mendations (“Measures to Promote Volunteer and Experiential Activities Among Youth”) and March 2003 recommendations (“A Basic Education Law and a Basic Plan to Promote Education Suited to a New Age”) noted the importance of cultivating awareness of and willingness to participate in a new “public,” pointed out the significance of volunteer and experiential activities in that regard, and suggested measures to promote such activities. Bearing in mind these recommendations and reports, MEXT in January 2001 drafted a 21st Century Education Revitalization Plan offering an overall perspective on approaches to future educational reform and addressing major measures and issues. MEXT has been pursuing a full range of measures in line with this Plan, including boosting volunteer and experiential activities, upgrading moral education and experiential activities at schools (see Part 4 of this Chapter), and improving nature-based experience activities for youth (see Part 3 [5] of this Chapter).

## (2) Measures to Promote Volunteer/Experiential Activities

The School Education Law and the Social Education Law were amended in July 2001 with the clear intent of enhancing experiential activities such as volunteer activities and other public service experiential activities.

The “Program to Promote Volunteer and Experiential Activities in Cooperation with Communities and Schools” was launched in FY2000, and the following measures have been taken to expand substantially the opportunities for children to engage in volunteer and experiential activities.

▲ University student volunteer at a story-telling session

## 1 ) Establishing and enhancing systems for promoting volunteer and experiential activities

Prefectures, cities, towns and villages are organizing “councils” to seek cooperation with a broad range of organizations and groups, and these councils are working to establish and enhance systems to promote youth volunteer/experiential activities by providing information on groups that offer volunteer/experiential activities and setting up “support centers” that coordinate between schools/individuals and organizations hosting activities. In FY2003 councils were organized in 1,126 cities, towns and villages and support centers in 1,194 cities, towns and villages.

The national government has in this regard organized a National Volunteer/Experiential Activities Promotion Council comprising the Ministry of Health, Labour and welfare, the Cabinet Office, other ministries and agencies and relevant organizations nationwide, and set up a National Experiential and Volunteer Activity Promotion Center within the National Institute for Educational Policy Research's Social Education Practical Research Center to collect information on volunteer/experiential activities, present case studies and provide activity support to prefectures, cities, towns and villages.

An “FY2003 Volunteer and Experiential Activity Managers Conference” was held in October 2003 for prefectural and government-designated city board of education members involved in social and school education; information and opinions were exchanged to enhance activities through cooperation between communities and schools.

## 2 ) Implementing model programs to promote experiential activities tailored to community circumstances

Programs that serve as models to encourage approaches suited to local circumstances have been carried out primarily at community learning sites such as schools, social education facilities and sports facilities with the cooperation of university students and sports instructors; these programs support experiential activities for children after classes and on weekends and wide-ranging intergenerational exchange between the elderly and children.

In FY2003 789 communities carried out model programs designed to revitalize community educational functions and 246 communities implemented model programs to jump-start after-school sports activities for children, with the aim being a nationwide expansion of sites for children’s activities utilizing local resources.