Uniting the Generations: Japan Conference to Promote Intergenerational Programs and Practices
August 2 – 5, 2006 (Wed. - Sat.)

Greetings!!

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Uniting the Generations international conference that will take place in Tokyo at Waseda University’s International Conference Hall – from August 2-5, 2006.

I have dreamed of this conference for over a decade. My introduction to the “treasure trove” of innovative intergenerational work taking place in Japan began in 1994, when I joined the Department of Public Health at Tohoku University School of Medicine as a Fulbright Research Scholar. I had the pleasure of visiting senior volunteer programs in schools, programs in which students visited neighborhood senior adults, cultural arts initiatives, and distinctive shared sites (age-integrated facilities). Since then, I’ve seen significant growth in the breadth and depth of intergenerational programs aimed at improving the quality of life in Japan – at the individual, family, community and society levels.

Our conference aims to forge national and international alliances. As have learned in the U.S., intergenerational innovation is best sustained when those working in this area –
as well as those who want to work in this area – have a place to go to exchange information and ideas, to find encouragement and recognition, and to find others who share interests and a desire to work together.

Plans for this conference first emerged in the form of a unique partnership between the Japan Intergenerational Unity Association and Penn State University. Much like how the intergenerational field has grown over the last 30 years, support for the conference has been a snowballing process. There are now over 20 organizations in Japan – including government Ministries, local government, research institutes, academic societies, and a variety of non-profit organizations – that have signed on as co-sponsors. Over 40 intergenerational specialists in Japan, and another 13 from six other countries, have signed on to present their intergenerational insights. These professionals come from all walks of life; they include educators, social workers, community developers, health care professionals, government officials, and business entrepreneurs.

Funding support for the conference has also grown. Starting with the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnerships, the list of funders has expanded to include the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Seitoku University’s Lifelong Learning Center, the Commemorative Organization for the Japan World Exposition (’70), Generations United (U.S.), Eisai Co., Ltd., Kansai Association of Intergenerational Studies, Koubundou Publishers, Social Welfare Corporation (Jiritsu Kyosei Kai), Tokyo Marine Nichido Partners (Machida Tsukushino Branch), and Toshiba.

Our August event promises to provide a very stimulating and unique opportunity to learn how intergenerational methodologies can make a difference in people’s lives.

At the root of our gathering is a commitment for creating a society which values all generations and provides ample opportunities for the generations to care for, support, and learn with and from one another. We warmly welcome you to join us.

Matthew Kaplan, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Intergenerational Programs and Aging
Penn State University

Japan today is characterized by the tendency of rapid aging of the population amid extremely low birthrates that is getting more serious than in any other country in the world. From 2007, in particular, the so-called Baby Boomers will reach their retirement ages and come back to their families and communities. The generation born soon after World War II, from 1947 to 1949, counts 7 million, and amounts to 11 million if including those who were born a few years later. Some people who are concerned about the retirement and aging of the huge number of Baby Boomers say that they may trigger such problems as the collapse of pension, medical care, and nursing care systems.

However, we should not only pay attention to those negative aspects, as we can also find some positive aspects. If elder persons actively participate in social activities in their communities, interact with children as well as young and middle-aged people, and thus create positive human relations with other generations, they can enormously contribute to the betterment of the society. They can help local communities shift from a place only for women and children to a place for both genders and all generations. They may also be able to prepare a steppingstone for solving various problems the modern society faces at the moment.

Japan Intergenerational Unity Association was established in May 2004 by an interdisciplinary team of members who are experts in social welfare, nursing care, education, etc. The association aims to nurture the future generations, to restructure communities where aging people can take active roles, and to study and promote intergenerational programs, which offer effective approaches to solve various problems our society faces today. The association is also trying to improve partnerships with its counterparts in other countries.

The year of 1999 was designated as the “International Year of Older Persons” by the United Nations, of which the theme was fixed at “towards a society for all ages.” Aging problems are not only experienced at the personal level, but also influence communities, society, companies, economy, countries, and even the global society. The International Year of Older Persons not only dealt with human rights peculiar to elder persons or aging society as a whole, but also “had the purpose of building society for all generations” and suggested the ideal aging society in concrete terms.
In Japan, Baby Boomers will reach 60 years of age in a few years. If this generation can set out for productive aging in their communities, where there is no such thing as mandatory retirement age, it can help the society in various ways, including: (1) to help children go out of their families and schools, thus expanding their relationships with other persons; (2) to prevent elder persons from suffering from loneliness and to help them search for meaning of life; (3) to help others make use of the knowledge, wisdom, and experience that elder persons have accumulated; (4) to pass this knowledge down to the future generations; (5) to promote unity of communities through intergenerational exchange and (6) to solve a variety of social problems facing communities these days.

The “Japan Conference to Promote Intergenerational Programs and Practices” and “Academic Meeting on Intergenerational Issues and Initiatives” will be held at Ibuka Hall (international conference hall), Waseda University on August 2-5, 2006, co-hosted by Japan Intergenerational Unity Association, Pennsylvania State University, and Shinshu University. I hope this project will mark the first step, not only at the popular level but also at the academic level, toward tackling the issue of building communities where different generations coexist and cooperate.
We would like to ask for your active support, advice, and participation in this great project.

Atsuko KUSANO (Director, Japan Intergenerational Unity Association; Professor, Shinshu University)
Co-Chair, Uniting the Generations: Japan Conference
to Promote Intergenerational Programs and Practices