Students in the seminar of Professor Rumiko Akashi of the Department of Social Work interviewed Dr. Kiyoko Ikegami, Chair of the Board of Plan International!

The Department of Social Work offers seminars designed to deepen students’ understanding of various social welfare-related subjects.
This year, the seminar taught by Professor Rumiko Akashi has focused on the topic “international social welfare.” The seminar students devoted their attention to the subject “achieving gender equality,” which corresponds to number 5 on the list of 17 global “Sustainable Development Goals” adopted at the United Nations Summit. The students, in deepening their understanding of gender/gender discrimination issues, became more aware of the circumstances of and support for girls in developing countries. They planned a project in the hope that with their help, something could be done to contribute to girls in developing countries.

The students’ project focused on the International Day of the Girl Child, established by the United Nations in response to an appeal by the international NGO, Plan International, which carries out programs supporting children in developing countries. In sympathy with the principles behind Plan International’s activities to support girls’ future, the students created a project to increase awareness of Plan International’s work and widen the network of support for girls in developing countries from the perspective of social welfare advocacy (social welfare activities advocating for and protecting the rights of social work clients). Part of this project was an interview with Dr. Kiyoko Ikegami, Chair of the Board of Plan International. 

After the interview with Dr. Ikegami, students’ views were expressed as follows:
“We live in an era when we can immediately search whatever we want to know on small electronic devices and easily connect with people all over the world. Today, when the ‘winners’ are those who can sort through and put together this overabundant information, we tend to do everything individually, and it seems as if our personal connections with others are gradually weakening. The interview with Dr. Ikegami made us realize that, now more than ever, valuing human connections and learning about the wider world will surely be the steadiest path to the spirit of ‘Do for Others, ’ which is our philosophy of learning.”

Please click here for more information about the interview.(Japanese only)
http://soc.meijigakuin.ac.jp/sw/2018/10/ngo.html