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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

Now that the educational influences of the family and the community have been weakened due to urbanization, the predominance of nuclear families and other trends, their is a great need for providing young people, in accordance with their developmental levels, with opportunities for rich life experiences, such as making direct contact with nature, training themselves through positive rivalry with their friends, learning about their own community, participating in community service activities, and so forth.

In recent years many youth organizations have started new kinds of activities, including outdoor activities and international exchange activities. Learning activities by young people at the community level have been developing in the forms of youth classes and lecture courses organized by local governments, activities for inheriting traditional performing arts in the community, activities for the conservation of natural resources, and volunteer activities. In addition to providing subsidies for these activities, the Ministry has been carrying out "special programs for promoting the learning of young people about their home community" under which young people participate in learning about their own communities and, on the basis of the results of their learning, engage themselves in practical action. Another program promoted by the Ministry is "programs for frontier adventure" in which young people are enabled to experience self-sustaining living for a long time in the natural environment.

Further, the Ministry is committed to improving the facilities under its direct supervision, such as the national youth houses and national children's centers, all of which provide young people with opportunities for residential group training in the natural environment, and the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center. The Ministry also facilitates the development and improvement of local public facilities for youth education.