Jan Peter（教育者）
葉さんとは、北杜・八ヶ岳エリアの縄文英語ガイドワークショップで初めてお会いしました。「教育、異文化コミュニケーション、地域社会に関心を持つとても熱心で活動的な人」というのが葉さんの印象です。葉さんから町政への挑戦について相談されたとき、すぐに賛成しました。海外経験、NPOや井戸尻考古館での活動などから、まちづくりに新しい視点をもたらしてくれるはずだからです。そして、子どもに関するニーズや、地域の繋がりの重要性を実感している母親、ということも強みになるでしょう。
豊かで活発なコミュニティづくりには、あらゆる年齢層や背景を持つ人々を巻き込む必要がある、という葉さんの考えに共感します。支え合いの地域社会を持つ、富士見のような小さな町は変わりつつあります。徐々に地元の若い人たちが離れていき、高齢者が残されていく。一方で外からは、ゆとりある生活や自然とのつながりを求める人、豊かな環境で子育てをしたい人などが移り住んできています。その結果、さまざまな考えや背景を持った人々で地域コミュニティが形成されつつあります。違いから生まれる問題ではなく、共有するものに注目し違いから学ぶ重要性を、八ヶ岳に外国人として30年近く暮らす中で学びました。葉さんも、留学先で同じ学びを得ています。
強く豊かな社会を築くためには、誰もが心地よく自分らしく過ごせ、お互いの存在を感謝し合うような雰囲気が大切です。若者と高齢者が活発に交流し、互いに分かち合い高め合える社会は、豊かなコミュニティだけでなく、より豊かな人間を生み出すことでしょう。
コミュニケーションアドバイザー、コーチ
ライフ・トランスフォーメーション・コーチ
Jan Peter van Wermeskerken
I met Ms. Yo for the first time when she participated in a workshop about the Jomon culture for English-speaking guides in the Hokuto and Yatsugatake area. After the workshop we met several times, talking about shared interests like education and society, and community. During all our conversations she always struck me as a very engaged and active person who is interested in the improvement of education, intercultural communication, and the improvement of the local community. As an educator, communication advisor, life coach, and counselor, these topics are important subjects for me as they are all connected and at the foundation of a healthy society and personal life.
So, when Yo asked me about what I thought of the idea of her becoming active as a local representative in Fujimi, I was immediately supportive about the idea. Her experience abroad, her work for an NPO and other organizations, and her activities at the Idojiri museum give her a strong foundation. Furthermore, as a young mother, she is acutely aware of the needs for her children, and the importance of communication between the people in her community.
Yo and I agree on the idea that in order to create a healthy and engaged community, it is necessary to involve all people, from all age groups and backgrounds. In a rapidly changing world where most communication seems to be done on the internet and through SNS apps these days, direct interpersonal contact is becoming less frequent. In the old days, people in a community depended more on each other. They could advise, help, and teach each other. Small communities like Fujimi are changing. Young local people are moving away, leaving a gradually older community behind. On the other hand, more people from outside the area move into the area, looking for a slower way of life, wanting to connect with nature, and looking for a more healthy environment to raise their children.
This results in a community with different ideas and backgrounds. For me, as a foreigner living in the Yatsugatake area for the last almost 30 years, I am very much aware of the difficulties these differences can cause. But instead of focusing on the differences, I learned that it is more important to focus on what we share together and how we can learn from these differences. Ms. Yo too, had similar experiences while living abroad for her study.
For building a strong and healthy society, it is important to create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable and appreciated. A community where people can enjoy and share with each other and where there is an active interaction between the young and the old creates not only a healthy community, but also more healthy people.
Communication advisor and coach
Life Transformation Coach
Jan Peter van Wermeskerken