Supporting Children with Foreign Culture Backgrounds
Children’s Japanese Language Class
With the inflow of foreigners settling in Japan, the increasing number of children who have been raised in foreign cultures continues to become a greater social issue. Here at the Association for Nakano International Communications, due to the large number of elementary and junior high school students joining the regular Japanese Language Course, we created the Tuesday children’s class in 2004 and the Thursday children’s class in 2008 with the help of our volunteers. Elementary and junior high school students who attend schools in Nakano City study Japanese language twice a week. Also, children who graduated from a junior high school in their home country and are preparing to enter a Japanese senior high school, study Japanese language twice a week.
ANIC fills an important role in the community by providing a place for school age children to study Japanese.
Summer Vacation / Spring Vacation Children’s Japanese Language Class
Intensive classes are conducted for elementary and junior high school children during long breaks from school, namely summer and spring vacations. More than 30 children participate every year. They study very hard during the hot days in order to acquire as much Japanese as possible while they have a break from regular school work.
On the final day of the Summer Vacation Children’s Class, there is a “We did it!” party. Each child gives a speech using the Japanese they learned.
For spring vacation, there is a “Congratulations on entering the next grade!” party. Students who, after considerable effort, have entered senior high school or university cheer on the younger students.
Adapting to Japanese Language, Japanese Language Instructors Dispatch
ANIC provides Japanese language support for elementary and junior high school age children who need assistance and are attending schools in Nakano City as per request of the Nakano City Board of Education. We recommend volunteers from our association who meet certain requirements to the Nakano City Board of Education as Japanese language supporting instructors, and they teach Japanese at each school for a maximum of 80 hours.
In other situations, the volunteers act as an interpreter at child and parent meetings or examinations when necessary.
Intensive Japanese language classes for junior high school students
The Intensive Japanese Language Classes for Junior High School Students by Japanese language instructors have been newly launched in 2020, replacing the previously offered volunteer-led Japanese language classes. Learning Japanese is essential for junior high school students preparing for high school entrance exams. The aim is for students to acquire basic Japanese as soon as possible, which will give them an access to learning their subjects. With the permission from their respective school principals, students can attend the association's Intensive Japanese Language Classes in place of school attendance.
Japanese language instructor training course
Japanese language instructor training courses are being offered from 2019 for those who have Japanese language teaching qualifications such as having passed the Japanese Language Teaching Proficiency Test and have taught Japanese for a certain period of time. Those who complete the course are required to teach Japanese to children in intensive Japanese language classes for junior high school students as Japanese language instructors and in Japanese language adaptation projects run by the Nakano Ward Board of Education.
Saginomiya Japanese Language Class and Yayoi Japanese Language Class
The Saginomiya Japanese Language Class and the Yayoi Japanese Language Class started in 2022. Both the Saginomiya and Yayoi areas are located far from the centre of the ward, where Association for Nakano International Communications is located. The aim is to give an opportunity to the children, who cannot attend Association because it is too far to commute, to learn Japanese in a more close and familiar place and also to provide consultation on various issues that arise in their daily lives.
