Back to map


Yamaguchi, Japan
International Club & Yamaguchi University

Parents in Japan want to know how to plug their children into community life in meaningful ways. Classrooms previously piloted the use of program elements of Full-Circle Learning under the tutelage of Dr. Marilyn Higgins, of Yamaguchi University. Dr. Higgins has now directed a baseline survey (using the 40 assets approach from the Search Institute), identifying the developmental assets most in need of attention in Yamaguchi City as the following:

• Opportunities for children and youth to serve others in the community
• More interactive relationships with adult role models in the neighborhood and community.
• Better connection and communication between families, schools and communities.
• Need to raise level of positive peer influence
• Need to raise achievement motivation and school engagement
• Developing sense of purpose and efficacy in children and youth

Dr. Higgins commented, "In addition, parents would like more support in their role, as they are a bit confused about how to instill values when society seems to be making so many radical value shifts....(Although, on the whole, parents feel they are doing fairly well at conveying virtues like honesty, kindness, etc.)

Needless to say, we think this all leads up to our proposal to set up Full-Circle Learning pilot projects. So we have put in for the next 2-year research grant to do just that."

Click here to return to the map of FCL sites.