Opening up the world of welfare
Wilgo serves people of all ages, not only for medical clinic visits and hospitalization, but also for going out, traveling, and other situations where you want to reduce the burden of transportation. Through these opportunities, I was able to meet young people who are pioneering the world of welfare, so I would like to introduce them. I learned a lot from them as they approach issues with fresh sensibilities and perspectives, such as how they want to change the reality they see and what kind of society is needed.
Please be advised that majority of following links and movies available only in Japanese.
Yuhei Suzuki, CEO of Awai Co., Ltd., who was assisting a wheelchair user who came to Tokyo from Nagasaki on his outing in early November, posted on his blog about the situation of the day. There was a long line at the Pokemon Center DX on the day, and at the clone robot cafe DAWN visited afterwards, people who stayed at their home for various reasons were able to remotely control the clone robots “OriHime” and “OriHime-D” to provide services as employees for customers at the cage. Technology is breaking down various barriers, and we are beginning to see a new form of welfare in which people who use assistance services can also be on the side of providing services.
mairu 〜 Towards a society where everyone can get where they want to go Let’s Make the Future Accessible
mairu is a startup started by second grade university students. The project became the corporation in the spring of 2023, and is working on commercialization while repeating various demonstration experiments.
The web service they are developing was selected for the idea contest “Mobility for ALL” held by the Toyota Mobility Foundation, and then they participated in a demonstration experiment on September 2nd and 3rd, 2023. Interviews with members who passed the first round of this idea contest are featured on the Toyota Mobility Foundation website.
Next is SFC-IFC (Inclusive Future Creation).
They are a welfare group that works with Keio University students, university students, high school students, and working adults, regardless of age or gender, to address various issues that impede inclusiveness, such as disabilities, gender, and education, in order to create a truly inclusive society.
There are many people in society who are in unstable social positions, such as people with disabilities, social withdrawals, unemployment, illness, injury, and people who are not covered by the current social systems. This is not only an economic issue, but also a major reason why such people feel left out and alone in society. We need to break away from a society where people suffer excessively due to luck or circumstances, and create a society where everyone can lead a peaceful and warm life.SFC-IFC
In the demonstration experiment held at the Mobility Resort Motegi in which mairutech participated, SFC-IFC members also participated in the role of supporting Mr. Shinoda, a wheelchair user, and Wilgo took the role of transporting Mr. Shinoda and SFC-IFC members from Tokyo to the venue. The record of participation in the demonstration experiment conducted over a two-day weekend is available on the SFC-IFC Youtube channel.
I feel that many young people are participating in such initiatives, and that they are creating a new trend based on the world of welfare and nursing care that our predecessors have built up over the years. There are many cases related to conventional wisdom, social constraints, Japanese culture, etc., and it may take some time for their efforts to become pervasive and become a casual part of everyday life. However, it won’t start unless we start moving. I am grateful and hopeful that the younger generation is starting to take action.