We held "BRICK Kids: Creating Sumoto's Future with Children," an event that allowed children to experience various jobs in Sumoto, including food and agriculture, public organizations, and financial institutions. This report details the event, where children learned about the importance of money and got to know their community while interacting with people.
~Creating the future of Sumoto with children~
https://sumoto-brick.jp/wp/oshinafes/
Learn about work and the importance of money.
This timemidica Co., Ltd.We invited [Name of guest speaker] to hold an event in Sumoto City that utilizes "mocca," a wooden currency for children. mocca is a system where children can experience different jobs, earn mocca for the work they do, and then exchange mocca for things they like or gifts for their families. It allows them to learn about the importance of work and money.
Thanks to the cooperation of the shops in the Komodo 56 shopping district, they provided us with places to work from Monday, March 24th during spring break until the day of the event. SBRICK also asked the children to make garlands for the venue decorations as part of their work. Some children worked hard and saved up a lot of mocca points by the day of the event.
Furthermore, the mocca used in this event incorporated "bamboo." This addresses the issue of neglected bamboo forests, which is a local problem in Sumoto City.Awaji Satoyama ProjectWe made use of this with the cooperation of [Name of person/organization]. [Name of person/organization] was in charge of the bank counter at the event.Awaji Shinkin BankThe SBRICK logo, which was the venue for the event, was engraved on it.
On Sunday, March 30th, BRICK Kids will host a market where you can enjoy using this currency. On the day, you can work at the vendors' shops, and you can also use mocca as 100 yen per coin. So, what was the atmosphere like on the day?
I'm a little nervous, but I'll give it a try!
Apparently, some children had worked in the shopping district many times leading up to the BRICK Kids event, and a long line formed before the doors even opened. The venue was brightly decorated with garlands drawn by the children, and the event began.
First, you check in at the reception, then you look for a job from the job listings. Should I go to a sandwich shop? Or maybe a bento shop? Once you've decided on a job, you greet the manager, put on your sash, and start working!
Island Chocolates UminekiAt the store, the children got to experience attracting customers and handing over products! Seeing them loudly calling out "Welcome!" brought smiles to the faces of the adults as well.
This job involves transforming into a bee and selling honey drinks! The children, looking a little embarrassed, call out, "Would you like to try some?" The vendors also put a lot of thought into preparing a variety of jobs for the event.
In addition to selling their own shiitake mushrooms, Mori no Ki Farm also hosts "Mori no Ki Farm's Children's Advice Session." The children's unique answers to the adults' problems have attracted attention, and adults have responded with comments such as, "Their honesty really resonates with people."
What kinds of jobs are available in this town?
On the day of BRICK Kids, I was also able to work at one of the cooperating stores in the Komodo 56 shopping street.
This is a pottery shopMushrikMs. [Name] prepared a job for us to paint pottery on our customers' shopping bags. It looks like a lot of shopping bags have been completed!
"I wondered how it would go, since these are products that children don't usually get to interact with," says Mushrik. "More children than I expected came to work, and some even bought products with the mocca they earned by working." Perhaps by carefully looking at the pottery in the shop and drawing pictures, the children started to see things they had never noticed before. I hope that one day they will look at the things they bought and remember today.
This isTOMMY COFFEE STAND It looks like you're seriously engaged in something. What kind of work are you doing?
This cute poster introduces five different jobs.
It looks like they're using colored pencils to draw drip coffee bags! If their design is selected, it might even become a product! It's an exciting and fun job.
The adorable brothers, whose backs are so cute, took on the task of "neatly arranging the products." They lined them up neatly and put them back on the shelves. It was a learning experience for me to see that neat arrangement is also necessary in order for customers to pick up the products.
Children running through the shopping street. "I'll work at this shop, I'll work at that shop, what should I buy?" they chattered excitedly. It was a rare sight to see children running back and forth through the shopping street.
Let's exchange it for a reward!
After working hard, I cashed the check into mocca.
Adults usually reward themselves for working hard, but apparently there were some children who were so engrossed in working that they kept saving up their mocca points until the very end.
Happy Island Bento OBENTOSWe went shopping for lunch.
Mori OrchardPick up your juice at a special counter available only on this day!
It was a day where the smiles of the adults working alongside and watching over the children shone even brighter than the children's. I hope that through this event, the children were able to get a sense, even just a little, that there are interesting adults and a variety of jobs in their hometown, Sumoto City.
Thank you to all the participating stores who provided invaluable support for this event.
🟡 Thank you to everyone who participated in the marketEveryone
- Awaji Shinkin Bank
- Sumoto Gas
- PURARE:
- Mori no Ki Farm
- OwlColor
- B&T VietCafe
- Happy Island Bento OBENTOS
- Island Chocolates Umineki
- Specified Nonprofit Organization Environmental Improvement Network
- AWAJI JOURNEY HUB
- Mori Orchard
- Home-visit foot care service Ashi no Oto
- Hisanoma
- No store