Free Tutoring and Companion Support Practices Shared in Shin-Yokohama: Supporting Children's Learning from Their Perspective [Kanagawa]

The Kanagawa Yume Foundation for Social Welfare, a public interest foundation established by the Pal System Kanagawa Consumer Cooperative (Headquarters: Shin-Yokohama, Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama; President: Junko Fujita), held a lecture event on Saturday, June 13, at Space Alter (Shin-Yokohama, Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama). The event featured Takayuki Omiya, who has operated a free tutoring program for 14 years, and volunteers supporting high school scholarship recipients through companion-style learning initiatives, sharing their practices and personal reflections.

Not Everyone Starts from the Same Starting Line

In 2012, Mr. Omiya founded the 'Hachioji Tsubame Juku,' a free tutoring program run by volunteer instructors, to support children from families facing various challenges in securing a stable learning environment. The program offers free individual lessons to students aiming for higher education, while also providing economic support to families through food assistance and scholarship grants.

For children from relatively impoverished households, attending a paid tutoring school requires nearly a quarter of their household's annual income. While private schools offer robust academic guidance as a matter of course, public schools lack such support, leading to a polarization of academic performance based on family income. Mr. Omiya emphasized that children questioning the value of high school enrollment as early as seventh grade often come from families where parents or siblings did not graduate high school, illustrating how home environments shape children's choices and confirming that no one truly starts from an equal starting line.

The average tuition fee for private humanities universities in 2024 has risen to 860,000 yen—4.8 times higher than the 180,000 yen in 1975. Compared to a mere doubling of the consumer price index, this tuition burden is severely impacting household finances. Many children attending Tsubame Juku come from single-parent households or families where parents work non-regular jobs, and it is not uncommon for them to have five or six siblings. Mr. Omiya explained that equal access to higher education cannot be achieved through individual study efforts or family self-responsibility alone.

Teaching Together with Compassion Brings Hope

Tsubame Juku began in 2012 as an informal group with instructor Mr. Omiya and just one middle school student. After becoming a certified NPO in 2019, the program now operates three classrooms in the city, serving 28 students with the help of 35 volunteer instructors. Among over 350 graduates, nine have gone on to become instructors themselves. Volunteers, who receive no transportation fees or instructor stipends, include individuals commuting from Chiba Prefecture for over two hours, and the free tutoring program is made possible through donated spaces from community centers and cafes.

Eligibility for enrollment requires economic hardship, no access to paid learning support, and the student's own willingness to study. To sustain the motivation of volunteer instructors—the true asset of Tsubame Juku—the program does not assess academic levels but instead emphasizes accompanying students step by step as they engage with learning. This is a practice of free tutoring that supports and walks alongside students, differing from paid tutoring focused solely on improving academic performance.

Instructors are encouraged to carefully observe the feelings of children waiting to speak and to build trust through a positive attitude, conveying the importance of companion-style support in helping students express their future hopes. Mr. Omiya shared that while it may not be possible to meet every need—such as transportation subsidies, scholarship programs, or food support for families—even providing a small foothold of hope makes a difference.

Mr. Omiya also highlighted the reality that while children's cafeterias, which began in the same year, now number over 12,000 nationwide, free tutoring programs remain limited to around 300. Having supported the establishment of free tutoring programs across Japan, Mr. Omiya introduced examples such as a group founded by five high school students, calling for greater awareness and expanded support.

Mr. Omiya hopes that as students in free tutoring programs improve academically, they will grow into individuals who think not just 'as long as I'm fine, as long as I have money,' but 'I too want to help others someday.' He reported on the practice of sowing seeds of hope—like swallows leaving the nest and returning—as a quiet effort to nurture the desire to act for others.

▲ Mr. Omiya, who has managed the organization while raising three children and working part-time jobs

Young People Walking Alongside High School Students' Futures

Five participants took the stage for a cross-talk session, all involved in volunteer activities with the Kanagawa Yume Welfare Foundation. They are university student volunteers who teach desired subjects during 'Manabirecchi,' a bi-monthly learning support program for recipients of the 'Kanagawa Yume Scholarship,' a non-repayable grant. Two of the panelists themselves advanced to university as scholarship recipients from the Yume Foundation.

Each shared their motivation for becoming volunteers. One student, who had been a scholarship recipient, shared that in public high school, they couldn't receive academic help outside of class and struggled with math that couldn't be mastered through memorization. After receiving help, they wanted to give back by teaching others and thus joined the program.

▲ University student volunteers on the cross-talk panel

Another student, who enjoys teaching and has experience as a part-time cram school instructor, joined hoping to be helpful but was surprised by the difference from conventional tutoring schools that unilaterally deliver instruction. 'Through five years of experience, I've come to feel this is not just a place for studying, but a place of belonging,' they said.

'Unlike tutoring schools where instructors often hide their student status, here we can face students as our authentic selves, forming an equal diagonal relationship—neither horizontal like friends nor vertical like parents and teachers,' they described the warm atmosphere of 'Manabirecchi.'

During lunch breaks, participants eat and interact together. For scholarship recipients who lack close contact with university students, this time allows for casual conversations, discussions about career paths, and insights into university life—important opportunities for information sharing that are difficult during one-on-one study sessions. They also gain knowledge about diverse faculties and departments, classroom experiences, and strategies for recommendation-based admissions.

'Manabirecchi' also organizes intergenerational events such as barbecues and Christmas parties beyond academic support. By participating in experiences outside their daily lives, volunteers and scholarship recipients build visible, personal relationships, which in turn encourages participation in study sessions.

As relationships deepen through events, some scholarship recipients begin to share personal family issues. One volunteer shared that when they tried hard to help find solutions, they were advised: 'Listening can be emotional support. Listen carefully and walk alongside them, and if you can't handle it yourself, connect them with someone from the foundation.'

The university student volunteers each reflected on their experiences, sharing their thoughts one by one.

'It's difficult to know how far to go. Even when I share my own story to provide information, I sometimes can't tell if it sounds like unnecessary boasting. When I was a scholarship recipient, I hesitated whether asking for advice would actually lead to answers, so I feel the line is hard to draw.'

'There are many different types of children, so I want to stay alert to what they need and be mindful of how to support each one appropriately. By actively engaging and speaking to them, I hope to create opportunities for them to open up.'

'Optimal responses aren't always possible, so I keep asking 'How are you?' and when they start talking, I listen with all my heart. There are shortcomings, but through repeated conversations, we learn and share information together.'

'I think the real support is creating a safe zone for those trying to take on challenges—a place where even if they fail, they know they can return and talk. I want to carefully pass this on to new members joining us,' they concluded the cross-talk session.

Calling for Supporters Who Nurture Learning

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