Non-profit organization glolab held an online seminar on “Career Support for High School Students with immigrant background and Consultation Support for Residence Status” on March 28, 2021.

　■ Date: March 28, Sun 13:30-15:30
　■ Programs:
　　Part 1:
　　　1.Points to Keep in Mind Regarding Status of Residence in Career Support / Yuki Maruyama, Attorney at Law
　　　2.Case Study Report / Kaho Nishio, Consultant, NPO glolab
　　　3.Question and answer session
　　Part 2:
　　　Introduction of glolab activities
　■Location: zoom

With nearly 50 participants from all over Japan, we realized the high level of interest in this issue.

When high school students with immigrant background think about their future plans after graduation, there are some points they need to pay attention to such as changing their status of residence. This time, we invited Yuki Maruyama, a lawyer who is well versed in the field of children and young people with immigrant background, and created a space for teachers and supporters to learn the basic knowledge of residence status necessary to support their career paths.

First, Ms. Maruyama gave a comprehensive explanation of the complicated system of status of residence on the themes of “The relationship between the status of residence and young people who do not have Japanese nationality” and “How should students with a status of residence that restricts employment, such as family stay, plan their career? ” Next, Ms. Kafo Nishio, who is in charge of consultation at our organization, introduced actual cases of consultation. After Ms. Maruyama’s explanation of the system, the participants were able to get an idea of how to deal with consultations by being exposed to specific cases.

During the Q&A session, there were many questions about family stay students and scholarships, special permission to stay in Japan, how to find a place to consult, etc. It was clear that the participants are facing various issues in their daily contact with young people with immigrant background.

Lastly, our representative director, Chiho Shibayama, gave an overview of glolab’s career path and career support, focusing on career videos and line diagnosis.

In the questionnaire after the seminar, the following comments were received from the participants

　－ I now know what I need to pay attention to regarding my status of residence.
　－ It was a valuable opportunity for me because there are no such study sessions in rural areas.
　－ I want to use glolab’s career videos in my classes right now.
　－ I learned a lot about residency status, the problems we face, and how to deal with them.
　－ I now know what I need to know in order to support students with immigrant background.
　－ I’m really glad that I participated. I’ve seen a lot of support for small children, but I’ve always left it up to them to decide what they want to do after high school. There are many families who are struggling financially, and I think today’s seminar was useful for my future activities.
　－ I wanted to learn more about the different types of status of residence and the restrictions on them, and I also wanted to share the seminar with my colleagues who are working with me.
　－ It was good to know that there is such a place as glolab to consult.

In the “Survey on High School Life of Young People with immigrant background” conducted by glolab last year, teachers and staff pointed out that we do not have a good grasp of what kind of issues they are facing and that we do not provide enough information. It is very important to gain knowledge on how to deal with issues specific to students with foreign roots, such as status of residence, but there are limited opportunities to learn such knowledge and how to deal with such issues. From the comments of the seminar participants, it was clear that there is a need for venues such as this online seminar.

Although support for high school students with immigrant background is gradually expanding, it is still insufficient. It was a big step to create such a forum with teachers and supporters who are working on career guidance in various regions. In the future, glolab would like to build a network with supporters and teachers to create a support platform that transcends regional boundaries.

Please click here to view the materials from the day. **Only Japanese available
▶ Employment and status of residence for young people with connections to foreign countries Distributed by Yuki Maruyama, Attorney at Law
▶ For foreign nationals who are thinking of working in Japan after graduating from high school
▶ List of Status of Residence
▶ Case Report on Consultation on Status of Residence
▶ Introduction to glolab activities

To read the survey on high school life of young people with immigrant background, please click below URL.
▶ https://www.en.glolab.org/2021/02/19/survey-on-high-school-life-of-young-people-with-immigrant-background/