A Study on the Institute For Educational Leadership (IFEL) for Youth Leaders and its Effects

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The Institute For Educational Leadership (IFEL) was carried out eight times during 1948 and 1952. The Youth Leaders Courses were provided four times in 1948.49 and 50. IFEL courses have given great impacts to the post-War Japanese adult education and youth service. Because of the militalistic youth policy in 1930s and early 40s. most of the youth leaders had no idea of democratic way of youth work. The group work method was introduced during the IFEL courses, and they first understand how to lead group discussion and manage youth groups democratically. Group work method was relatively easily accepted by Western rooted youth organizations such as YMCA and Boy Scouts. But the indigenous Japanese youth association called Seinendan (Young Mens' Association)had difficulty to understand it. Seinendan had roots in rural community in Tokugawa Japan. They organize all of the young people in the same village. Its membership was huge, and the activities were traditional - harvest festivals, sports festivals, fire keeping, etc. Seinendan was forced to contribute to military training in 1930s. The first priority of youth policy by SCAP/GHQ was to dessolve militalistic youth organizations, and create the democratic ones. So the main target for IFEL courses was rural youth leaders of Seinendan. SCAP/GHQ had intended to reorganize the seinendan into the interest group through IFEL courses, but it was failed. The Seinendan invented the new method called 'kyodo gakushu' - cooperative learning. This method includes therapeutic process and learning process through group discussion.The effects of IFEL were not only methods of group management, but also forming coodination groups and associations. The Japanese Social Education Society and the National Council of Youth Organizations in Japan were formed by the IFEL graduates.