While considering various faculties, the one that attracted me was College of Community Studies in 2019 and which I enrolled in. First of all, I was interested in the fact that it was a faculty where I could study with a focus on the community and people, and I also learned that the faculty has five specialized areas, one of which was the "Child and Youth Activity Support Program." I applied with the hope that I would be able to learn about children from multiple perspectives and acquire a wide range of knowledge.

From my third year, I joined Professor Yokobori Masako's seminar on child and family welfare, and am currently researching "child advocacy." Advocacy is a system to protect the rights of welfare users and others, and is a way to guarantee the right of the parties to express their opinions. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that children have the right to express their opinions. When I first learned this word in Professor Yokobori's class, I felt that this is what I can do for children living in child welfare institutions, so I borrowed a book from her and began to research it. In the process, I learned about the existence of "child advocates" who support children in expressing their opinions. Advocates regularly visit child welfare institutions, temporary shelters at child consultation centers, and facilities for disabled children, and listen to the voices of children who cannot be told to the staff of the institution, and provide "opinion formation support" to give form to feelings that cannot be expressed well in their hearts, helping them to convey them and speaking on their behalf, and are in a position to be 100% on the side of children. While I was living in the facility, I thought that it was a privilege of children to be able to respect the thoughts of children without considering the convenience of adults, and I spent my childhood thinking that I always wanted to be an ally and support the children I lived with. However, when working with children, I also have the responsibility to make them follow the rules, and there are times when I cannot respond to what the children say. If that is the case, I began to wonder if working with children was really the right fit for me. However, I was convinced that the way I wanted to interact with children was as an advocate, who can support children 100% without considering the convenience of adults, and I decided to work as an advocate outside of work in the future.

In my job search, I narrowed my focus to welfare for people with disabilities, due to my experience working with children with developmental disabilities in a child welfare facility and the fact that my mother had a mental disability. The reason I ultimately decided to work at this social welfare corporation that supports employment and daytime activities for people with disabilities was because they provided support to people with mental illnesses, which was what I particularly wanted to be involved in, and when I actually toured the facility, I thought it had a great atmosphere, with lively staff and users who seemed to enjoy their activities.

In most job interviews in this industry, there is a time set aside for the applicant to ask questions to the hiring manager. At that time, I always asked about "attitude when working". I thought of the interview as a valuable opportunity to hear the voice of a person who actually works, so I think I was able to answer freely without being nervous. Among them, an interviewer from a company that trains people with disabilities said, "If you get too involved with the users and end up in a relationship where you think you'll be fine as long as you have this person, it's a failure from the perspective of independence," and this comment has remained in my heart. I found the staff at the facility to be a source of emotional support, and I was aware that I would become one in the future, but since the ultimate goal for people with disabilities is to live independently in society, I will keep in mind that I should not become a target of dependency, but rather support them to live on their own.
I'm not good at relying on others, and I tend to think that I have to think about my career path on my own when it comes to job hunting. In the end, I was able to find a good job, but looking back, I feel that I could have made various decisions with more confidence if I had sought more third-party opinions. I encourage you to try using the job hunting support available at your university, such as the Career and Employment Department.

In the undergraduate studies, the common theme in all classes is that ultimately, "connections between people" are important. The "community" that symbolizes this faculty is "relationships in which we can pay attention to others," and I believe that it is because of this ongoing relationship that we can understand each other's needs and issues and work together to solve them.
In parallel with my job search, I have been taking a training course to become a "child advocate," so after graduation, I plan to balance my work in welfare for people with disabilities with my work as an advocate. In my work, I have been supported by many staff members at a child welfare facility, and now I would like to listen to the voices of each and every person and accompany them so that I can support them in achieving happiness. After being certified as an advocate, I would like to visit facilities and listen to the voices of children. I would like to continue to be an ally of children and value the thoughts and voices of children so that they are not drowned out by various factors.

* Vocatinal Readiness Test (VRT). By measuring basic inclinations and career readiness, it is used as a tool for self-understanding in career guidance for junior and senior high school students. (From the website of the Japan Vocational Association)