JAPAN: Free Paper Targets Baby Boomers

OSAKA(Yomiuri Shimbun), February 4, 2008: A free paper called Gaya Gaya, published by the Setagaya Ward Office in Tokyo, is becoming popular among its target audience of middle-aged and senior citizens--people who had previously had little time for community activities. The newspaper features information on volunteer activities and shopping malls, among other things, and aims to encourage baby boomers to participate in community activities. According to the ward, it has distributed about 40,000 copies of the first edition since publishing it in December. Many readers applied to participate in volunteer activities after reading the paper, indicating that the publication has got off to a good start. Those involved in the publication of the newspaper are volunteers aged 55 or older who are well placed to understand the feelings of middle-aged and elderly people. The writers and editors are ward residents selected after an open recruitment. They started preparing for publication in September, and decided to make it a free newspaper to be distributed on the street and in other places. They are also responsible for planning and interviews for the newspaper, which carries information on lectures and events in which ward residents can participate. The "Ikigai sagashi" (Seeking Motivation in Life) section carries information on volunteer activities, including visiting care facilities with one's dog, spending time with elderly people, and going for walks with people with dementia--all the kind of activities that anyone can take part in. Also included are enjoyable events such as making a bonfire for children. An unexpectedly high number of people applied to teach Japanese language and culture to foreign residents in the ward. A civic group in the ward, which dispatches "teachers" to foreign residents living in the ward upon request, has received calls from people offering their services after it was introduced by the paper. "It seems elderly people are very interested in volunteer activities," a ward office official said. By Takashi Oki, Staff Writer © The Yomiuri Shimbun.