Empowering Youth in Care Homes Through Nature

            April is a month full of new beginnings for the children, such as new school, new grade, or new independent life. For Mirai no Mori, it was a month of reuniting with repeaters and meeting and welcoming new children to our programs.
            Following the lifting of the COVID-19 measures at the end of March, we were finally able to host the "Snow Program" in Niigata, which was postponed many times. We also hosted the "Game Day Program" in Mitake under the warm spring sun. Sledding and snowball fights in spring snow were memorable experiences, but lunches by the riverbanks, climbing trees, and just casual conversations with the staff were also valuable and memorable experiences for many children, especially when there are still so many restrictions in their daily lives.
            In this year's LIT program, eight high school students, including three first-year students, are planning to join us. We are so grateful to be able to provide such a unique learning experience to those who would benefit the most.
            We also welcomed three new members to our Graduate Program this April, and we hosted our first outdoor event this year. Four members joined the event, including one with a full-time job, two university students, and one in-between job. They all enjoyed the activities and the company, sharing their goals, challenges, and what they are looking forward to this year. We will continue to stay connected with our graduates and support them individually towards their goals.

Links:

• Winter Program report
• April Game Day report

            Since becoming an Approved Specified Nonprofit Organization in 2013, Mirai no Mori has hosted numerous overnight and day programs and welcomed over 2000 campers and 500 care workers. We started with just summer and winter camp programs. However, after seeing the benefit of a regular and continuous program, we added monthly one-day programs called Back to Nature. And we ask corporate sponsors to join the program as volunteers to act as role models for the children to expand their horizons further. We have also developed Leaders in Training program for the high school students, who are just a few years away from their independence. The program focuses on gaining practical skills to be successful in society, such as communication and project management skills.

            In recent years the ratio of repeating campers at programs has been on the rise. We now know many children who have been with us for several years, and a few children who have started joining our program in their elementary school are now in the Leader in Training program. Our relationship with the care homes have also been strengthening. We have been creating and incorporating a system to lower the burden on care workers and cater to each home’s needs. Mirai no Mori has also been growing alongside the children.

            However, we still have plenty of room for improvement. While care homes do their best to accommodate children’s interests in Mirai no Mori, some children have not been able to join our programs due to personal concerns, such as issues with traveling on public transportation or spending a day in unfamiliar place. Furthermore, while we try to reduce the burden as much as possible, joining our programs still requires additional workload for the care workers and strain their already busy schedule, resulting in restrictions on who can join the program. These limitations mean that we are not being able to provide the programs to the children who would benefit from and need the experiential learning opportunities the most.

            We will continue to strive to become a place that is easy to access and join for all the children and care workers. In addition to our current line-up, we are considering a new style of program that can be held near or at the care homes to allow more children to access our programs. We are also aware that a stable and familiar environment is crucial for children’s continuous development. In order to secure such an environment, Mirai no Mori has started to consider acquiring a campsite of our own. While many aspects of the future are still uncertain, our team remains committed to supporting the children in unfairly disadvantaged situations. And as long as there are children who are looking forward to joining our programs, Mirai no Mori will continue to evolve and grow with them.