Safeguarding as the bedrock of learning: Stecher & Maschke’s JSCV 2025 special lecture (Tokyo).

At the Japanese Society of Children’s Verse (JSCV; whose Japanese name literally means “Japanese Society for After-School Studies”) 2nd Annual Conference—Taisho University, Tokyo; May 24–25, 2025—Professors Ludwig Stecher (University of Giessen) and Sabine Maschke (University of Marburg) presented an invited lecture entitled “An Effective Learning Environment is a Safe Learning Environment — Educational Spaces Need Protection and Prevention.” Founded in 2022, JSCV brought together approximately 220 participants over the two days of its second annual conference. The session, coordinated by Prof. Fuyuko Kanefuji (Bunkyo University), gathered researchers, practitioners, and policy actors focused on building safer and more effective school learning environments.

The speakers framed safeguarding as foundational to educational quality: when prevention and protection are weak, learning conditions deteriorate and risks—including sexualized violence, harassment, and other boundary violations—rise. Drawing on current research, they emphasized that safeguarding must be embedded both organizationally—through clear policies, reporting pathways, staff training, and multi-agency cooperation—and pedagogically—through age-appropriate awareness, attention to student voice, and restorative responses.

Adopting a cross-national perspective on Germany and Japan, Professors Stecher and Maschke identified common challenges such as under-reporting, role ambiguity, and uneven training. They also pointed to practical responses, including standardized procedures, continuous professional development, and school-wide cultures of trust and accountability that enable timely support and effective prevention. Participants noted that the session offered a valuable opportunity to learn about the current landscape of safeguarding in German schools and to examine challenges shared by both countries, and it concluded with a lively, constructive Q&A.

This special lecture embodies JSCV’s and GELYDA’s shared commitment to advancing safe, inclusive, and developmentally rich learning environments for children and youth through international exchange.

Click here for access to presentation slides

Related: JSCV news (Japanese).

Audience engaging in Q&A with Prof. Sabine Maschke and Prof. Ludwig Stecher after the lecture. JSCV 2025, Tokyo.

From left: Ludwig Stecher (Prof., University of Giessen), Sabine Maschke (Prof., University of Marburg), Fuyuko Kanefuji (Prof., Bunkyo University). Event: Special lecture at the JSCV 2025 Annual Conference, Taisho University, Tokyo.

From left: Yuno Takeuchi (Representative Director of JSCV), Isana Nakayama (Vice Representative Director of JSCV), Fuyuko Kanefuji (Prof., Bunkyo University), Sabine Maschke (Prof., University of Marburg), Kazu Furukawa (President of National Institution for Youth Education: NIYE, Japan),Ludwig Stecher (Prof., University of Giessen), Ryoji Koyama (Secretary General of JSCV), Toyoko Mizusawa (President Office/Associate Director of NIYE)
Event: Special lecture at the JSCV 2025 Annual Conference, Taisho University, Tokyo.