees’ experience of working and living abroad, Sumitomo Corporation is engaging in activities to support young people with foreign roots who tend to be isolated in Japanese society.
Online learning with children who have foreign roots
The inflow of people into Japan began increasing in the latter half of the 1980s, and the number of non-Japanese nationals who live and work in Japan has also been increasing. Accordingly, the number of children and young people who have foreign roots (one or both of whose parents were born outside of Japan) has been rapidly increasing. These people tend to face difficulties in terms of learning and career building, and it has been pointed out that support measures need to be implemented for them not only in schools but also in cooperation with various sectors such as government, NPOs and companies.
From October 2020 to March 2023, Sumitomo Corporation has partnered with the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) to collaborate with organizations receiving grants under the Supporting Youths of Diverse Roots and an Inclusive Society (SYDRIS) Initiative, a major grant program implemented by the JCIE which acts as a funding organization. Through this initiative, Sumitomo Corporation contributed to enhancing the management foundation of the grantee organizations, which are working for the realization of a multicultural symbiotic society. The company also sent its employees to Japanese language and other classes that are provided by these organizations to support the education of youth with foreign roots.
In order to support the grantee organizations, employees of Sumitomo Corporation formed teams each composed of three to five members and conducted pro bono activities by making use of their business experience. Each team was in charge of one grantee organization, holding dialogue with the representative and core members of the organization and increasing their understanding of the organization’s activities. Specifically, the teams engaged in a range of activities, such as proposing ideas about projects to diversify the organization’s fundraising activities, supporting the organization’s PR activities, and helping it build the foundation to become a sustainable entity. The teams were thus supporting the organizations for their long-term development while also sharing their vision and mission.
Currently, employees continue to support Japanese language learning, children’s homework and pre-test study online and in person. Even children who can communicate fluently in Japanese sometimes find it difficult to learn the subjects from their textbooks. The employees help these children understand the Japanese language used in the textbooks and encourage them to continue learning in their schools. In addition, we are working to serve as an interview practice partner for students preparing for the high school entrance examination, and to provide fun opportunities for children to interact in sports with our employees' children.
Since 2021, I have been participating in the online learning support of Alece Takaoka, an NPO based in Toyama Prefecture. Based on my own struggle overseas back in my early teens, I wanted to do something to support children who might be going through similar hardships in Japan. There is a limit to what can be done in two hours, but together with Alece Takaoka and other 100SEED participants, I try to help build children’s confidence by developing their abilities, to expand their future options, or to simply provide them with a place where somebody is there to listen.
It is a pure delight to see participating children making progress.
Mai Manabe, Sumitomo Corporation Global Research
Toshiaki Kameyama, Sumitomo Corporation Global Metals
Even students who have just come to Japan have to pass the entrance exam if they want to enter high school. Just before the entrance exam, I served as their practice partner for interviews in Japanese. I was impressed by their ability to respond well despite the short preparation time, and I am sure they made a lot of effort. Before I started, I was worried because I didn’t have knowledge of support, but when the NPO told me, "They need opportunities to be exposed to a variety of Japanese," I realized that there were many opportunities to contribute in various ways.
March 2024
