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PROJECT
According to the investigations by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and other institutions, there is a tendency among elementary and junior high school students that the more they experience outdoor activities, the higher levels of sense of morality and justice they acquire. It has also been clarified that engagement in outdoor activities has good influence in improving their independence, sociability and desire to learn.
On the other hand, it is indicated that a number of water accidents – which is closely related to the level of engagement in outdoor activities, especially the proportion of deaths from drowning, is higher than Western countries.
The B&G Foundation provides young people with opportunities of hands-on experience at Japan’s “blue sea and green land” to promote their sound growth and development such as propriety and principle. In the aim of enhancing self-defense awareness to save their own lives by themselves, the water safety education has also been promoted.
In order to further promote the “B&G Plan”, various forms of support are available to B&G Marine Sports Centers and Marine Clubs which include: “hardware” – that is to subsidize facility renovation and to provide equipments for marine recreational activities; and “software” – that is to develop and introduce various programs.
Hands-on experience in Nature / Environmental Education
B&G Cruise for Marine Experiences
This is a four-night cruise participated in by elementary and junior high school students. Children from around the country take part in observation of the sea, lectures about the ocean and ships, and a variety of outdoor activities at a port of call. They can build up friendships with fellow participants and develop socializing skills through spending time as members of a group.
B&G Seminar for Marine Experiences
This is a four-night hands-on learning program for elementary and junior high school students. A variety of marine recreational activities are offered in the nature-rich Okinawa prefecture, including kayaking, exploration in mangrove forest, and beach combing.
Seminar for Parents and Children
A three-night hands-on learning seminar for parents and children are conducted, aiming to strengthen their bonds and deepen the knowledge of the sea and nature. Participants take part in a variety of marine recreational activities, and learn environmental, ecological aspects of nature and unique culture of Okinawa prefecture.
Camp for Parents and Children
In cooperation with Onoda Nature School, the B&G Foundation hosts camps for parents and children at a number of locations across the country. It is a great opportunity to strengthen their bonds and to deepen their understandings about the ocean and nature through recreational activities.
Close Engagement with Water
In order to encourage more people to participate in marine activities without much anticipation, the B&G Foundation provides various events such as the “Optimist Sailing Experience at Pools” and the “Access Dinghy Festival”.
Promotion of Water Safety Education and Maritime Knowledge
Instead of keeping children away from the water, the B&G Foundation educates them about water safety through the “On-the-water Safety Workshop”, conducted across the country. Participants learn some of the practical skills for drowning prevention including floating with lifejacket and swimming fully clothed.
Collaborative Programs with Schools
The “Year-long Water-wise Program” has been developed and incorporated into school curriculums in a number of elementary schools in Japan. It encourages hands-on learning experience in nature, and is designed to adjust the curricula depending on their homeland’s landscapes and environment.
Tree Planting for Marine Environment Preservation
Nutritious forest enriches the ocean. The “Tree Planting for Marine Environment Preservation” has also been developed in cooperation with Emeritus Professor Akira Miyawaki from Yokohama National University. Children raise trees from acorns and plant them, which in return helps them learn the importance of forest for the preservation of the earth.
Clean-up Festival
The Marine Sports Centers and Marine Clubs around the country conduct clean-up campaigns throughout the year in order to heighten the environmental and maritime awareness among the participants. It is important for local Marine Sports Centers to provide the opportunities to engage in marine recreational activities and to encourage keeping their local area clean and sustainable.
Competitions and Exchanges
B&G National Sports Competitions
The B&G Foundation holds the B&G Junior Swimming Competition, the B&G Cup Junior Canoe Competition, and the B&G Optimist Class Dinghy Competitions (East and West Japan) on annual basis. These are great opportunities for young athletes where they can present the results of daily practices and interact with children from all over the country.
The National Water Sports Meet is also held in which parents and children challenge three distinctive games together.
Dream Camp
The B&G Dream Camp is hosted for elementary school students who achieved excellent results at the National Competitions of Optimist Class Dinghy, Canoe, and Swimming. Participants spend precious time with famous athletes including Olympic medalists and country’s leading coaches.
Exchanges
To establish friendly relationship and improve socializing skills, the B&G Foundation supports to organize regional or prefectural sports competitions and exchange programs.
The handed-round Junior Friendship Yacht Competition is one of the examples which take place in Japan, China and Korea.
Grants for Facilities and Activities
Marine Sports Center Facility Maintenance
The B&G Foundation grants subsidies to the Marine Sports Centers to improve convenience and function of their facilities. Upgrading a swimming pool to the heated one, equipping additional amenities, modifying the facility design for the disabled are some of the examples.
Emergency relief can also be issued for the restoration from the damage by natural disasters such as typhoon, earthquake and Tsunami.
Activity Grants
The B&G Foundation issues activity grants to local Marine Sports Centers and Clubs in holding various activities, such as sporting events, athletic workshops and other activities.
In the circumstances of Japan's falling birthrate and aging population, the maintenance of health of all generations from infants to the elderly through appropriate exercises has proven important. The B&G Foundation developed a number of exercising programs, aiming to improve physical wellness of all generation, in cooperation with medical institutions. The programs are provided by local Marine Sports Centers without compensation, in the hope of introducing some preventive measures to illness and being bed-ridden.
Physical Fitness Program for Pre-school Children
The B&G Foundation has jointly developed a special exercising program with Keio University based on the data and verification that the Foundation accumulated for 20 years. This program provides advices from a medical point of view to toddlers and parents across Japan to engage in appropriate exercises.
Physical Fitness Program for Middle age and the Elderly
The B&G Foundation diffuses the Physical Fitness Program for Middle age and the Elderly to prevent lifestyle disease.
Physical Fitness Program for the Elderly
This program promotes effective exercises to eliminate medical costs and prevent fractures resulting from unexpected falls and to be bedridden.
For this program, the Foundation utilizes its expertise about exercise and the measurement of “Kenkyakudo-R” which was developed by the Physical Education and Medicine Research Foundation with Professor Yoshiteru Muto, the Vice-President of Tokyo University.
Quality leadership is essential to improve the health and fitness of local citizens from the very young to the elderly. The B&G Foundation positively addresses to training instructors and has established the B&G Instructor Associations, which are consisted of voluntary members, to make good use of the precious 17,000 instructors that B&G has trained so far. The B&G Foundation dispatches some of the fine instructors registered in the B&G Human Resource Bank across the country.
Advanced & Aqua Instructors Training Seminar
Participants learn and acquire practical skills of dinghy yacht, canoe, swimming, and other marine sports at this training camp. They also learn extensive water safety skills, facility management and administration, as well as environmental study by applying the particular technique of “Interpretation”.
In April 2008, this training camp was approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Minister of Environment as the first maritime organization-hosted human resource development project in accordance with the Law for Enhancing Motivation on Environmental Conservation and Promoting of Environmental Education.
Instructors Training Seminar
Participants acquire teaching skills of dinghy yacht, canoe and water safety education through 10 day training camp.
Leaders Training Seminar
This is a training seminar, which is held at every Marine Sports Center, for voluntary leaders who assist to teach practical skills of marine sports.
Following up for Instructors
The up-to-date training methods and latest information are essential for good instructors. The B&G Foundation invites top athletes and prominent lecturers and holds brush-up seminars on regular basis to further cultivate instructors’ ability, including a training seminar on a sailing ship “Kaio-maru”.
National Association of B&G Instructors
Regional associations of B&G Instructors have been organized in order to reinforce safety measures of Marine Sports Centers and to revitalize each center’s activities. In 2010, the National Association of B&G Instructors was established as its national body, addressing the importance of hand-on activities in nature and further promoting the Water Accident Zero Campaign nationally.
B&G Human Resource Bank
A number of B&G instructors with extensive skills are registered to the B&G Human Resource Bank, and upon request dispatched across the country, playing active roles in providing B&G programs.
Economic environment, information and technology, politics, education systems and every aspect of society change rapidly in today’s world. The B&G Foundation keeps up with these changes and shares its expertise and useful information by using its network around the country to meet society’s needs.
The B&G Foundation holds a series of national meetings including the B&G National Summit for the Mayors and Superintendents of Education to share information and introduce various programs which may help them meet diverse demands from local citizens.
Building up the Network
B&G National Summit
The B&G National Summit for Mayors and Superintendents of Education is held annually. It provides an opportunity for the participants to interact with a large number of heads of municipalities, and to understand the current status of B&G Foundation and motor boat race industry.
At this meeting, the B&G Foundation promotes the B&G Plan and adopts the joint declaration in order to share the same idea and principle among the municipalities.
B&G National Meeting
The Superintendents of Education from municipalities in 44 prefectures gather annually, in order to reflect educational opinions and demands onto the Foundation’s action.
The “Suggestions to Promote the B&G Plan” was adopted in this meeting, which encourages hand-on learning experience in nature and close cooperation with schools.
Marine Sports Center Council
B&G Marine Sports Centers organize Councils on prefectural and regional basis. In each of 10 regional and 44 prefectural Councils, they share information and hold sporting competitions, follow-up seminars for instructors, and training seminars for voluntary instructors. Annual general meetings take place from April and May in 10 regions with high levels of attendance of Mayors.
Revitalization Meeting for Marine Sports Centers and Clubs
This meeting aims to revitalize the activities of Marine Sports Centers and Clubs, and to deepen understandings of the participants about Foundation’s action even more. Superintendents of Education who are, in most cases, in charge of the management and administration of Marine Sports Centers attend this meeting to raise possible problems in providing certain programs or to share some unique case studies in their municipalities.
Research and Investigation
The B&G Foundation engages in research and investigation to develop educational programs and in times inspects foreign countries to study about some advanced practices in water safety education.
In 2009, a partnering agreement was signed with “Water Safety New Zealand”, as New Zealand as a country, is highly committed to educate its population about water safety to reduce the number of water-related accidents.
Public Relations through the Network
The B&G Compass was developed to share information with Marine Sports Centers and Marine Clubs instantly and efficiently.
Up-to-date information is always available on the official website and the B&G Special Correspondent Reports are constantly updated by local B&G instructors.
