Event Report: Education Cooperation Week 2024 [Forum2050 Special Session]

【Education Cooperation Week 2024 Event Report】

At this year’s JICA Education Cooperation Week 2024, Forum2050 held its first-ever event involving all members, under the theme “A Future Where Children from Japan and Around the World Connect and Co-create – What Can We Do to Make This Happen?” This event featured speakers from various backgrounds, regardless of age or profession, and was an interactive session where both in-person and online participants could engage in Q&A. The JICA secretariat praised it as an innovative session, particularly noting the participation of elementary and high school students as speakers, which was unprecedented. They also commented that it provided highly stimulating content for the entire Education Cooperation Week 2024.

〈We would like to share some of the participant survey responses〉

• I thought that when adults and children, and various people come together to think, it might lead to small changes in both Japan and the world. (JICA staff member)
• It was great to hear experiences and thoughts from a range of people, from elementary school students to those involved in international cooperation, all at once. (Government official)
• I wish I had been able to participate in such opportunities since I was a child. As the high school student mentioned, I’ve decided to think about peace as a personal matter from now on. I believe this is something that both the younger generation who will shape the future and the adult generation should work on together. (Government official)
• I thought it was wonderful that the younger generation, including the moderator, ran the event. I felt their initiative and enthusiasm in addressing issues seriously. I found significance in having a space where various generations could discuss on equal terms. (Private sector employee)

On the other hand, there were also opinions such as “It was difficult to participate due to constraints on the timing and duration of the event.” We would like to incorporate these feedback points into the management of future events.

Now, we would like to introduce the session proceedings to you in chronological order.

Elementary to high school members freely expressed their thoughts in their own words

First, there was a joint keynote speech by JICA staff members, Mr. Matsuyama and Mr. Azegami. Both have been in charge of education cooperation and development education for many years, and they passionately spoke about the challenges in the field and the initiatives to overcome them. Next, Mr. Maeda, who is involved in international exchange projects in Yokohama City, gave a lecture on the development and challenges of international cooperation from a local government perspective. Both lectures were convincing, based on practical viewpoints.

The vice representative participating online from Bangladesh provided comments and shared messages from local university students

Next, our organization’s vice representative in Bangladesh spoke about the leadership of local youth and their power to move the country. In Bangladesh, young people are currently leading historic changes. We played a video interview at the venue that captured their real voices. The content was very weighty and profound, particularly regarding how students themselves are taking action on complex issues rooted in historical backgrounds. All participants in the venue watched with serious expressions.

Respecting the intentions of underage members and engaging in serious discussions on equal terms

Next, from the perspective of the next generation, our organization’s youngest member, Kanji-kun (5th grade), Akari (3rd year high school) who studied in Rwanda, and Maaya (1st year high school) who was the moderator, freely shared their thoughts on a peaceful future. They conveyed messages such as “Starting by learning about issues as if they were our own” and “Wanting to strengthen the foundation of peace we have now.” The adults in the audience nodded in agreement. This was followed by a panel discussion with the speakers, a Q&A session with both in-person and online participants, and finally, a summary from our organization’s auditor, Ueshima, to conclude the event.

Through this event, we were able to reaffirm that international understanding is extremely important for co-creating a peaceful future.

In particular, we feel that providing opportunities for children, who will lead the next generation, to understand different cultures and values and think together forms a significant foundation for building a peaceful society in the future. We also realized that there is a lot of peace and happiness in what we currently take for granted. We aim to continue planning and organizing events that create a chain reaction of smiles through this realization.