The First Official Niigata Unschooling Meetup Was Today!!!
This is huge for Japan.
Today, together with our local free school, Niigata Unschooling Meetup held it’s first meetup ever!
We are trying to reshape and reframe the way the culture here views schooling and education in general, and it’s not through antagonistic fighting or criticism, but through living unschooling and letting others see the results.
If you are not familiar with the unschooling philosophy, you can learn more here.
What did we do today that was so important? WE PLAYED!!!!
A short video of today’s fun:
I’m so pleased with how everything went today.
It took about an hour for everyone to get really warmed up and start intermingling, but after they did, everyone had a lot of fun.
There was no “plan,” save for a short ice breaker game at the beginning. After that, free time. I was amazed at how everyone reconvened for lunch at the same time, with no central direction. Spontaneous order is a real thing. And it happens because we as humans can flow with the natural rhythm of things, without being forced.
Anyway, the main thing is...everybody seemed to have a good time, and one friend seems interested in the unschooling approach for his children as well. This is great!
Peace, love, and unschooling,
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DLive and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
Love this, man. Inspiring. Congrats and keep the updates coming.
Do you find the culture there in Japan to be open to voluntaryism? Do you think it is any different from here in the states?
Very interesting. I would have thought you wouldn't have gotten even as far as this. Japan allows for home education?
Yes. It’s something very few get to really see, unless you live here. While the unschooling philosophy is certainly vocalized more in the states, and the culture here does have tendencies toward uncritical collectivism in some senses, for the most part still, people leave each other alone, and live and let live.
The free school we’ve found (almost on accident) is kind of a diamond in the rough, and they’ve actually forged a respectful and supportive relationship with the surrounding public schools.
Long story short, it can technically, in some sense, be viewed as a “gray area,” but is also not “illegal,” really, and is not a gray area that most care about, as long as you are not abusing your children.
It’s weird, but I feel freer here than I ever did in the states. That’s not to say it is the same for everyone, but that is my individual experience so far.
People live many voluntaryist values here, even if they don’t vocalize them or realize it.
Woah, that's huge, Graham! I'm glad you and the kids all had a great time. The most beautiful thing is definitely the spontaneous order at lunch time :) Unschooling is great!
Thank you! Today meant so much to me. Keep it
moving!
And yeah, spontaneous order is where it’s at!
Congratulations Graham. I remember you have a few worries a while back and this must have really help put them to sleep. Looks like you are helping to creating a fantastic community and I love the approach. Leading by example has to be winner.
Thank you, @article61.
yeah well done Graham, this is really fantastic, I''m so happy for all those kids that this day happened and was such a success, if only more people could see how important it is for kids to have this much freedom in their learning and how much they achieve as a result, very happy for you xx
Thank you very much :)
I'm glad that this unschooling meet-up turned out to be a huge success.
Unschooling is the best idea for children.
Thanks bro. Agree 100%.
Hi.. @kafkanarchy84..
Have a nice day..!!!
I love your all photography and video