JOEE to Japan - English for At-Risk Children

Joyful Opportunity English Education began five years ago in 2019 with the vision of teaching English to young children growing up in orphanages. Our target participant age group was two to eight years of age. Young children are already in an intensive language-learning stage of their lives, so acquiring a new language at an early age is a natural activity for them.

JOEE is bringing its free English classes to children in seven different orphanages in Japan with the hope that this opportunity will bolster their confidence in language learning and strengthen their ability to connect with responsible adults from a variety of cultures. Eventually, these qualities will help the youth from orphanages find fulfilling and sustainable work when they launch out on their own at age eighteen.

Although our main focus continues to be early years education, recently JOEE has been receiving more requests from older youth who reside in care facilities. Students from sixteen to eighteen years of age begin to think seriously about their future. They begin to plan for their lives outside of the care institution that has sheltered them. Many of these youth understand that being able to speak English greatly increases their opportunities for employment in Japan and around the world.

JOEE volunteers have begun teaching more one-on-one English tutoring classes with older teens who are looking ahead to their job prospects. Some of our students have gone on to college, even majoring in English. One student intends to become an English teacher in Japan, so he is working very hard and concentrating on accurate English-language pronunciation. We believe that all of these children deserve a bright and exciting future. We hope that you will help to support JOEE in any way that you can.

Links:

• JOEE's Homepage
• JOEE's Facebook Page
• Free JOEE English Lesson on YouTube!