Hidden in Plain Sight - The Reality of "Absent Role Models" in Rural Schools
As an Entrepreneurship Ambassador for Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), I've had numerous opportunities to visit elementary and junior high schools to give talks. Being from the Kansai region, I primarily visit schools in that area. Motivated by a desire to contribute to children's futures, I actively travel to remote schools, sometimes spending more than three hours each way from Tokyo. I've realized that even a short 45-minute lecture can have an immeasurable impact when children directly witness my enthusiasm and hear about my real-world experiences as an entrepreneur. This "face-to-face transmission of energy" offers a value that simply cannot be replicated online.
Through these activities, I've become aware of a serious challenge commonly faced by rural schools. During preliminary meetings, almost every school expresses the same concern: the "absence of role models." Most children living in rural areas have parents and surrounding adults who work as company employees or civil servants, making it difficult for them to envision alternative career paths. Teachers express this poignantly: "Children cannot imagine careers beyond what they see in the adults around them."
In conversations with teachers and principals lasting nearly an hour before and after my talks, I've felt the depth of this problem. What superficially appears to be a request for "a talk about how work can be enjoyable" actually reflects a structural issue affecting the entire regional community. Children can only envision "possible futures" based on the adults they see around them. This is truly a situation of "missing what's right under one's nose" (hidden in plain sight). The diverse possibilities that should be visible remain obscured.
I myself grew up in a small elementary school with only 17 classmates. As someone from rural Kyoto, I personally understand this "limitation of perspective." The turning point in my life came when I heard a talk by a senior entrepreneur during my time at a technical college (kosen). Until then, entrepreneurship didn't exist as an option in my world. However, hearing from a senior who had succeeded as an entrepreneur from a similar background made me think, "Maybe I could do this too." In that moment, my perception of possibility changed from "0% to 1%." That's why I feel such a sense of mission in my current role as an Entrepreneurship Ambassador.
My Career Perspective Expansion Process
Limited Choices
Small school with only 17 classmates. Surrounding adults were mainly company employees or civil servants, limiting career options
Possibility from 0% to 1%
Heard a senior entrepreneur's lecture and first recognized that 'entrepreneurship might be an option for me too'
Expanding Possibilities
Participation in entrepreneurship training courses helped me recognize starting a business as a concrete career path
Path to Entrepreneurship
Founded Kikagaku. Started a mission to expand human potential through education
Bridge to the Next Generation
As an Entrepreneurship Ambassador, I'm now in a position to provide rural children with the same 'awareness of possibility' that I received
Observing the reactions of children during my talks, I can sense that similar changes are occurring in them. For these children, the mere fact that someone from a similar rural background can succeed as an entrepreneur is a fresh discovery. The live voice speaking before them becomes a catalyst that opens the door to the "maybe I could do it too" possibility. I continued giving talks until just before my child was born because I felt this tangible impact.
At the same time, from the perspective of reaching more children with these possibilities, there's still room for further development in the current activities. "Scaling education" is a theme I've consistently addressed as an entrepreneur. Models that rely on individual energy have constraints in terms of physical reach, time, and sustainability.
To deliver "possibilities" to children more broadly and deeply, we need to build mechanisms that amplify individual energy while leveraging it. This isn't simply about "improving lectures" but about a strategic approach to fundamentally changing educational disparities in rural areas.
Understanding Root Causes: Why is the Rural Role Model Problem So Difficult to Solve?
The shortage of role models in rural areas is not a random phenomenon but results from multiple intertwined structural factors. Without understanding these root causes, we cannot find sustainable solutions.
The Vicious Cycle of Regional Economic Structure and Talent Outflow
Rural economies tend to be highly dependent on specific existing industries or public institutions, creating a structure where new businesses struggle to emerge. According to a survey by the Japan Finance Corporation, entrepreneurial interest among young people (ages 18-29) has been declining nationwide over the long term, reaching a record low in 20211. This trend is even more pronounced in rural areas.
Another major factor is talent outflow. Many motivated young people raised in rural areas move to urban areas for education or employment and end up settling there. Even if they have entrepreneurial spirit, they tend to start businesses in urban areas where business opportunities, networks, and funding are more favorable. As a result, there are few young entrepreneurs remaining in rural communities to serve as "relatable adult role models" for the next generation of children.
Limitations in Educational Settings
During school visits, I've felt keenly aware of the lack of understanding about entrepreneurship education in educational settings. Preliminary discussions often include vague requests like "please talk about how work can be fun." This indicates that teachers themselves don't understand the essence of entrepreneurship (not just company establishment, but a broader mindset and skill set).
Children also have limited opportunities to develop entrepreneurial spirit through regular classes. With underdeveloped curricula and teaching materials, there's high dependence on external speakers, resulting in one-off events. Most importantly, if teachers themselves don't fully understand the value of diverse career paths or entrepreneurial spirit, it becomes difficult to convey these concepts through daily educational activities.
The Wall of Sustainability
My own experience clearly reveals the fundamental sustainability problem with the current format of "notable figures visiting rural schools." Traveling more than three hours each way from Tokyo to deliver a 45-minute lecture is difficult to maintain in the long run from a time-to-impact perspective.
The Ministry of Education's Entrepreneurship Ambassador program includes 55 people nationwide, but considering the number of schools across Japan, it's physically impossible to cover them all. Moreover, while there is a stipulated honorarium for this activity, it's of a completely different magnitude from the speaking fees typically commanded by business leaders, making it essentially volunteer work. Therefore, there are significant challenges in terms of economic sustainability.
We also need to consider the impact of these talks on children. Even if a single lecture changes their perception of possibility from "0 to 1%," without continuous support to move from "1% to 10%" and toward concrete action, the impact is likely to remain a temporary inspiration.
Design Principles for Sustainable Role Model Provision
Developing a sustainable solution to this problem requires a strategic approach that considers the entire system, not just isolated measures. Based on insights gained from analyzing domestic and international case studies, along with my practical experience, I'd like to propose design principles for providing role models.
Learning from Successful Cases in Japan and Abroad
Looking overseas, there are multiple sustainable programs targeting young people in rural or socioeconomically disadvantaged situations, providing connections with entrepreneurs and fostering entrepreneurial spirit. For example, the "Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)" in the United States offers programs that integrate entrepreneurship education into school curricula for young people in low-income areas2.
These successful cases share the following common elements:
- Diverse Funding Sources: Rather than depending on a single funding source, they ensure financial stability through multiple pillars such as government grants, corporate sponsorships, and foundation support
- Integration with Local Communities: Actively involving local business owners, chambers of commerce, universities, etc. as mentors and advisors to create a structure where the entire community nurtures young people
- Connection Between Inspiration and Practice: Integrated provision of encounters with role models (inspiration), skill development, mentoring, and practical opportunities (such as business plan creation and competitions)
- Building Long-term Relationships: Providing ongoing engagement rather than one-off events to create deeper impact
Balancing Technology and Human Connection
Technology is a powerful tool for overcoming geographical and temporal constraints, but it cannot completely replace the empathy and transmission of enthusiasm that comes from direct human interaction. The optimal solution is to balance these two elements.
From my experience running an AI education business, I've come to deeply appreciate the importance of balancing "openness" and "expertise." The foundational aspects can be delivered openly and widely utilizing technology, while adding human expertise and value on top. This principle can be applied to role model provision as well.
For example, as I discussed in Designing a Society of Teaching and Learning, roles are fluid in professional environments, where even new employees naturally find themselves teaching seniors in certain knowledge domains. This multi-directional knowledge transfer can be incorporated into rural education. Online platforms can provide contact with diverse role models, regional hubs can create spaces for intensive face-to-face interaction, and schools can integrate these elements into daily learning.
Integrated Approach Through a Three-Tier Structure
Based on the principles outlined above, I'd like to propose a specific strategy for sustainably providing role models to children in rural areas: an integrated approach through a three-tier structure. This method leverages the strengths of each level through coordination at the national, regional, and school levels.
Collaboration Model Between National Platform and Regional Hubs
First, establish a national-level digital platform that includes the following elements:
- Digital Library of Diverse Role Models: Database of interview videos, case studies, etc. featuring role models with various backgrounds (regions, industries, levels of success). Collect diverse examples that children can relate to, including those from rural origins, small business owners, social entrepreneurs, etc.
- Online Lectures and Q&A Sessions: A system allowing prominent role models to lecture multiple schools simultaneously in real-time, enabling interaction that transcends geographical constraints.
- Learning Resources and Curriculum: Provision of teaching materials, lesson plans, workshop designs, and other resources that teachers and regional mentors can utilize.
- Coordination Function with Regional Hubs: Interface that seamlessly connects the national platform with regional activities.
Next, establish regional-level hub functions:
- Discovering and Activating Regional Role Models: Identify and catalog diverse professionals, entrepreneurs, creators, etc. active in the region. Make visible the human resources that have been "hidden in plain sight" within the region.
- Providing Face-to-Face Mentoring and Practical Opportunities: Create environments where inspiration gained online can be connected to practice. Project-based learning addressing regional issues, business idea contests, etc.
- Spaces for Building Continuous Relationships: Mechanisms for maintaining regular contact rather than one-time events. After-school programs, weekend activities, etc.
Teacher Empowerment and Curriculum Integration
At the school level, teacher empowerment and curriculum integration are key.
- Teacher Training Programs: Providing opportunities to learn about the essence of entrepreneurship education, how to utilize role models, and how to leverage external resources.
- Integration into Existing Curriculum: Naturally incorporating entrepreneurial spirit development elements into integrated studies periods, social studies, career education, etc.
- Designing Everyday Engagement: Techniques to continuously relate external stimuli to daily educational activities rather than ending with one-off events.
By organically connecting these three tiers, we can overcome the "hidden in plain sight" situation and show rural children diverse possibilities. What's needed isn't a single solution but a compound approach that combines digital and real, national and regional, event and daily life.
Building a Regional Ecosystem
Particularly important within the three-tier structure is building a regional ecosystem. By uncovering and activating diverse human resources dormant within the region, we can create a foundation for sustainable role model provision.
Regional hubs are expected to serve the following functions:
- Discovering Diverse Role Models: Broadly identifying attractive talent within the region. Including diverse occupations and activities beyond just business owners, such as artisans, creators, researchers, social activists, etc.
- Resource Matching: Matching school needs with regional human resources. Connecting appropriate role models at appropriate times.
- Supporting Continuous Relationship Building: Designing and supporting more sustainable engagement beyond one-time lectures, such as mentoring and collaborative projects.
- Connecting Regional Issues with Education: Linking actual issues faced by the region with educational activities, creating practical opportunities for children to contribute to their region.
These functions are ideally carried out through collaboration among various regional entities such as local governments, chambers of commerce, universities, and NPOs. As mentioned in Trust-Building Strategies for Entrepreneurs, a gradual approach is effective in building trust. In relationship building between children and role models as well, it's important to design a progression from light contact to deeper engagement.
Beyond "0% to 1%": Toward a Society that Expands Possibilities for Rural Children
The three-tier approach described above provides a framework for sustainably delivering "awareness of possibilities" to rural children. However, the ultimate goal is to go beyond mere "awareness" to connect with actual behavioral changes and expansion of life choices.
From Short-term Interventions to Long-term System Transformation
The current format of "notable figures visiting schools" has certain value as a short-term intervention. However, what's truly needed isn't providing temporary inspiration but changing the environment surrounding children.
The true aim of the three-tier approach isn't simply "importing" role models from outside, but creating a cycle where regional communities themselves can produce and maintain diverse role models. This is a system transformation based on a long-term perspective and cannot be achieved overnight. However, this direction is essential for creating sustainable change.
What Each Individual Can Do
While transforming the entire system may seem grandiose, there's much that individuals can do:
- Adults Active in the Region: Give back to local children by sharing your experiences and knowledge. Even investing one hour on weekends for dialogue with children can have a significant impact.
- Educators: While actively utilizing external resources, incorporate diverse career path perspectives into daily educational activities. Value children's "why" and "how" questions.
- Administration and Support Organizations: Support the creation of three-tier platforms and provide institutional and financial backing to establish them as sustainable mechanisms.
As an entrepreneur from a rural background myself, I've been serving as a "possibility bridge" through my activities as an Entrepreneurship Ambassador. However, redesigning the system is necessary to expand this activity in a sustainable manner. I feel it's time to work on creating mechanisms that bring about sustainable change rather than temporary inspiration.
What We Should Address Now for the Next Generation
Efforts to expand possibilities for rural children are important investments that will shape Japan's future. Amid population decline and concentration in Tokyo, enhancing creativity and vitality in rural areas is directly linked to the sustainability of the entire nation.
We should focus particularly on:
- Building a National Digital Platform: Developing infrastructure that democratizes access to diverse role models and provides contact that transcends geographical constraints
- Forming Regional Hub Networks: Creating centers throughout Japan that activate regional resources and develop activities tailored to regional characteristics
- Teacher Training and Educational System Integration: Developing teachers who can effectively utilize external resources and creating educational environments that nurture entrepreneurial spirit on a daily basis
The change in possibility perception from "0% to 1%" that I experienced became a major turning point in my life. I want to work together to build a sustainable role model provision mechanism to create a society where each child in rural areas has such opportunities.
