Saitama Youth Support Net is a nonprofit organisation (NPO) which is one of the organisations supported by FIT For Charity 2020. The organisation supports children and young people who worry about the future because they feel isolated due to various difficulties. The organisation is running five child support projects in Saitama City. Since 2011, multiple spaces have been created for children and young people to stay and feel safe.

Today, we interviewed Mr. Yasushi Aoto, Representative, and Ms. Shoko Aoto, Secretary General.

Please tell us briefly how you started the organization.
My father who is the representative, founded the organisation. For many years, he taught at high schools and universities, and while doing his own research activities, he volunteered to talk about local education and support raising children in Saitama Prefecture. He witnessed many students who dropped out of high schools, and he wondered if the poverty problem could be the reason. As an extension of his volunteer work, he started the organisation in order to create a space for those children and young people to gather.

How did you use the FIT funds?
The funds have been used mainly for the soccer project for elementary school students. Economic disparity has a great impact on child education. Many children have been reached out through open soccer classes . We have invited coaches who used to play for the youth teams of professional soccer teams, and we have been able to provide fulfilling programs. Some children struggle getting into the circle of other children, but we ask them to help by being in charge of taking pictures and distributing lunch boxes so that as many children as possible can take active roles. By doing something together, those participating children will be able to communicate well with each other at the end. We hope that they are glad that they participate in the program by feeling sense of accomplishment and peace of mind throughout the program.

Are there any restrictions to participate in the program?
If we run programs for the purpose solely to fight poverty, it may cause prejudice and make it difficult for people who really need the services. Therefore, our programs are open to everyone. There are no participation restrictions.

Please tell us about the difficult aspects of working as an NPO.
The first point is the issue of funding. Across Japan, 2.8 million children live in relative poverty. That is one in seven children. Only about 250,000 of them are receiving public support from the government, so there are many who do not receive public support. This exactly is our target group. While reaching out to them, we plan, provide the support programs and have them come to our organisation. The only way to carry out our programs for children who are not covered by the current public support is to solicit grants and donations. Getting funds has always been an important task. The second point is how to make our activities widely known and understood. There are many children who still need support. We want to cooperate with local governments, schools, and residents to let children in need know that we can help them.　

Your focus has been on childrenʻs poverty. Compared to the past, how has poverty evolved? “Invisible poverty” is a term that we hear.
Recently children dress neatly and they all have smartphones. At first glance, it is difficult to distinguish whether they are poor or not. However, when I talk to them or actually visit their home, I often find that the refrigerator is empty. There are many cases where their home environment is not good and they eat extremely malnourished food every day. As an example, many children tend lack protein due to an unbalanced diet.

What kind of support can we provide?
The soccer program you have supported in just one example; you could support the children leveraging skills or interest you have. In addition to learning support, I would like to carry out various programs such as art and storytelling of picture books in the future. That won’t require any special skills. But, playing with children using your skills and hobbies is one way to support us. Simply your participation in our programs and activities would be appreciated.

Finally, please give a message to those who are reading this article.
Our activities are not something that can be done by only one NPO, but also need cooperation within the local community. Children and young people who look ordinary at first glance may actually be isolated and face various challenges. For example, their fridge may be empty, or they have difficulties keeping up with school studies, or they have no adults to consult. You could make a difference by being aware of these issues, take an interest and join in our activities. We are always looking for donations and volunteers so that we can support as many children and young people as possible. We look forward to your support.

Saitama Youth Support Net Support Program

https://saitamayouthnet.org/donate