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Hello everyone. |
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Hello. |
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in the area of the Jonancho Association. |
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such as dementia. |
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So of course I accepted. |
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I visited the school and with the sixth grade class |
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I talked about residents with dementia residents living on their own |
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and the map we had created. |
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The students listened closely to my presentation. |
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After my presentation |
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the students went home and talked with their mothers. |
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The students took notes on what they discussed with their mothers |
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then the notes were used in a survey which the school showed me. |
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It is wonderful to be presenting here in my own neighborhood. |
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Here are some of the mothers' comments |
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It would be too embarrassing to tell neighbors about dementia in the family. |
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It's one of the things that I feel are too personal to tell neighbours. |
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Answers like that were common. |
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The students asked some questions in response |
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How can we find these people? |
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If their families keep quiet how do we find them? |
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I had thought that for the kids |
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the issues on the community care map such as dementia and isolation |
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would be hard to comprehend. |
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I am very grateful. |
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But when I actually started speaking in class |
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the children listened to me very intently. |
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I was very impressed and touched by the way they were trying to learn. |
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Well I suppose |
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that it's the beauty of education that I was able to experience. |
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In the meantime at the end of class |
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some students showed an interest in helping the community. |
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There were six students |
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who formed a team called Jon 6. |
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They started volunteering to help the association. |
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What does a community association do? |
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All of the members of Jon 6 were girls. |
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How are these kids going to help? was my initial thought. |
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Then one day the Jon 6 team came to the association |
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and asked to help the elderly residents. |
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They wanted to cook and serve refreshments at one of our gatherings for the elderly. |
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Wait a minute these are sixth graders! Can they really do these things? |
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Deep down I had my doubts. |
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Yet a few days later all six members turned up. |
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They cooked a meal |
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they served it to the elderly who were at the gathering. |
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A community association is a residential organization in Japan. |
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They chatted with the elderly during the meal. |
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My first impression was that maybe the kids were doing this |
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just to make the elderly happy |
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or they find the activity itself interesting or amusing. |
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Their actual intention was though to contribute to the community |
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by serving refreshments and chatting with the elderly. |
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Later on the members of Jon 6 came to us once again. |
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They said We want to help. Let us know what we can do. |
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So recalling that our newsletter was about to be discontinued |
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I asked the kids if they wanted to work on it. |
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Residents manage the activities. |
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They said Leave it to us. We'll do it. |
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They began working immediately. |
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The students printed several issues of the newsletter. |
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It is still in print today |
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with no sign of discontinuing. |
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Because of the kids getting involved in the neighborhood association |
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diverse generations started taking part in our town festivals. |
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When the kids participate so do their parents. |
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Even the elderly who aren't usually very active join in |
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actively participating talking to the kids. |
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It is there |
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My hope is that these kids in the near future |
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will become an integral part of our community |
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to discuss our social problems and handle them together |
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that these kids |
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will lead future community associations. |
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I'm glad I've been able to sow the seeds for that. |
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However when we talk about getting help from the youth |
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we're talking about the young adults |
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who can take over the community association now. |
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Not the kids. |
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that people connect and build communities |
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When these young adults take over |
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I trust they will be responsible. |
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We must not insist that they continue to do things as we did. |
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We should let them manage the community in their own ways. |
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Even if the solutions we are using now are not going to be repeated |
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whatever challenges the community may face in the future |
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kids will play their part in helping to overcome them. |
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Thinking about the future for ourselves and kids |
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I want us to work towards a future |
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in which elderly people with cognitive and physical disabilities |
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through preserving traditions cultural activities and festivities. |
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live in completely supportive communities. |
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Let's pursue this. |
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Thank you very much. |
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When I first joined the association |
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Until last March I worked for the Jonancho Association in Anjo city. |
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I worked as the elementary school patrol. |
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This will be my 14th year. |
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That’s so long isn’t it? 14 years! |
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And then the students I used to watch over |