Practicing the SDGs can take many forms: individual actions, collaborative efforts with peers, community engagement, broader city-wide initiatives, and connecting with people around the world online. When considering this in Kanazawa, the role of community centers as hubs for local learning stands out.
The community center system in Kanazawa is somewhat unique. These centers are established according to the catchment areas of elementary schools, with officials and staff elected from the community, and operation costs partially borne by local areas. For residents of Kanazawa, this may seem normal, but it is distinctly “Kanazawa-style.”
Having staff who are knowledgeable about local circumstances allows these centers to serve as bases for activities that support residents. However, there have been significant changes in demographics affecting the functionality of community centers, such as the aging population, urban sprawl, and decreasing membership in neighborhood associations.
As community centers are crucial players for the community, there is a hope that a diverse range of age groups and backgrounds will actively utilize them. This café event has been organized with community centers as the theme, exploring the potential for the 60 community centers in Kanazawa to become a network of learning for the SDGs.
IIMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 Takes the Next Step!
First, Secretary General Nagai from the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability Ishikawa-Kanazawa Operating Unit (UNU-IAS OUIK) introduced the previous 14 SDGs cafés and the recent developments related to “IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030.”
OUIK Secretary-General Nagai
The Kanazawa SDGs initiative began in April 2019. By March 2020, many participants helped complete the “Kanazawa Future Scenario.” In July, Kanazawa was recognized as an SDGs Future City, and a project promoting “sustainable tourism” was selected as a model project, marking 2020 as a year for concrete steps forward.
“Now, IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 has reached the next ‘learning stage.’ Last year, we conducted a study tour for partners, which facilitated various learnings, and we hope to continue creating learning opportunities as we develop different projects,” said Secretary General Nagai.
★The Kanazawa Future Scenario is the result of everyone’s imagination for the year 2030. We encourage you to take a look.
★ IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 is seeking partners to help implement the Kanazawa Future Scenario. Participation is open to individuals, organizations, and businesses, with over 100 partners currently involved as of January 2021.
◎IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 Partners
As for the importance of mutual learning, Nagai expressed that ‘the presence of community centers in Kanazawa holds great potential as spaces for learning.’ To explore this potential, we invited Keiko Hara, the head of the Kikukawa Community Center, to IMAGINE what Kanazawa could look like in 2030. Additionally, we received input from Professor Hidetaka Asano, an emeritus professor at Kanazawa University with extensive experience in community development focused on social education
Imagining 2030 from Kanazawa’s Community Centers!
At the Kikukawa Community Center, representatives from various neighborhood associations come together in five committees to discuss and establish the annual project plan. One popular initiative they introduced is the “Western-style Shimekazari Workshop,” designed to celebrate the New Year while fostering camaraderie among participants. This workshop is so popular that it often has a waiting list.
Reflecting from the perspective of the SDGs, it was noted that the materials used for the traditional Shimekazari decorations included a mix of combustible and non-combustible waste. This oversight regarding environmental issues, especially when burning them at the Sagichō ceremony, is seen as a point for reflection moving forward.
Keiko Hara expressed her intent to enhance the workshops by integrating SDG principles into the planning and organization process. She emphasized the importance of conveying the need to use environmentally friendly materials to the instructors.
Viewing these hobby-oriented workshops through the lens of the SDGs not only allows us to enrich their significance beyond the initial goals of personal fulfillment and participant interaction but also connects them to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals,’ Hara noted
Building a new initiative requires substantial energy, and the programs offered by community centers must also be sustainable.
“Without overreaching, we should rethink how the courses we have been implementing relate to the SDGs. By incorporating SDGs as a focus, we can develop these courses further. As a result, even if the content of the courses remains the same, adding the intentional learning aspect related to the SDGs creates new value and depth. I believe this has the potential to significantly contribute to raising awareness of the SDGs among local residents”.
Creating a ‘Community Safety Map’ to nurture the next generation of community leaders
At the community center, we engage students in fieldwork to inspect school routes and playgrounds, mapping out areas where crimes are likely to occur through the creation of a ‘Community Safety Map.’ By allowing children and students to create the map themselves, they learn to avoid dangerous places and become aware of the need for vigilance and caution. This process also fosters the development of communication skills through collaborative work. Furthermore, recognizing the presence of hazardous areas promotes a shared understanding not only among children but also between the participating parents and local residents
This map-making initiative, led by the community center, successfully engages not just children and parents but the entire community, yielding significant achievements for creating a safe and secure environment. A safe community contributes to the realization of SDG Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
‘From the perspective of sustainable community development, I believe that the involvement of the next generation of local leaders is essential for building a sustainable region. I hope that the students and children who participate in creating the Community Safety Map will become the next stewards of community development,’ Mr. Hara expresses his hopes for this initiative, emphasizing that it aims not only to equip children with risk avoidance skills but also nurtures a broader sense of responsibility and engagement in community-building.
Towards a New Kanazawa: Inspiring Change from the Community Center
The key to achieving the SDGs is for each individual to see them as personal goals and change their awareness accordingly. Community centers serve as direct venues for engaging local residents in learning. By transforming awareness through education, even small changes in individual actions can lead to a more sustainable community. By fulfilling this role, it is believed that community centers can become partners in advancing the ‘Kanazawa Future Scenario’ through collaborative efforts.
‘With just ten more years until 2030, if even a few community centers in the city take on this perspective and start initiatives, I truly believe that Kanazawa will transform,’ he concluded the discussion with a vision of hope for the future.
Community Centers: Vital Hubs for Social Education
From the perspective of social education focused on adult learning and lifelong learning, Professor Asano provided insights on community center activities related to the SDGs.
He explained that community centers are classified under the Basic Education Act as facilities for social education and highlighted that what’s essential for a community center is “people.” The work of community centers includes “gathering, learning, connecting, and fostering community and human development.” He also shared characteristics specific to Kanazawa’s community centers.
“In 2018, the Central Council for Education called for initiatives that create a virtuous cycle of learning and activities focused on people development, connecting people, and community building.”
Essentially, it is about realizing an ‘open and connected social education,’ which means community centers should develop activities that are ‘open to people and foster connections among them,’ thus guiding the future of social educational activities,” Asano explained.
Empowering Learning Centers for a Sustainable Future
The close connection between the 17 SDGs and community center activities was clear in Hara’s talk. “To ensure community sustainability, having such perspectives in our programs could change how we present and perceive them,” Asano added. “There’s no need to simply propose learning about the SDGs; we can incorporate their perspectives directly into our planning to bring us closer to achieving those goals.”
He emphasized that learning is about nurturing a ‘better self today than yesterday and a better self tomorrow than today,’ indicating a push towards community center activities that contribute to achieving the SDGs.
Discussion Time with Participants’ Questions
Nagai: “It’s insightful to recognize that adding new value to existing programs rather than creating entirely new ones aligns with the SDGs.” With a historical and legally supported network and system, utilizing community centers for SDGs seems imperative.
Asano:“Community centers are educational facilities overseen by the Board of Education. While they are often recognized more as community facilities by locals, there’s room to specialize more in learning.”
Nagai: Kikukawa Community Center is collaborating with university students, but is collaboration with private companies possible?
Hara: “We haven’t done it before, but I am interested. I haven’t heard of anyone doing such things around me, but I am curious about it as a new way of existing in this era.”
Nagai: “What do you see as the major challenges in advancing community center activities?”
Asano: “I think we need time to reflect on our own community center activities. Even if we carry out the C (check) of PDCA, we often find ourselves without time to reflect, leading to the mindset of ‘Is it okay to do the same next year?’ Instead, I would like us to aim for a check that allows us to reach the next phase. For that, we need time to reflect and organize. I hope we can keep the consciousness of ‘What will we do next?'”
Hara: “Our original job is to run programs, but we see an increasing amount of other work over the years, which has left many staff members exhausted. I would like us to do some organized decluttering of our tasks in a good way and, by fiscal year 2021, think together with everyone about projects that carry the added value of SDGs, essentially newly reborn.”
Nagai: “Is there potential for online community center activities?”
Hara: “This year’s community safety map-making was conducted using an app called ‘miro’, where we utilized an online whiteboard service to separate students and local residents.”
Nagai: “If we only do it online, it may be difficult for elderly participants to join. I think we need to mix online and in-person methods, which will require high digital skills. This is why support from universities and companies could be beneficial. I felt a strong expectation for the role of community centers based on the many questions raised by participants. Learning enriches life, so I plan to visit the community center in my area soon. Lastly, how do you think we can engage more diverse people in community center activities?”
Hara: “I am always thinking about how to attract diverse individuals. I feel that it might be a good idea to progress while listening to the opinions of those who have not had opportunities to visit community centers.”
Asano: “You could start by asking those you want to involve, ‘We are thinking about doing this at the community center, what do you think?’ Of course, creating opportunities to engage with such people is essential. While we may have been doing it already to some extent, I feel that we should also consider outreach to those we wish to invite.”
Nagai: “I also want to invigorate my local community center and become more interested in the activities they are doing. I encourage everyone who participated today to pay attention to the activities of their own district’s community center, and if possible, go visit, engage in various ways, and strengthen the community centers, which serve as the vital arteries of Kanazawa.”
※During the webinar, we conducted a survey asking participants, ‘Do you know where the community center in your area is located?’ The results showed that the majority of respondents answered, ‘I know it, but I don’t go very often,’ while the options ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I use it frequently’ were fewer.
You can also watch the seminar video below:
