The third installment of the Abira Town x Domingo series! I want to raise my children in a town where they can grow up in a relaxed environment. I'm sure there are many people who are looking for a town to live in with this thought in mind. When you think of a city that is good for raising children, you probably think of various noteworthy points, such as "lots of nature," "easy to join or create local communities," "plenty of parks," "strong emphasis on education," and "adequate medical facilities." In this article, we will introduce Abira Town, a town that places special emphasis on education. It is a town that is a must-see for those considering moving to raise children, with a system for creating playgrounds for children and supporting the challenges of the town's residents. Let's take a look at Abira Town's education initiatives! Abira Town Official Homepage Abira Town Official Facebook Page

Abira Education Plan: Support for children from childhood to adulthood

Abira Town has a system called the Abira Education Plan that supports children as they grow, from "play" to "learning" to "challenges." "Abira no Yuiku" develops curiosity and sensitivity through play, "Abira Lab" broadens horizons through learning, and "Kaitaku" takes on challenges based on interests. Through these three stages, we support children in building a "new world."

Let's take a closer look at each of these three!

"Play education" provides children with fulfilling play

"Play education" primarily targeted at preschoolers to upper elementary school students. This unfamiliar term, "play education," refers to the development of healthy children by acquiring the basic physical abilities, intelligence, and social skills they will need in the future in a balanced manner through "play." For example, the feel of the tree when climbing it, the smell of the soil when digging a hole in the ground, the coldness of the water when splashing around... "Play education" provides opportunities, places, and play itself for children who have less time to play outside to have "real experiences" that are essential for cultivating their five senses and sensitivities. Interview with Suzuki Soramu, the person in charge!

What is "play education"?

"Education" is when adults teach children various things and help them grow. On the other hand, "play education" is when children take the initiative in growing while playing.

In other words, it is about helping children realize the many things they "want to do" that lie within them. The realization of what they "want to do" becomes the seeds of "learning" and "challenges" as they grow, and is the building block of who they become as people. While food is nutrition for the body, play is nutrition for the mind. The mission of our "Play Education" business is to provide a place, an opportunity, and the ability to play for children from preschool to upper elementary school age.

"Play = nourishment for the soul." It's true that the play we do as children stays with us even as adults and really does help shape who we are today! What kinds of play "places" are there in your town?

The first is "PLAYBA," an indoor playground located within the community space ENTRANCE in Abira Town.

Here, people take part in "play meetings" where they create games from nothing, and elementary school, junior high school, high school, and adult visitors can interact with each other regardless of age, play the piano, draw pictures, and do crafts. There are lots of different types of play happening every day. Next is Gankeyama Adventure Playground, a new outdoor playground that opened in May 2021.

The Adventure Playground has as few prohibited activities as possible, allowing children to play freely and enjoy crafts, digging holes, making bonfires, and playing in water. It is a playground where people of all ages come to play, from elementary school children to babies and toddlers, junior and senior high school students, and even seniors. This Mt. Ganke is a very large area that is privately owned by the townspeople. The playground equipment, such as the observation deck and swings, was also hand-made by the residents. Because it is a very large area in the middle of nature, there are endless ways to play, such as building secret bases, having bonfires, and treasure hunting. It’s the perfect place to make games.

Please tell us about your thoughts on "play education" and your future prospects!

In play education, we carry out various activities with the aim of helping children become "actors" who make the world more interesting for themselves, rather than just "consumers" who play prescribed games. I would like to create an environment where children can realize their desire to "try things" and "learn" and help that spark grow. The three Abira Education Plan projects - "Yuiku," "Abirabo," and "Kaitaku" - work closely together to create an environment in which children can thrive, so please feel free to come and visit us!

Abirabo, a public school that supports endless learning

Abirabo, which targets students from 4th grade of elementary school to 3rd grade of junior high school, is a public cram school established as part of Abira Town's regional revitalization promotion project. When people think of cram schools, many of them probably imagine a place where a teacher helps students with parts of Japanese or math they don't understand, or where students all solve the same problems together and listen to explanations. Abira Lab, a public cram school in Abira Town, is a non-teaching after-school classroom that is completely different from a cram school. We leave the "learning" part to the educational professionals at school, the teachers, and at Abirabo we aim to create opportunities for students to become "interested" and "curious." Abirabo offers two types of classes based on the theme of "Interesting filters for everyday life": "Theme classes" and "Skill classes." Theme classes are classes that broaden the world you see and make it more interesting by looking at familiar themes from a different perspective. In the 2020 school year, five courses will be offered: music, sports, art, fashion, and money.

Skills classes are classes that allow students to acquire the thinking and communication skills necessary for school and society through practical experience. In the 2020 school year, presentation studies (four courses: communication, scenario, slides, and speaking) were offered.

See things from a different perspective than usual and make the world you see more interesting. Then, think and communicate while actually putting it into action. By experiencing different forms of "learning" at both school and Abirabo, the content is designed to help children feel the joy of learning even more. The name "Abirabo" comes from "Abira-cho" (Abira Town) and "Lab" (short for "Laboratory"), and it is said to convey the message that just as there is no end to research, there is no end to "learning." Currently, they are looking for applicants for the "Earth" theme class! If you're interested, check it out!

Kaitaku: Supporting people who take on challenges with courage

Abira Town was severely damaged by the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake, and although there are signs of recovery, there are still many big challenges ahead. Believing that Abira Town's future requires "courage" and "challenges," the town is working to support the challenges faced by its residents. We support a variety of challenges for many townspeople, from elementary school students to adults.

The Abira Town Kaitaku Project is looking for passionate challengers who have "things they want to do and things they want to try." By introducing various methods such as crowdfunding to raise funds online and the real crowdfunding event "ABIRA Talks" where small amounts of money are raised by friends and the local community, we support "turning ideas into reality."

"I want to create a new product, but I don't know if it will sell..." "I want to hold an event that I've planned myself! But how do I do it...?" "I want to improve some part of Abira, but I need money." "I want to make my dreams come true while staying in Abira Town! But how can I do that?" "There are people in Abira Town I want to support, but I need money..." This is a system that fully supports the townspeople's desire to take on challenges, accompany them in turning their dreams into reality. It is also a place where children can realize the things they want to try and find interesting, which they have developed through "Play Education" and "Abirabo."

This time, we introduced the "education" initiatives that Abira Town is focusing on. There are systems in place to support the learning and challenges of many townspeople, from young children to adults, and it's very exciting to imagine a future where life in Abira Town will be more interesting! If you are even slightly interested in Abira Town, be sure to check out each of their initiatives, as well as the Abira Town Hall website and social media.