2023年度の活動報告

Musashi University Faculty of Economics　Masaaki Suzuki

2023年度の活動実績の概略

In 2023, following the transition of COVID-19 to a Class 5 infectious disease, five research courses were held face-to-face using Zoom.

The main contents of each session are as follows (see Tables 1, 2, and 3).

Mr. Hideyuki Funakoshi has been involved in business start-up support in Shiga Prefecture for many years, and has been engaged in many entrepreneurial support and efforts to strengthen the support system. The content is diverse, such as support for residents of business incubation facilities, holding business cafes to foster entrepreneurial momentum, and the Shiga Prefecture Startup Support Network, and from 2023, classes on entrepreneurship education are also being held at the request of high schools. In this research course, she talked about the current status and challenges of women's entrepreneurship, which has been focusing on in recent years, and accompaniment support for entrepreneurship to solve social issues. We reaffirmed the importance of supporting local entrepreneurship from the perspective of revitalizing the region.

The second speaker, Yuzo Takahashi, is Chairman Kacotam, a certified NPO that works to resolve the issue of disparities in learning opportunities in Hokkaido and other areas. Based on the philosophy of "not prescribing what children should be like" and "allowing children to naturally feel and gain something from each experience," he introduced the three areas of work he is working on: "creating an environment where children can study," "creating an environment where their horizons are broadened," and "creating an environment where connections can be made." Disparities are not limited to economic ones, but also exist in learning opportunities. In this environment, the efforts of the organization are steadily producing results. This was a research course that provided concrete examples of how not only the government but also the non-profit sector can play a major role in preventing disparities from becoming fixed between generations.

The third speaker was Takahiro Wada, who serves as the representative director of the Children's Design Classroom, where he provides support to children who are unable to live with their parents for various reasons, including abuse. The support he provides is characterised by the use of art. Through art, he aims to improve the children's ability to express their opinions, helping them overcome low self-esteem and feelings such as "I wish I had never been born" and "It's no use saying anything anyway". This research course introduced the theoretical basis for how art can increase self-esteem, as well as a practical initiative known as a "creative workshop". The importance of protecting children's human rights and healthy development is beyond question. This research course provided a persuasive understanding of the importance of resolving these issues.

The fourth speaker, Hiroko Yamamoto, is an entrepreneur who established the NPO Mama's Cafe in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, and has served as Chairman to this day. Through its 22 years of activities, including cafes, sales, and events, Mama's Cafe has contributed to creating an environment in Tajimi City and the surrounding area where it is easy to raise children, while at the same time providing a comfortable working environment for its staff. The reason why it has been able to continue these activities for such a long time is that it has been able to maintain a good balance between social contribution and management. In this research course, she taught us about the importance of commissioned work in maintaining profitability and what is necessary when accepting it. As the activities of companies and NPOs have become closer in recent years, she provided us with valuable suggestions on how to deal with the challenge of managing activities while valuing the company's philosophy.

The fifth speaker, Hiroaki Wada, is the director of Shimane Cinema ONOZAWA in Masuda city in the western part of Shimane prefecture. He moved to Masuda city with his wife in June 2021 and revived the cinema that had been closed since 2008. In his lecture, he spoke about a wide range of topics, including how he raised funds to install a projector through crowdfunding, the history of the reconstruction, and his current efforts. In addition, as many film fans attended the seminar, there were many questions about films. This seminar made us realize once again the importance of maintaining cultural activities in local areas.

Table 1 Community Business Research Course Concept

This year, we have held research courses with the main themes of education, childcare support, and culture, as well as the current state of support for these activities. In the process, we have aimed to make participants aware of the importance of these activities and the challenges that lie in further developing them.

Table 2 Contents of the Community Business Research Course

times	Date and Time	Title (Theme)	Lecturer
No.1times	2023year9month20Sun (Wed)17：30～19：00	Creating businesses that solve local social issues: Shiga Prefecture's initiatives	Mr. Hideyuki Funakoshi Shiga Prefectural Industrial Support Plaza Public Interest FoundationManager of the Management Consulting Office and Manager of the Market Development Division
No.2times	2023year10month11Sun (Wed)17：30～19：00	Creating learning environments for children: Toward resolving disparities in learning opportunities	Mr. Yuzo Takahashi CertificationNonprofit OrganizationsCorporationKacotamChairman /Certified Social Worker
No.3times	2023year11month7Sun (Tue)17：45～19：15	Raising the self-esteem of children who cannot live with their parents through art: Children's design classes	Mr. Takahiro Wada Representative Director of Children's Design School Representative of Children's Support Home
No.4times	2023year11month14(fire) 17：45～19：15	Nonprofit OrganizationsIs sales necessary? Childcare support and business	Ms. Hiroko Yamamoto Nonprofit OrganizationsCorporationMama's CaféChairman
No.5times	2023year12month5Sun (Tue) 17：45～19：15	Reviving a closed movie theater in a depopulated area: the role of local culture	Mr. Hiroaki Wada Shimane Cinema ONOZAWADirector Audio guide discreet

Table 3 Number of participants

times	1st	2nd time	3rd	4th	5th
Total number of participants	25 people	19 people	28 people	39 people	29 people
Inside Zoom	18 people	9 people	8 people	20 people	9 people

Study Group