Yicheng Commonweal in Action: Empowering Volunteers to Become Future Organizers and Leaders

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Yicheng · Nov 19, 2024
At Yicheng Commonweal, we are dedicated to continuous exploration and innovation. Our volunteers share a deep sense of social responsibility and a strong capacity for personal and spiritual growth. Here, volunteers contribute to our cause through their actions while developing the ability to drive social progress. We aim to transform volunteers into future organizers and […]

At Yicheng Commonweal, we are dedicated to continuous exploration and innovation. Our volunteers share a deep sense of social responsibility and a strong capacity for personal and spiritual growth. Here, volunteers contribute to our cause through their actions while developing the ability to drive social progress.

We aim to transform volunteers into future organizers and leaders, empowering every volunteer to grow through service. Their contributions extend beyond temporary aid, focusing on cultivating a lasting culture of public service and enriching the values of social and cultural advancement.

I. Transforming Volunteer Roles: From Helpers to Organizers and Leaders

 

In traditional volunteer activities, volunteers often play supporting roles, ensuring the smooth execution of events and successful completion of tasks. However, in today’s world, many young people are driven by an inner desire to explore their capabilities and push their boundaries. They want more than just involvement—they seek personal growth and meaningful accomplishments. We believe that volunteer service should transcend the notion of “helping others” and evolve into a journey that ignites passion and creativity in life. Through volunteering, they not only serve others but also shape themselves, transforming their volunteer experiences into stepping stones for the future.

Yicheng Commonweal aims to empower volunteers with greater initiative and a stronger sense of responsibility, transforming them from “helpers” who complete tasks into “organizers and leaders” who can plan, manage, and lead projects. We encourage our volunteers to not just contribute through actions but explore various roles based on their personal interests. In the process of planning and executing projects, they strengthen their skills, cultivate outstanding organizational and leadership qualities, and take on the responsibility of inspiring and guiding others. Through their efforts, they motivate more people to engage and spark a wider enthusiasm for social participation.

This shift in roles allows volunteers to continue growing while driving public welfare toward greater professionalism and sustainability, ultimately creating a lasting, positive influence on society.

II. Four Key Elements for Cultivating Volunteer Organizational and Leadership Skills

 

1. Building Team Cohesion and Collaboration Skills

Volunteers come from diverse cultural and regional backgrounds, each bringing unique values and behaviors. As future leaders and organizers, they must learn how to bring people together and strengthen teamwork. Yicheng Commonweal focuses on developing volunteers’ communication and empathy, enabling them to unite team members, leverage their strengths, and create a collaborative, high-performing team.

2. Providing Space for Growth and Innovation

Yicheng Commonweal offers volunteers opportunities for personal growth, allowing them to continuously improve through hands-on experience. By giving volunteers more authority and responsibility, they are able to take on tasks of varying levels, developing problem-solving and teamwork skills. Through this process, they gradually evolve into proactive leaders with strong leadership abilities.

3. Advocating for Values of Social Good

Volunteers play a dual role as both contributors and advocates of community service. Through their actions, they promote principles like mutual support, responsibility, and equality, planting the seeds of compassion and service in society. By embodying these values in their words and actions, volunteers inspire others to embrace charity and public service, elevating social awareness and driving progress in civilization.

4. The Ability to Proactively Drive Initiatives

In public welfare work, organizations often face challenges such as limited resources and insufficient support. This requires volunteers to adopt a proactive mindset, taking the initiative to advance projects and ensure the sustainability of public welfare efforts. While this task can be challenging and demanding, it is also an opportunity to create real social value and enhance personal capabilities.

Yicheng Commonweal fully trusts in the potential of its volunteers, encouraging them to harness their initiative and actively contribute to the growth and improvement of public welfare endeavors.

III. Creating a Lasting Impact on Society 

 

Volunteers’ organizational abilities have far-reaching effects, not only shaping individual projects but also driving the evolution of social progress. By taking responsibility and inspiring others, they integrate public welfare values into communities, organizations, companies, and society as a whole.

Yicheng Commonweal’s volunteers prove that public welfare is a shared responsibility, not limited to organizations. By promoting a “participation for all, benefits for all” approach, we foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of public welfare values in society.

IV. The Three Development Stages of Yicheng Commonweal and Support for Volunteers

Yicheng Commonweal is divided into three branches: Commonweal Research Center, Commonweal Union, and Economy Entity. These branches represent three distinct development stages, offering volunteers practical experience, fostering their growth, and providing a platform to develop into future leaders.

1. Public Welfare Research Center

 

At its early phase, Yicheng Commonweal established the Commonweal Research Center, focusing on studying and analyzing various social issues to propose innovative and sustainable solutions. By exploring paths to happiness, civilization, and long-term well-being, the center provides a strong theoretical foundation for the organization and society. It also equips volunteers with essential knowledge through theory-based learning and research.

2. Commonweal Union

Building on research outcomes, Yicheng Commonweal established the Commonweal Union to translate insights into action. By integrating volunteer services with social resources and collaborating with other organizations, the Union creates an extensive public welfare network that applies research findings to real-world challenges.

The Commonweal Union provides volunteers with a dynamic platform to practice and grow, helping them transform theoretical knowledge into actionable initiatives that promote global cultural exchange and social progress. This collaboration between volunteers and the welfare network is mutually supportive and ever-expanding, enabling the volunteer teams to grow without limits. The Union not only serves as a growth framework for volunteers but also amplifies the societal impact of their actions.

3. Commonweal Economy

As the Commonweal Union expands, Yicheng Commonweal aims to develop the Commonweal Economy by integrating public welfare with social and economic development. The goal is to create sustainable business models and economic networks aligned with welfare objectives, offering tangible financial support to volunteers and community members.

This stage involves the establishment of social enterprises to ensure the continuous flow of resources into our charity. Volunteers transition from participants to leaders of societal progress, with opportunities to grow into successful entrepreneurs and innovators, contributing to both public good and economic vitality.

Conclusion

Yicheng Commonweal remains committed to empowering volunteers to become the organizers and leaders of tomorrow through continuous action and innovation. Here, volunteers evolve from performing basic tasks to leading impactful initiatives, from helping others to guiding teams, and ultimately becoming influential forces for societal progress. Their dedication not only advances the cause of public welfare but also brings hope and vitality to the future of society. Moving forward, these volunteers will leverage their strengthened organizational and leadership skills to guide society toward greater unity and harmony.

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The burden of livelihood in childhood: the hidden crisis of Confucian education in modern East Asia

The burden of livelihood in childhood: the hidden crisis of Confucian education in modern East Asia

Kishou · Jul 2, 2025

Introduction: A hidden disease at the heart of civilization On the surface, Confucian-influenced societies such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore appear to embody a successful Eastern model of modern civilization—orderly, safe, and built upon a tightly run education system. But beneath this polished exterior lies a deep, systemic fracture in their civilizational foundation: an […]

幼少期の生存競争という禍:近代東アジア儒教社会における教育の見えざる閉塞と文明的リスク

幼少期の生存競争という禍:近代東アジア儒教社会における教育の見えざる閉塞と文明的リスク

Kishou · Jul 2, 2025

序章:文明の奥底に潜む静かな病巣 表面的には、日本、韓国、シンガポールといった東アジアの儒教文化圏諸国は、社会秩序が保たれ、治安も良好で、教育制度も整備されており、現代文明の「東洋型モデル」として称賛されている。しかし、この整然とした外観の裏には、長期的かつ構造的な文明の陥没とも言える「幼少期の生存競争型教育」という深刻な問題が潜んでいる。 この現象は、近代以降の国家建設と産業化の過程において、儒教文化が功利主義的かつ階層的・服従的に利用されたことに起因する。子どもたちは人格が未発達のうちから、生存競争や現実的成果を求められ、「夢見る権利」や「探求する自由」を奪われ、最終的には制度社会の「効率的なツール」として機能するよう仕向けられていく。 一、東アジア儒教社会における幼年期生存競争教育の構造的メカニズム 1. 近代国家建設中の制度化、早期社会化 日本、韓国、シンガポールは、19世紀末から20世紀後半にかけて相次いで産業化と国家統治の近代化を果たした。秩序に従う労働力と服従的な国民の育成を目的に、教育制度は「規律への順応と秩序への適応」の訓練場へと変質した。 幼稚園からすでに「自立」「内務の整理」「集団責任の分担」が求められ、小学校では「集団責任制度」「序列評価」「服従教育」が徹底される。教育の目的は人格の成熟ではなく、「いかに早く社会に適応するか」にある。 2. 功利的で階層主義的な価値観の支配 東アジア儒教文化圏は古くから「勝敗」「功名」「出世」を重んじる風土があり、近代化においてその傾向はさらに強化された。学業成績、行動評価、集団内での規則遵守など、数値化された比較が教育の中心となり、「他人に迷惑をかけるな」「足を引っ張るな」「家族の名誉のために頑張れ」という価値観が子どもに植えつけられる。 個人の夢や興味、創造性は「無駄なこと」とされ、社会で通用する唯一の通行証は「生存能力」となった。 3. 家庭・学校・社会による三重の包囲網 伝統的な儒教の「家族責任観」と近代国家の統治目標が融合し、「家庭—学校—社会」による三重の圧力システムが形成された。 家庭では子どもが「家の未来を担う存在」「名誉の象徴」とされ、教育は「投資」となる。学校は選別と従属を促す場となり、社会は絶え間ない競争の舞台となる。「名門校へ行け」「大企業に入れ」「安定した収入を得ろ」といった教えが幼少期から刷り込まれ、精神の発達や内面的成長の余地はほぼ失われている。教育は生き残り競争の装置と化している。 二、個人レベルにおける深刻な影響 1. 夢見る力と人格の自由の剥奪 本来、幼少期とは空想、好奇心、探求、失敗を通じて人格が発達する時期である。しかし、生存競争型の教育は、子どもに「利益計算」「欲望の抑圧」「リスクの回避」を強制し、「夢を見る力」を徹底的に潰してしまう。 その結果、成人後には物事への無関心、価値観の空洞化、自分自身を探求する意欲の喪失が広く見られる。 2. 感情の抑圧と内面の消耗 「迷惑をかけるな」「集団を優先せよ」「家の名誉のために尽くせ」といった教育文化の中で、悲しみや怒り、恐怖といった本音の感情を表現することは長くタブーとされてきた。その結果、東アジアの若者たちは感情表現が極端に苦手になり、強迫的なワーカホリック、対人恐怖、引きこもり傾向、そして「社畜文化」や「孤独死」といった現象が生まれている。 日本・韓国・シンガポールはいずれも、先進国の中で若年層の自殺率が高い国として知られている。 3. 自己価値感の欠如と精神的空洞化 他者からの評価に依存しすぎるあまり、内発的な価値感の形成が未熟なまま成長する。結果として、成人後には会社、家族、社会の承認を人生の軸としてしまい、それが崩れたときに自己否定や精神的崩壊に陥りやすい。自分という存在の中身が空っぽになる、いわば「精神的ゾンビ化」が深刻化している。 三、社会構造レベルにおける文明的リスク 1.大規模な「ツール人間化」 「生きるための子ども」を大量に生産することで、彼らは成長後、実行力は高いが創造性に乏しく、価値観も同質化され、制度化された社会の「有能なツール」として機能するようになる。その結果、文明の進化に不可欠な破壊的イノベーションや精神的活力が著しく欠如する。 日本の「社畜文化」、韓国の「過労死経済」、シンガポールの「優秀な社畜現象」はその典型的な表れである。 2.精神文明の衰退と文化の空洞化 実用主義・功利主義的な教育が長年続いたことで、東アジア社会では文化的創造力が低下し、若者はオタク文化、バーチャルアイドル、モバイルゲーム経済、低欲望生活に没頭するようになっている。「文明の空洞化」現象は日増しに深刻化している。 日本と韓国はこの30年間経済が停滞し、文化的ソフトパワーも衰退。シンガポールでは若年層のうつ傾向が増加しており、いずれも「幼年期の生存競争型教育」が精神文明の活力を蝕んだ結果である。 四、文明進化の観点から見る構造的危機 「完全公民制度」には、心の信念による内なる尊厳と、文明的信念による外的秩序の両輪が必要である。その進歩は、夢を持ち、創造し、時に反抗する人々によって支えられており、単なる従属者では成り立たない。 儒教文化圏社会が今後も子どもを早期から「生存のための機械」として育て続ければ、表面的な安定と秩序を保つことはできても、文明進化の原動力を失ってしまう。 過去30年、日本・韓国における経済イノベーション力の低下や、文化的影響力の減衰も、まさにこの延長線上にある。「夢見る者」がいなければ、文明はやがて「安定化 → 保守化 → 硬直化 → 退化」の道をたどるだろう。 五、文明型社会との比較 北欧諸国(スウェーデン、フィンランド、ノルウェー)における教育制度は、以下の価値を堅持している: これらの国々は、イノベーション力、幸福度、青少年のメンタルヘルス、社会的信頼水準において、東アジア儒教文化圏をはるかに上回っており、現代文明型社会の模範とされている。 六、東アジア儒教文化圏社会における文明的自救の道 子どもは「生きるため」だけを学ぶ存在ではない。真の教育とは、生存に必要な基本スキルを超えて、「夢を見ること」「問いを持つこと」「探求すること」「反骨精神」「限界の突破」といった生命本能を守る営みである。東アジア儒教文化圏が文明の停滞、創造性の衰退、精神的危機から脱却するには、次のような改革が不可欠である: さもなくば、「生きるための子ども」を量産し続ける東アジア文明は、「ぬるま湯で茹でられるカエル」のように静かに衰退し、夢も文化的生命力も失った「安定した文明の遺骸」と化すことになるだろう。 七、用語解説 幼年期生存志向型教育(Early Livelihood-oriented Education) […]

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