The Seikatsu Club rises to the challenge: Creating new co-operatives with a younger generation in a society which is the most urbanized as well as being one with the lowest birthrate, and most rapidly aging population

What is the Seikatsu Club movement?

Seikatsu Club Union is a Japanese consumers' co-operative which consists of 29 independent and unique Seikatsu Club co-ops in 19 prefectures with a total of 310,000 members and 123 producers' groups.

Seikatsu Club is well known globally because we create alternative produce-distribute-consume-dispose systems through the solidarity of consumers and producers in order to change the situation of food and agriculture, which suffer from artificial food additives, genetic modification (GM), and pesticides. Seikatsu Club Union also aims to pursue genuine health and safety for humans and nature, as well as symbiosis with nature. What is more, we have created communities where local people themselves participate in providing the social services and the local political parties (the so-called 'network movement') to change the policies of the local councils. Seikatsu Club movement is one of the most powerful and remarkable initiatives led by women citizens in Japan.

The search for how local Seikatsu Clubs should appear to the new generation for the new generation

Seikatsu Club was established in Tokyo in 1968, when women wanted to create a real richness in their lives and independence through co-operation among themselves, and it celebrates its 40^th anniversary this year. Most Seikatsu Clubs in the Tokyo Metropolitan area boast histories of over 30 years. Japan, as you know, is urbanizing, and aging, and has one of the most rapidly declining birth rates in the world. New liberal globalization promotes 'personalization' in every single area of society and makes people believe, through advertising, that they can live affluent lives by themselves without mixing with others, and without anyone's help, and it influences the highly sophisticated commercialization present in every aspect of life. Thus depersonalization in life has resulted in important social issues regardless of age, sex, race and ethnic group. It has resulted in various forms of isolation and related gaps, neglect and discrimination, such as the unobserved death of the aged, over 30,000 suicide cases, the lowering of the accused's age in murder cases, the isolation of parents worrying about child care, and the isolation of foreign residents.

It is very difficult to create co-operative style activities and organizations by which people help each other, and by which citizens try to solve problems independently in such a society as in Japan. Seikatsu Clubs all over Japan have been leading various challenges for over 10 years, encouraging the creation of new relationships among the young generations, as well as across the different generations. Here are some such examples.

Child Care Team "Gastronomical Sprouts"

Seikatsu Club Tokyo support various members' activities by using the 'Eccoro mutual aid' system of their own support system, because we are able to use Seikatsu Club co-op as a tool to activate young members' interests as well as to try to solve their anxieties.

One such activity is a child care team "Gastronomer's Sprouts" run by members and centralized in Kunitachi, a city in the north-west of Tokyo prefecture. The motto of "Sprouts" is: "Parents should enjoy themselves, but never refrain from what they want to do because of the children." And as we follow the team name, we always cook a simple snack with the support of the children. We believe it is very important to eat something safe and tasty in joyful company.

The parents with 0 to 2 years old children (some non-Seikatsu Club members) organize the events we want, such as singing children's songs, tea parties, and picnics where the participants get to know each other and exchange information about food. We share the burdens such as accounting and publishing newsletters. The activities are supported not only by parents and children but also other participants such as supporters and instructors, which has successfully led to a crossroad of different generations.

What is the 'Eccoro mutual aid system', supporting members' activities?

It is a system for the Seikatsu Club members to help each other in their daily lives in a spirit of reciprocity, including child care, care for the elderly, and domestic support, with small amount paid for such activities. Members each pay 100 yen a month as a premium and apply for assistance.

Also any surplus from the Eccoro mutual aid system is allocated as a part of funding for the "Community Welfare Cost Support System" which supports local mutual assistance. Sprouts received such aid last year, and bought toys necessary for their activities. The Board of Seikatsu Club Tokyo decides who is to benefit from subsidy after collecting applications submitted with recommendations from local groups four times a year.

In this way, we believe that such networking becomes the first step for building communities.

Activities of Altern, child care supporters in the park

Objectives of activities of Altern from child care to community care

Alten (from 'alternative') was started by a member who attended a child care course organized by the Forum Associa of Seikatsu Club Kanagawa. Its members support parents and children who are struggling in urban areas and who have few opportunities of playing outside by saying to local young parents and their children, "Let's play Altern" at the local playgrounds around Shin-Yokohama. More and more parents and children have been joining the programme as details have spread by word of mouth and via various community magazines ever since activities started in autumn, 2006. They now receive some help from healthcare centres and local government.

Why is playground-based child care supporter Altern successful?

Although Japan is experiencing a declining birthrate, and this will become a big issue for the future, the fundamental countermeasures are not sufficient. Consequently, young women who share problems and older women who have completed their child care discussed what they could do about the problem.

Through such processes they encountered a so-called "play park" activity in which

• children act spontaneously
• children create a playing space in nature for themselves with local residents
• adults encourage children to play in such a way
• adults watch without closely controlling

The Altern members think that the important factors in childcare at local communities are:

1.  
   1. Parents and children playing are recognized by local people
   2. The local childcare network is extended to local people
   3. Children receive a variety of encouragement necessary for growth from nature and many other people, besides their parents.

Thus the members study how to make playgrounds and encourage children and parents to play by themselves.

The objective of Altern is not only to support playground activities. It also aims to support local people themselves in promoting such playground activities in their own areas, and to build a society where such activities are encouraged.

One day at "Let's play Altern"

Once a month, in the morning, a gathering of "Let's play Altern" starts by collecting garbage at the park. Many children, from babies of several months old to toddlers, come together joyfully. Here comes a bunch of supporters who are the masters of play! They do not organize how to play, but rather allow children to play as they wish. Some children yell after coming out of a paper-built tunnel. Babies are on a mat, sunbathing. Some parents join in playing, others chat. Everyone does as they wish, and it is not a closed circle but is open to local communities.

How to run Altern

No fees are collected from the parents who come to the playground gathering. Expenses such as transport fares for organizers, and equipment are paid for by the Forum Associa, a promoter financed by Seikatsu Club Kanagawa.

Activities of Forum Associa

What is a Forum Associa?

The equipment for Altern is kept at the Forum Associa office. The childcare course organized by Forum Associa, which six leading members took, triggered the founding of Altern. These six used to be other childcare circle leaders with experience, knowledge and a network and determined to start Altern, but to run it independently.

Forum Associa has been promoting independent young people to create independent activities and relationships, thus supporting Altern.

The key word is "association": a loose solidarity

People become isolated and develop a sense of anxiety in this chaotic present society where various creative activities, especially with cultural elements to form relationship (association) are vital for building communities. When forming an association, we need a strong wish to create the local communities which we desire by ourselves, thus such an activity, loosely and independently organized by independent people is considered to be an association.

Mission of Forum Associa

Seikatsu Club Kanagawa formed Forum Associa in 2003. The Forum Associa tries to take a coordinating role to facilitate circulating precious resources such as people, materials and information in local communities.

Role of Forum Associa

1. Support the activities which "I" want to start, organizing various courses such as a coordinator training course promoting spontaneous participation, and coordinate activities by registering and dispatching the instructors.
2. Provide opportunities for associations to exchange views and information, facilitate events for information exchange and workshops which both individuals and associations can participate in, events to report the activities of associations, coordination of creating associations, and take care of office work for the association.
3. Undertake research to expand networks of associations, to inform public relations, and operate web sites.

Management of Forum Associa

• Monthly steering committee discussing how to tackle the annual, and mid-long term policies.
• The members of the steering committee are chosen from the board meetings of five independent local Seikatsu Clubs and Seikatsu Club Kanagawa Union and related organizations. (Seikatsu Club Kanagwa with 70,000 members was divided into five local Seikatsu Club co-ops, which are independent business entities, four years ago). Seikatsu Union is in charge of personnel affairs, contracts with workers collectives, management of investment in capital, social service business and mutual society business
• Independent secretariat
• Resources: membership fees and income from various courses

(For more information, please click here)

Kirara Award: To honor and support the co-operative activities of the young generation

What is a Kirara Award?

Seikatsu Club was awarded the "Right Livelihood Award - honorary recipient" in 1989 because our activities in every aspect of living, such as the operation and management by members who are mostly ordinary housewives, the collective purchase of necessities, ecological practices such as recycling, mutual aid and social service business, political activities from a citizen's viewpoint, and forming workers' collectives, was highly evaluated.

The award triggered Seikatsu Club Kanagawa to establish the Kirara Award (Kanagawa Young Right Alternative Livelihood Award) in 1991, the aim of which is to find, honour and support young people (individuals and groups) in the community who are trying to create the future with a new "relationship with others". Over the past 17 years, 24 groups and individuals have been honoured and have promoted relationships with, and supported, young people.

Application guidelines of the Kirara Award

• 2 winners per year (500,000 yen each)
• Qualifications: Young people (individuals or group), 30 years old or younger (in principle), living in Kanagwa prefecture, who conduct persistent activities of pioneering in the fields of peace, ecology, social service, culture or international relationships, paying respect to local communities and creating new relationships, and who are not mainly financed by government subsidy or any public resources, political or religious parties.
• The operating costs and prize are financed by Seikatsu Club Kanagawa <www.seikatsuclub-kanagawa.coop > and Fukusi Club Consumers' Co-operatives ( specializing in providing social services via co-operative style, created by Seikatsu Club Kanagawa, and the first of its type in Japan. See <www.fukushi-club.net >

Criteria for selection

The criteria for selection follow the spirit of the Right Livelihood Award and ask if the work is:

1.  
   1. Future-oriented
   2. An alternative way of life
   3. Re-creatable and can be put into practice by others
   4. Global activities
   5. Respectful of local communities
   6. Demonstrating mass participation and solidarity
   7. Persistent in its activities

After applying the above criteria, the award winner is decided by committee members' vote.

Operating body

The Kirara Award Steering Committee, consisting of representatives from Seikatsu Club, Fukushi Club, Seikatsu Club Group member organizations, the local government, media and scholars, run its operation democratically.

Seikatsu Club members' involvement

The Seikatsu Club members nominate the candidates and select the winners. The members organize many events to enable other members and local people to be aware of the existence of the Kirara Awards. Many members are involved in the activities in order to promote relationships with the young and to create a future co-operative society together.

Award winners in 2006

• "Tenohira Group against Human Trafficking" ( representative: Mr. Keigo Momose): Voluntary group of university students against human trafficking

The Group provides opportunities to think about human trafficking and the society which does not permit such conduct along with many people's involvement.

• Ms. Masayo Inoue (president of organic farm Tsumugi)

The group tackles the issues of globalization and food self-sufficiency by providing the chance of learning and exchanging views of both producers and consumers via a direct delivery of organic vegetables.

Location