Roundtable Talk : Talk about Parenting in Yokohama ! 座談会:横浜で子育てを語る!

On July 20, SCC and Popola Child Care Support Center of Tsuzuki ward, organized a group discussion on parenting. The session was attended by 13 international mothers and fathers raising children in Yokohama city, including parents from Russia, India, Egypt, Canada, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Latvia.
Representatives from the City of Yokohama Child and Youth Bureau, Tsuzuki Ward Child and Family Support Division, Child Care Support Centers, Gathering Spaces in Yokohama City, and members of the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly also participated.
Every five years, the City of Yokohama creates a “Yokohama City Child and Child Rearing Support Project Plan.” Citizen input is sought and used as references when preparing a rough draft. After the rough draft is prepared, the city seeks public comments. Some foreign parents in Yokohama have difficulty expressing their problems and concerns in Japanese. To address this, communication was facilitated in English and simple Japanese.
Participants were divided into two groups, with one group communicating in English and the other in easy Japanese. They used blue sticky notes to comment the problems faced by foreign mothers and fathers, and pink sticky notes to detail the support and services they needed.
Some participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share their thoughts. Others wished they had more time to talk. Suggestions were also made to group participants based on whether they were in international marriages or married to foreign spouses due to the unique challenges they face.
Participants left the venue feeling refreshed. For those who couldn’t attend, SCC will assist them in expressing their opinions in English and easy Japanese during the fall public comment solicitation. Stay tuned for updates!