In August 2026, Wacom supported the Kids’ Summer Workshop, organized by the nonprofit organization Tsudoi no Kai (Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture; Chairperson: Fumiko Inomata), by hosting a digital drawing workshop for elementary and junior high school students.

Tsudoi no Kai is an organization that operates the KISAI Children＆Family Food Pantry and the Children’s Community Cafeteria KITCHEN WAGURU in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The organization provides a wide range of support for the community, with a focus on children and families raising children.

This digital drawing workshop was held as part of an event that also included a children’s community cafeteria. A total of seven students participated, including three elementary school students and four junior high school students. Divided into two sessions, the students freely created digital artwork using the Wacom MovinkPad 11 portable pads.

Many of the participants already enjoyed drawing in their daily lives. After quickly learning how to use the device and app, they remained deeply focused on their creations until the end of the session. One student experimented with layer transparency after seeing an artist use the technique in a video, while another told us, “I’d always wanted to try painting in a thick-paint style.” Their enthusiasm reflected a strong interest in digital drawing.

After the first session, the children participating in the second session also arrived, and the children’s community cafeteria began. In addition to salads and soup prepared in the kitchen, “Kids' Bento” meals donated by OHSHO FOOD SERVICE CORP. were served. With their stomachs and hearts warmed by the meal, some of the children from the first session asked, “Can we keep drawing?” and continued enjoying their creative work right up until the second session began.

At the end of each session, participants had time to share their work, introducing what they had created and talking about the parts they found challenging and the things they had worked hard on. In the first session, many participants carefully focused on creating detailed line art. In contrast, the second session was particularly memorable for the vibrant works that were created using rich colors. 

For both the children who regularly spend time together at Kazo Children’s Community Plaza COCOKARA and those meeting for the first time, the event provided an opportunity to deepen their connections through creativity and a shared meal.

The initiative began with Wacom’s donation of emergency supplies. Because Wacom’s headquarters is located in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture in Japan (*), when the company replenished its emergency stockpile, the Kazo City Childcare Support Division introduced us to the Kazo City Council of Organizations Supporting Children and Families, Children’s Cafeterias and Food Pantries. Through this introduction, we learned about the initiatives taking place at the Council’s community hub, Kazo Children’s Community Plaza COCOKARA. Discussions about the potential collaboration eventually led to the digital drawing workshop.

*Information current as of September 2026.

We also received the following comments about the event from Zenichi Shimada, Secretary General of the Kazo Child & Family Support Food Pantry and Chair of the Kazo City Council of Organizations Supporting Children and Families, Children’s Cafeterias and Food Pantries:

“The children showed great interest in the digital drawing device they were using for the first time and became completely absorbed in their creative work. We also heard many comments such as, “I want to draw more” and “I want to try this at home,” which showed that their motivation to engage in creative activities had grown even stronger.

For the children, this was a valuable opportunity to encounter a new world of creative expression. To help connect this enthusiasm to their future learning, we have decided to introduce the Wacom MovinkPad 11 portable pads at our community space. We hope to continue supporting initiatives that contribute to the learning and growth of children.”

Wacom will continue to value its connections with local communities and create new opportunities by leveraging Wacom’s instruments and technologies. Through drawing and writing, we hope to nurture initiatives that expand the possibilities available to children and local communities.

Artworks created by the participants. We hope they will come back to Kazo Children’s Community Plaza COCOKARA to continue drawing.

About the Kids' Summer Workshop
The Kids’ Summer Workshop is an annual event organized by the nonprofit organization Tsudoi no Kai, with support from the Kazo City Board of Education, the Kazo City Social Welfare Council, and the Kazo City Council of Organizations Supporting Children and Families, Children’s Cafeterias and Food Pantries. The event is open to elementary and junior high school students in Kazo City and offers activities during the summer vacation, including learning support, a children’s community cafeteria and art experiences.

The Kazo City Council of Organizations Supporting Children and Families, Children’s Cafeterias and Food Pantries, of which Tsudoi no Kai—including the KISAI Children＆Family Food Pantry and the Children’s Community Cafeteria KITCHEN WAGURU—is also a member, was established as Saitama Prefecture’s first community-based network in to connect organizations operating children’s community cafeterias and food pantries across organizational boundaries. Eight children’s cafeteria organizations and six food pantry organizations in the city bring together their respective strengths to provide children with safe and welcoming spaces and support families raising children. Working together with local government, businesses, and residents, the Council carries out a variety of activities aimed at building a new collaborative child and family support network based on the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Council’s activity hub, which also served as the venue for this event, is Kazo Children’s Community Plaza COCOKARA. The facility was established with support from the Saitama Prefecture Regional Network Support Program for Children’s Spaces, adopted in September 2023, and in cooperation with the Kazo City Children and Family Affairs Department. The name “COCOKARA” expresses the hope that this will be a place where each child’s individuality and potential can grow joyfully, and where seeds that lead to learning, growth, and dreams can begin to sprout.