日本の国レベルでの子ども・若者の社会参画施策は、2010年に施行された子ども・若者育成支援推進法に基づいて定められた子供・若者大綱が担っており、その中で、子ども・若者の社会参画施策が講じられている。社会参画施策は主に①社会参画のための教育や啓発、②社会参画活動（ボランティアなど）の促進、③子ども・若者の意見の反映、の三つにより構成されているが、伸び悩む日本の若年世代の投票率や参加による社会変革の期待の低さから、有効な施策が打てているとは言い難い。本稿では、欧州の若者の社会参画施策を参照軸とし、日本の子ども・若者の社会参画施策の課題を指摘する。

抄録全体を表示

The United Nations has declared 1996-2005 as the decade to root out problems of poverty all over the world. Recently in Japan, education for international understanding has became very popular. However most students are only interested in developed countries, such as those in Europe and North America. Although Japan is located in Asia, Japanese people look down on developing countries; the Third World, like Asia, Africa and Latin America.
It's not good for us to add to the North-South Problem. So we need to promote and spread the idea of Development Education. Through this type of education we can learn equal aspects about people of the Third World, and they have an equal right to development.
I believe that Japan's negative image of the Third World started at the begining of the Meiji era, in the late 19th century. Until the end of the Edo era, almost all Japanese had been respectful of other Asian nations, like China and Korea.
FUKUZAWA Yukichi (1835-1901) one of Japan's most prominent educators and propagator of Western knowledge, wrote SEKAIKUNIZUKUSHI in 1869 (World Geography for children and women). In this book he insisted that westernization was the most important factor for Japanese development. Also the first contemptuous expressions against the Third world can be found. Since that time, percentage of Europe and North America has increased in World Geography texts, compared with Third World areas.
The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 was the big turning point for Japanese geographical education. From the outset of this war, Japan started other invasions overseas and aquired new territories, like Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria and other areas in Asia. So in Japan's World Geography textbooks the contents regarding Asia and Oceania gradually increased until the end of World War II. Subsequently the percentage of information devoted to Europe and North America decreased.
The Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere (Dai Toa Kyoeiken) was a slogan used by the Japanese government during World War II to express the idea of a politically and economically integrated Asia, free from western domination.
This idea had great influence on geographical education throughout the period of World War II. At that time geography teachings and textbooks also supported ultra-nationalism. So geographers and geographical educators shoud reflect on this in earnest.
Today internationalization regarding the Third World is very important, especially in geographical education. We need to study and truly understand the harsh realities of the Third World, in order to eradicate the problem of poverty.
In spite of these situations, the contents of World Geography have decreased in recent Social Studies textbooks. It is regrettable that elementary students have no chance to study World Geography; especially about Third World countries.
In effect, the students' right to study has been taken away. I therefore hope for the comeback of World Geography in elementary school textbooks, including a Development Education point of view.

抄録全体を表示