"A Forum for Parents Supporting Children Who Are Not Attending School" - Overall Report

The event "Parents' Forum for Supporting Children Who Refuse to Go to School," aimed at parents of elementary and junior high school students, was held on November 15th (Sat) at Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe (Hachioji City) and on November 29th (Sat) at Akihabara UDX (Chiyoda Ward). This third event report will cover the event's content, incorporating feedback from parents who responded to the questionnaire.

On both days of the event, four programs were held: a seminar by experts, a talk event by people with experience of school refusal, a participant exchange meeting for parents, and individual consultations with counselors.
A total of 463 people participated at the Hachioji venue, and 600 people participated at the Akihabara venue.

[Seminar]

At the seminar, Professor Rie Fukui of Tokyo Gakugei University gave a presentation on the topic of "What should you do first in situations like this? - How to utilize local resources for advice -" at the Hachioji venue, and "Communication and self-care to create a safe haven for parents and children" at the Akihabara venue.

In her lecture at the Hachioji venue, she introduced readily available resources for parents to turn to when their child becomes truant, urging them not to bear the burden alone, and shared tips on how to effectively utilize various support services.
At the Akihabara venue, discussions focused on how to interact with children in a way that is sensitive to their feelings, as well as how parents can take care of their own mental health.
We received the following messages from parents who attended the seminar:

It was very helpful to learn about the many consultation services available and the different options for further education.
I was relieved to hear that, first and foremost, it's important for the child if the parent (guardian) is smiling.
I was grateful for the specific advice I received, such as how to talk to my child.

[Talk event]

Students with diverse backgrounds and circumstances who have experienced school refusal took the stage to share their stories. They spoke about what triggered their school refusal, their feelings at the time, their relationship with their parents during that period, the changes in their thinking and behavior, and how their experience of school refusal has affected them today. Each student shared their experiences and thoughts.

Many participants commented that the specific stories from those who had experienced school refusal were "helpful," "encouraging," and "gave them hope."

I sometimes worried about whether it was okay for my child to spend their time doing what they love, but after hearing from others with experience, I was able to decide to trust them and just watch over them.
Children often don't express their feelings, so I learned a lot from reading these personal stories.
I realized that my experience of not going to school wasn't wasted, and it gave me hope.
The strong message, "Even if your child stops going to school, things will work out!" greatly eased my mind as a parent.

[Participant exchange meeting]

The participant exchange meeting, where parents were divided into small groups to exchange information, provided a safe space for parents facing similar concerns to talk to each other. We received the following feedback from the parents:
I was happy that I could talk with other parents and share my worries.
It was great to connect with others who share the same concerns.
I was nervous at first, but I felt much better after being able to talk so much.

[Individual consultation meeting]

A consultation session was held where people could talk about issues such as "not knowing how to interact with their child," "not getting understanding from those around them," and "anxiety about their child's future career path and social life." Counselors with experience in supporting children who are not attending school provided one-on-one support, offering empathetic assistance and referring participants to relevant support organizations.
Parents who participated commented, "It was reassuring to receive advice that we hadn't received before," and "We now have a clearer outlook on the future."

The overall satisfaction rate for the event was approximately 87%, indicating that many people were very satisfied.
You can view footage of the event for free by registering via the link below.

ApplicationCLICK HERE

Past event reports can be found here.

XNUMXstReport on the "Talk Event: A Personal Future Visible Through My Experience of School Refusal"
XNUMXnd editionReport on the Seminar: Creating a Safe and Secure Space for Parents and Children Through Communication and Self-Care