MOTIVATION｜Encounter with an ambitious student who inspired him to focus on youth

After graduating from university, Mr. Iwai worked at a center that supported NPOs and volunteers. However, from the perspective of continuity and budget, he felt the limitations of working on solving social issues as a volunteer. He thinks we need an environment that can be established as a so-called social business. After work, he and his colleagues discussed what they could do, and started by interviewing senior entrepreneurs in the prefecture who could be role models. After that, they started blogging about their interviews and holding social gatherings for students with these senior entrepreneurs. This gave him a sense that there were university students who wanted to take on challenges, and he was able to make connections with them. Encounters with motivated students led Mr. Iwai's subsequent activities to focus on the power of young people.

ツナガリ｜自分の言葉で伝えることで深くつながる

岩井さんがNPOの立ち上げに踏み切れた背景には、「失敗しても大丈夫」と思えるような知人との繋がりがあった。中学生の頃から、自分の気持ちや考えをノートに書き留めていたという岩井さんは、無意識のうちに自分の感情を掴むことに慣れていた。そんな自己内省の習慣があったことで、自分の思いを表現することができ、本気で語りあえる仲間や応援してくれる人々との関係を築くことができた。例えば、学生時代のバイト先の店主は「失敗したら帰ってこい」と言って背中を押してくれた。立ち上げ当時に取材をした先輩たちの問いかけやアドバイスが起業する上でやるべきことを明確化したり、覚悟を決めたりする上で手助けとなるなど、岩井さんの大きな支えとなった。その関係性は今でも続いている。

ECOSYSTEM｜Connect deeply by communicating in your own words.

One of the reasons why Mr. Iwai was able to take the plunge to start an NPO because he had connections with people he knew who made him feel that he'll be fine if he fails. Since junior high school, Mr. Iwai had been writing down his feelings and thoughts in a notebook, and he was unconsciously accustomed to grasping his emotions. Such a habit of self-reflection allowed him to express his thoughts and feelings, and he was able to build relationships with friends and supporters with whom he could really talk. For example, the owner of the restaurant where he worked part-time as a student gave him a push, telling him to come back if he failed. The questions and advice from the senior people he interviewed at the time of the start-up helped him clarify what he needed to do in order to start his own project, and helped him decide what he was ready to do. This relationship continues to this day.

コツ｜若者の「やりたい」を引き出す問い

岩井さんは、若者に何かを「教える」のではなく「問う」ことで、本人たちが開けたことがない引き出しを開け、もともと持っている想いや力を引き出すことが大事だと考えているそうだ。実際に相談したひとに話を聞くと、岩井さんの否定しない姿勢やほめる言葉、あいづちによって、心地よく自分の話ができたという。「それってどういうこと？」という問いかけが、これまで考えてこなかったことを考えるきっかけになった。本人たちが問いかけについて自力で考えることで新たな気づきを得て、自ら答えを出していく。自分で見つけた答えだからこそ、「やりたい」という気持ちが自然と湧く。さらに、その答えはそれぞれの個性がしっかりと反映されたものになる。

TIPS｜Questions to draw out the "I want to" of young people

Mr. Iwai believes that it is important not to "teach" young people but to "ask" them questions to open the drawers that they have never opened before and to draw out their innate feelings and strengths. The people who actually consulted with him said that they were able to talk about themselves comfortably due to his non-denial attitude, words of praise, and congeniality. The question, "What does that mean? “became an opportunity for them to think about things they had not thought about before. By thinking about the question on their own, the students gained new insights and came up with their own answers. Because they have found the answers on their own, they naturally have the desire to do it. Furthermore, their answers will reflect their personality.

コレカラ｜本当に生きやすい暮らしができるエリアをつくる

経営の知識も経験もないなかでユースを立ち上げた岩井さん。活動初期には分からないことだらけだったが、分からないことを恐れるよりも、その先にある実現したい未来にワクワクしていたという。そのワクワクを原動力にチャレンジを続け、着実に活動の幅を広げてきた。ユースの活動によって、今では学生や若者が里山保全活動に参加したり、住民の相談にのったり掃除の手伝いをしたりと宇都宮にまつわる大小の課題を若い世代の参加によって解決する動きが広がっている。
今後は、このような若い世代と地域のつながりを深め、地域全体が家族のように支えあい、助け合える界隈をつくっていきたいという。自分と深く向き合い、丁寧に自分をつたえて他者とつながる岩井さんだからこそ、「自分たちが本当に生きやすい地域をつくる」という壮大なビジョンも、近い将来に実現できるのではないかと感じさせてくれる。

FOR THE FUTURE｜Create an area where people can truly live a comfortable life.

Mr. Iwai started Youth without any knowledge or experience in management. In the early days, there were many things he did not understand, but rather than being afraid of what he did not understand, he was excited about the future he wanted to achieve. With this excitement as his driving force, he has continued to take on challenges and has steadily expanded the scope of his activities. By the activities of the Youth, students and young people are now participating in satoyama（satoyama means undeveloped woodland near populated area) conservation activities, consulting with residents, helping with cleaning, and other activities to solve large and small issues related to Utsunomiya with the participation of the younger generation.
In the future, he hopes to deepen the ties between the younger generation and the community, and create a neighborhood where the entire community can support and help each other like a family. It is precisely because Mr. Iwai is able to face himself deeply and carefully communicate with others, and we feel he will be able to realize his grand vision of "creating a community where people can truly live comfortably" in the near future.