NEWS
Koizumi visits elementary school in his hometown
On the 24th, Yoshio Koizumi visited Saitama City Tokiwakita Elementary School, an elementary school in her hometown, and as the "Reds Teacher," gave a lesson to sixth grade students on the theme of "Dreams."
"Reds Sensei" is a class where players use their own experiences to teach students about the importance of having dreams and working hard towards those goals, as well as the importance of family and friends who support them in making those dreams come true. This initiative, which began with a visit to an elementary school in 2010, was held for the 35th time this year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, classes were temporarily held online, but have now returned to face-to-face interaction and are continuing.
When Koizumi appeared in the gymnasium at the students' invitation, he was greeted with applause from the 42 sixth graders. Taking to the stage as "Mr. Yoshio," Koizumi spoke to the students about his dreams and how he has lived his life working towards them, based on a "dream timeline" that he himself had written. He talked about how he had the same dream from when he started playing soccer as a child until he graduated from university, and about the hardships he faced in middle and high school. He said, "Whether you have a dream or are looking to find one, it's important to know yourself well and follow your heart in order to find your dream."
In response to a question from a child asking, "What's the best thing about playing soccer?" he answered, "There have been many fun and happy moments while playing soccer. When I'm working hard towards my dreams, there are many times when I feel more pain than enjoyment. But quitting soccer was never an option. I'm happy when I get results in soccer, but the moments when I feel like I've grown as a person are the happiest things about playing soccer."
After that, he talked about his dreams for the future and then deepened his relationship with the children by passing a soccer ball around with them.
Addressing the children who participated in the class, Koizumi said, "Having a dream may seem easy, but it is actually difficult. Some of you may not be able to find your dream for the next 10 or 20 years, but I don't think you need to think about it too hard. The most important thing is to "know yourself well." By knowing yourself well, you will be able to see the person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live, and I think that will naturally lead to your dreams. Try many different things, and even if you fail, I want you to keep trying new things." The class ended with everyone taking a commemorative photo.
Afterwards, Koizumi handed out autographed clear files and player cards to each child as they left the gymnasium, seeing the sixth graders off.
After the children had left, he made an announcement over the school's internal PA system and went around greeting all the students, starting with the first-grade classrooms, and interacted with many of the children by high-fiving them.
The players' visits to elementary schools are conducted for the children of their hometown, based on the Urawa Reds philosophy of "contributing to the healthy development of young people as members of society." By interacting with local children, the players can feel closer to the club and the players, and the players can continue to send messages that give children dreams, hope, and courage.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
"Reds Sensei" is a class where players use their own experiences to teach students about the importance of having dreams and working hard towards those goals, as well as the importance of family and friends who support them in making those dreams come true. This initiative, which began with a visit to an elementary school in 2010, was held for the 35th time this year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, classes were temporarily held online, but have now returned to face-to-face interaction and are continuing.
When Koizumi appeared in the gymnasium at the students' invitation, he was greeted with applause from the 42 sixth graders. Taking to the stage as "Mr. Yoshio," Koizumi spoke to the students about his dreams and how he has lived his life working towards them, based on a "dream timeline" that he himself had written. He talked about how he had the same dream from when he started playing soccer as a child until he graduated from university, and about the hardships he faced in middle and high school. He said, "Whether you have a dream or are looking to find one, it's important to know yourself well and follow your heart in order to find your dream."
In response to a question from a child asking, "What's the best thing about playing soccer?" he answered, "There have been many fun and happy moments while playing soccer. When I'm working hard towards my dreams, there are many times when I feel more pain than enjoyment. But quitting soccer was never an option. I'm happy when I get results in soccer, but the moments when I feel like I've grown as a person are the happiest things about playing soccer."
After that, he talked about his dreams for the future and then deepened his relationship with the children by passing a soccer ball around with them.
Addressing the children who participated in the class, Koizumi said, "Having a dream may seem easy, but it is actually difficult. Some of you may not be able to find your dream for the next 10 or 20 years, but I don't think you need to think about it too hard. The most important thing is to "know yourself well." By knowing yourself well, you will be able to see the person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live, and I think that will naturally lead to your dreams. Try many different things, and even if you fail, I want you to keep trying new things." The class ended with everyone taking a commemorative photo.
Afterwards, Koizumi handed out autographed clear files and player cards to each child as they left the gymnasium, seeing the sixth graders off.
After the children had left, he made an announcement over the school's internal PA system and went around greeting all the students, starting with the first-grade classrooms, and interacted with many of the children by high-fiving them.
The players' visits to elementary schools are conducted for the children of their hometown, based on the Urawa Reds philosophy of "contributing to the healthy development of young people as members of society." By interacting with local children, the players can feel closer to the club and the players, and the players can continue to send messages that give children dreams, hope, and courage.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
