glolab (located in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Chiho Shibayama, Representative director ), Specified Nonprofit Corporation that provides career education and community building for young people with immigrant background, has launched the NEWDOOR College Prep Program, a one-year career program with a benefit to support entrance exams to higher education institutions.

 According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on the status of acceptance of students requiring Japanese language instruction (FY2021), the dropout rate for high school students requiring Japanese language instruction is five times higher than the overall rate, and the rate of advancement to higher education is 21.5 percentage points lower than the overall rate, making it difficult for these students to enter institutions of higher education. Among these students, those with status of residence such as family stay*1 or official status*2 are often ineligible for scholarships, and face a major hurdle in their pursuit of higher education.

 Therefore, glolab decided to offer a year-round career program for high school students with family or official residency status, who are restricted from receiving scholarships, to improve their information-gathering skills and financial literacy, and to enable them to form their own self-reliance.

 In addition, certified nonprofit organization Kidsdoor (located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Yumiko Watanabe, NPO Kidsdoor Board Chair) will provide support for cultivating the Japanese language skills necessary to take entrance exams for higher education institutions. Program participants will receive the necessary financial support to take the entrance exam for higher education institutions after attending those programs.

 This project was made possible by a private donor. The donor, Mr. A, spent some time living with his mother’s expatriate partner and her partner’s son when he was in high school. The father communicated with his son in English, while Mr. A’s mother communicated only in Japanese, so that by the time he was 4 years old, he could speak neither Japanese nor English. He is now a grown man and working, but the experience made Mr. A think that if he had been able to do something at that time, his life might have had different possibilities. This thought has now taken the form of this project.

*1 Family Visa: Status of residence for family members (spouse and children) of a person who has come to Japan to work in Japan (mainly parents).
*2 Official: A status of residence for foreign nationals engaged in official business of a foreign government or international organization approved by the Japanese government. This includes embassy and consulate staff, as well as drivers for the staff of such embassies and consulates.

Message from Donor A for this project

“I want to give a chance to young people with immigrant backgrounds who have difficulty attending school because of their various family backgrounds.”
“I want to do the follow-up that only a third party can do that my relatives couldn’t.”
“I want to expand the possibilities for young people with immigrant backgrounds.”

When Ms. Shibayama (Representative Director of glolab) told me about this, I was very impressed. My motivation for supporting the project was first and foremost my desire to do what I could to atone for what I could not do myself.

Young people have unlimited potential, depending on the environment they are given.

Even if they have the ability to do so on their own, their ability to get to the starting line where they can demonstrate it will greatly affect the range of future options.

Through this program, we sincerely hope that as many young people with immigrant backgrounds as possible will be able to open new doors, seize learning opportunities, and open up their future.

Message from Ms. Hisako Imai, Director, Education Support Division, NPO Kidsdoor

Various social factors contribute to situations in which a child’s learning stops in one way or another.

Kidsdoor is working to create a society where every child has a fair opportunity to learn and where there is hope for the future. Although the support of children and students with immigrant background is a relatively new project for us, we are making progress while exploring the possibilities every day.

We would like to thank glolab for the opportunity to provide online Japanese composition instruction. We will continue to verify the effectiveness of the online Japanese language support and hope to spread the service widely in the future.

We would be happy if we could contribute to the situation where people are forced to make limited choices due to differences in nationality, cultural background, and residency status.

Message from Chiho Shibayama, Representative director of glolab, Specified Nonprofit Corporation

Young people with family stay or official status of residence may grow up with schooling in Japan, but they face a major obstacle of scholarships when they apply to universities or vocational schools. In addition to the students themselves, the adults around them do not always understand these barriers, and some of these young people have given up on higher education. In addition, many of the parents of the family stay students work in the food and beverage industry, and an increasing number of families are experiencing economic hardship as a result of this COVID-19 pandemic.

Children/youth with immigrant backgrounds are also important members of Japanese society. Despite this, institutional barriers still stand in their way.

Through this project, we hope to accompany them as they overcome obstacles and learn to live their lives in their own way, and to light the way for the future.