Providing "Lesson for Learning About Babies: For a Baby-Friendly Future" (Japan - Pigeon)

Pigeon Corporation has begun offering an educational program called “Lesson for Learning About Babies: For a Baby-Friendly Future” to junior high school students across Japan.

In Japan today, the circumstances surrounding childbirth and parenting are relatively harsh, and many mothers and fathers report distress and difficulty due to the lack of understanding those around them show toward children. One factor in this is thought to be reduced opportunities for people to encounter and interact with babies at a young age, due to the nuclearization of the family and the aging of Japanese society.

Recognizing these issues, Pigeon decided to offer an educational program for junior high school students that would spark an interest in babies, encourage students to think about what they can do as members of society, and urge them to put those ideas into action. “Lesson for Learning About Babies: For a Baby-Friendly Future” is the result.

As well as providing the lesson plan and teaching materials to teachers free of charge, Pigeon also sends employees to some schools to deliver the lesson directly. At these lessons, as part of learning more deeply about babies and families, students put on a pregnancy jacket to simulate the experience of being pregnant and try pushing a baby stroller.
In the 2022 school year, the lesson was taught at 143 schools, and received by a total of 11,845 students.

Comments from Participating Students

• “I learned that I received help from lots of people when I was a baby, and how important it is to offer help to mothers who need it.”
• “The lesson showed me what a precious and amazing thing a baby’s birth is.”
• “I thought that only parents and families cooperated to care for babies, but I learned that there are things we junior high school students can do as well.”

Pigeon will continue aiming to create a baby-friendly future through initiatives such as this one that aim to make the world a more baby-friendly place. 

 

The News release of a Baby-Friendy Future project (in japanese)

The webpage of a Baby-Friendly Future Vision (in Japanese)