Cyber Homelessness In Japan Final Presentation Megan Green Naru Sugiura Chisa Uehara
Needs that NGOs need to fulfill Let the society acknowledge the problem ❖ ➢ Cyber homeless themselves do not/do not want to label themselves as “homeless” Cyber-homeless are “invisible” ➢ “Homeless” is much more than people sleeping on the streets / ➢ educate the people (IEC) -redefine the term A solution to the vicious cycle ❖ Not having a fixed address ➢ Cannot rent a residence, residence registration, register their seal, and ➢ so on
Needs that NGOs need to fulfill Support for cyber homeless ❖ ➢ emotional (trauma), physical illnesses, mental and psychological help Provide “ 居場所 ” (a place to be) ➢ Stop the cyber homeless from being socially disregarded from ❖ society Take action, let the society know ➢
Different approaches to cyber-homelessness ● Service provision ● Through business, IEC ● Raising awareness through advocacy
Non-profit NGOs addressing the issue ● Anti-Poverty Network ( 反貧困ネットワーク ) ○ Established in October, 2007. ○ Mission: Gurantee the stable life-style and working conditions by solving problems socially and politically. This network is created to connect all different people and cooperate, and solve the proverty problem. ● てのはし （ Tenohasi) ○ Established and began their volunteer work in 2003. Official nonprofit NGO in 2008. The name “Tenohasi” comes from the origin of two words: 手 (hand) 橋 (bridge). ○ Mission is based on service and reaching out directly and ethnographically to the homeless. ● The Big Issue Foundation ○ Established in 2008 as a branch non-profit organisation of The Big Issue Japan ○ Mission: To tackle the issue of homelessness by running projects for the homeless to support their independence and involvement in various activities
Anti-Poverty Network ( 反貧困ネットワーク ) ADVOCACY & IEC BASED ❖ Public gathering - We have no more patience! As poverty spreads, let us join hands and live peacefully( 参院選前集会「もうガマンできない！広がる貧困－人間らしい暮らしを求 めてつながろう」 ) - Anti-Poverty Change the World Gathering( 反貧困世直し大集会 2009 ちゃんとやるよね！？ 新政権」 ) - Anti-Poverty Festival ( 反貧困フェスタ）
Edutainment (playing a game to learn the system) Discussion with people from different positions in society
Anti-Poverty Network ( 反貧困ネットワーク ) ADVOCACY & IEC BASED ❖ Demonstrations ❖ Poverty Campaign in 2008 & 2012 - Theme: “Let us join hands to achieve the gurantee on stable life and working condition!” ( 人間らしい生活と労働の保障を求めてつながろう！)
Anti-Poverty Network ( 反貧困ネットワーク ) Demo “STAND UP” Campain Car that went to all regions in Japan
Anti-Poverty Network ( 反貧困ネットワーク ) ADVOCACY BASED ❖ Publicize their statements through social media
Tenohasi てのはし Service Provision Based ● 夜回り - Going around at night visiting the homeless ensuring their safety and health ● 炊き出し - Distribute food daily and strive to build up a relationship based upon trust ● Provide temporary shelters - provides address for job applications ● Medical assistance/someone to communicate with
Tenohasi Interview
Tenohasi Interview
The Big Issue Foundation The combination of Advocacy, Service & IEC Advocacy ● Taking step-by-step actions to suggest the change in policies to do with housing aid Service Provision ● Regular club activities -opportunities to take part in a tea>>>> to involve in society ● Providing support & info for the homeless to find a regular job and a place to stay IEC ● Publish 若者ホームレス白書 and 路上脱出ガイド ○ Public libraries, hand them to other NGOs, share the info online, via media ● Regular meetings and study sessions with the experts in supporting youth and the disabled on the issue of cyber-homelessness
The Big Issue Foundation Interview Questions we have asked: ● What is needed to be done in order to have cyber-homeless issue recognised more in society? ● Does BIF have any successful case/stories in supporting cyber-homeless? ● What is the most difficult part for BIF in supporting cyber-homeless? ● Do you feel that any of the institutions or systems to do with supporting cyber-homeless that has to be changed or addressed in Japan today? ● What is the latest statistical data about cyber-homeless that BIF knows or aware of? ● How does The Big Issue deal with the “pride” that many of the cyber- homeless have that prevents them from receiving social help?
The Big Issue Foundation Interview What we learned from the interview: ● Policy making comes first ○ (no policy on supporting cyber-homeless exists yet) ● Providing information for both the citizens and the cyber-homeless ● On its way to have society acknowledge that homeless is not a personal choice but has a lot to do with social factors.
Opportunities & Constraints Tenohasi Opportunities ● Building trust within the homeless through weekly 夜回り and 炊き出し ● Trusted by local community - Crops provided by local farms ● Ethnographic research on homeless people on weekly/daily basis Constraints ● Low budget, not being able to work on a lot of things ● Short-term goals based, not being able to aim for the longer-term goals. E.g. homeless people staying at their accomodation and not trying to find a regular job
Opportunities & Constraints Anti- Poverty Network Opportunities ● Using social media to get their message across (easier to access and utilise info) ● Involvement of people with diverse skills background knowledges etc. ● Champions! -More persuasive Constraints ● Long-term goal -no immediate results ● Japanese government do not accept their views, resulting in lower chance that media picks up the issue, and as a consequence people have lower recognition
Opportunities & Constraints The Big Issue Foundation Opportunities ● Both long and short term goals ● Soft skill development -communication skills, sense of involvement/participation, enhancing personal independence Constraints ● Not enough PR ● Fairly new organisation, still in its progress to have as many homeless people as possible to become independent
Anti-Poverty Network Tenohasi The Big Issue Foundation Short-term × ○ ○ Long-term ○ × ○ Direct interaction with the ○ ○ ○ homeless certain location and × ○ × timing working on cyber- ○ × ○ homelessness Audience Government, society Homeless people Homeless people, non- profit org.s, society Provision of hard skills × × × Provision of soft skills × ○ ○
Different approaches and impacts Anti-Poverty Network Tenohasi The Big Issue (Advocacy) (Service Provision) (IEC) Able to create opportunities for every person from different The issue of 路上脱出ガイド - -Able to directly hear out the situations in society to picked up by the TV media and voices of the vulnerable groups participate in advocacy newspapers, were able to widen -One on one interactions campaigns (homeless, ordinary the societal recognition citizens, lawyers and experts)
Learning Points ● Different approaches needed for solution -service, advocacy and IEC ● Need to clarify who the audience is ● Public awareness is still very low ● Many of the NGOs are quite new ● Skills set /educational training is not taking place ● Possibility: if some NGOs collaborated with the government, there could be a benefit that there will be more recognition in society ● A difficult issue to solve -redefining the meaning of homeless is needed ○ Boundaries is unclear for the cyber-homeless themselves
Recommend
More recommend
