The Participation of Undergraduate Students in a Community's Social Activities and the Contribution of the Youth in Reviving an Underpopulated Village

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  • 若者の地域社会への関わりと地域存続に果たす役割
  • ワカモノ ノ チイキ シャカイ エ ノ カカワリ ト チイキ ソンゾク ニ ハタス ヤクワリ

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Abstract

This study consists of two sub-studies. Undergraduate students were administered with a questionnaire that dealt with their participation in their community's social activities (Study 1). We investigated the daily and regional activities of the youth in Ueno-mura, a village in Gunma Prefecture (Study 2). We found that students from small cities participated in their community's social activities more frequently than the ones from large cities did. The cities were categorized into ordinance-designated city, special case city, and core city. Most of the students positively viewed a regional community. The students were of the opinion that communities are integral to their life. This is despite the fact that regional communities in underpopulated regions are gradually declining. In study 2, we interviewed the youths who preferred the underpopulated village of Ueno-mura as the new residents ( I-turn ) to the cities. We explored the activities of the local youth organization called "Seinen-Dan" with regard to the following aspects: job, income, autonomy, community support, innovation, and totality. This group aims to revive the declining local industry and secure the employment and income of the youth, and thus attract the number of young people who settle down in the village. The youth organization organizes the summer festival autonomously and plans various events. They are trying to modernize the feudalistic social customs of the village and to create an environment conducive to settlement. This study showed that the youth of the village were instrumental in reviving the underpopulated village. Further, we investigated the activities of the youth of Nishimera-mura, an underpopulated village in Miyazaki Prefecture, and showed that the young men had the enterprising skills to revive a village. We argued that a decline of an underpopulated area has a bearing on the future of agriculture and forestry and, in fact, is a national issue. As for the crisis that a local community of an underpopulated district faces, we proved that distortion of a country development project appears intensively in villages where living conditions are severe.

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