体験格差と階層の再生産に挑む子ども食堂―沖縄県名護市の「さくら教室（旧：名護こども食堂）」の実践から―

抄録

The purpose of this paper is to report on the practices of Sakura Kyoushitsu, a children’s cafeteria that provides “opportunities for experiential activities” beyond merely serving meals, and to present the perspective that children’s cafeterias have the potential to correct disparities in experiential opportunities and contribute to curbing the reproduction of social stratification.

In recent years, it has been pointed out that disparities in children’s experiential opportunities, stemming from factors such as household economic circumstances, can reinforce inequality through the formation of children’s noncognitive skills and their career choices, thereby promoting the reproduction of social stratification. In this context, the Sakura Kyoushitsu children’s cafeteria, located in Okinawa Prefecture where child poverty is severe, collaborates with local school social workers. As targeted support primarily for children from low-income families, it provides not only meals and a safe space but also diverse experiential activities tailored to children’s requests (such as musical instrument playing, calligraphy/ink painting, drone operation, stargazing, museum visits, etc.) alongside learning support. Furthermore, as part of community-based learning, the project highlights a collaboration with a local brewery to develop and sell products upcycled from beer yeast residue. This initiative allowed children to experience the entire process from planning and prototyping to cooking, marketing, and sales. University student volunteers participated in these efforts both on-site and online. Based on the above, this practice facilitates: ① providing experiential opportunities and ② building relationships through ongoing interaction with student volunteers, thereby enabling the transmission of school-affiliated “culture” across diverse attributes and groups. Future research will track the long-term impact of these initiatives on social-emotional skills and educational achievement.