Voluntary Activities in Lifelong Integrated Education in Japan

Abstract

Abstract The history of the Nomura Center for Lifelong Integrated Education began with a small group of housewives who engaged themselves in a voluntary study group activity in 1962. The Lifelong Integrated Education Center was established in March 1972. An authorization by the Japanese Government to establish an incorporated foundation was given as from April 1981 and our organization was renamed the Nomura Center for Lifelong Integrated Education. The Center is a nation‐wide organization. It has been carrying out various voluntary activities with its membership consisting mainly of homemakers. The governing idea is that the essence of education lies in individual learning and mutual education through the process of self‐development and enlightenment. Each member starts by looking into himself. We then proceed to work on the harmonization of interpersonal relationships among members of the family as the unit of human society. We also seek to expand our activities to become rooted in the various local communities and the nation as a whole. We further promote and develop a series of international activities beyond national and racial boundaries.