Summer Camp

Update on 2020 Summer Programs

Dear Supporters,

We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. We are in the rainy season now, and we have some important updates for you regarding our Summer Camp program.

After careful consideration of the information provided by the government and various authorities, as well as ongoing discussions we have had with many care workers, we have regretfully decided to cancel our Summer Camp this year. The decision was difficult but, given the current circumstances, it was unavoidable.
 
Knowing the children were looking forward to the camp, and for some this was their last chance to join the summer camp, instead we will host day-camp programs in the Tokyo area to continue our children’s experiential learning. We are also taking this as an opportunity to improve our day programs, in order to provide continuous impact to more children by reevaluating the program contents and establishing new ways of communication. We will not be able to provide our traditional 4-night 5-day residential camp program, but we will continue to provide comprehensive educational experiences for children in care homes which will equip them with essential life skills.

The safety of all program participants is our highest priority. We will continue to gather relative information and adapt our activities accordingly. And we will only hold programs when the following conditions are met.

  • The location of the program, care home or staff residences are not under a state of emergency or other restrictions
  • We can operate our program in accordance with our best-practice safety guidelines
  • We can expect to receive the full support of homes and care workers in implementing our safety guidelines

As many extracurricular activities at school and care homes are being cancelled, the children are losing the opportunity to gain valuable skills and knowledge through experiences, not to mention their mental health is also at risk. Despite these situations, the fact does not change that the children are still required to move out of their care homes at the age of 18 and expected to be completely independent. For this reason, the lives of children and their access to learning opportunities cannot be put on hold.
 
Mirai no Mori will continue to provide safe, appropriate programs where children can grow and challenge themselves. We will also continue to improve and adapt our programs to this ever-changing environment so that children have ongoing opportunities to gain the skills to create a better future for themselves. Thank you very much for your understanding and your continued support of Mirai no Mori.

Kozue Oka
Executive Director
Mirai no Mori