On December 14, 2024, the activities of the "Yorozu-tai" group Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences won the "3rd Keiko Higuchi Award." The Keiko Higuchi Award was established by the NPO Women's Association for a Better Aging Society, named after its honorary Chairman of the Board Keiko Higuchi, with the aim of supporting individuals or groups working to create a happy super-aging society for everyone and a bright future for the next generation. This year, four groups were awarded from 107 applications.
The "Yorozu-tai" is a paid volunteer activity in which students provide life support services during their free time from classes, based on requests from residents in the Mama and Kounodai areas surrounding the university. It was launched in 2018 as an active learning program in the School of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and currently 20 students from 1st to 4th years are active. As it continues to provide a life support service business, working together with local residents, it is also a place to learn about organizational management.
Elderly households in the neighborhood make requests such as "Please do the shopping for them," "Please weed their garden," and "Please teach them how to use information devices." In particular, in the past few years, there has been an increase in requests related to smartphones, such as how to use SNS apps and hospital reservation apps. Depending on the content of the request, a standard amount of compensation is set, such as 300 yen for 15 minutes, and students adjust the time and date to respond.
This award was given in recognition of the fact that, "at a time when most activities are carried out by seniors for the elderly, this is an independent activity carried out by young students, and with the support of the university, it is expected to continue in the future."
I am very surprised to receive this award. I often help my grandparents, and I have been active in this field because I wanted to be of help to other elderly people. At first, I was nervous about answering the phone and visiting people's homes, but I think that interacting with many people has helped me to improve my communication skills. Recently, I have received many requests about smartphones, so I help people with things like how to add friends on LINE and how to send photos. In the future, I would like to plan smartphone classes hosted by the Yorozutai and increase activities tailored to their needs.
Rie Nakayama, 4th year student, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (graduated from Noda Chuo High School)
I participated in this activity because I was interested in elderly welfare and the "paid volunteer" management method. When I was asked to water a garden during a long absence, I made a mistake in the method due to lack of awareness, and learned the importance of carefully checking the request details. As a result, I was happy to be able to enjoy the flowers blooming together with the client. In the future, I would like to work in the nursing care industry, so I would like to make use of what I learned from interacting with clients and the management skills I have cultivated as a leader.
Ruka Ouchi, 3rd year, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (graduated from Asaka Reimei High School)