EVENTS
11.19.2019
JCS Held the Kojimachi Junior High School SDGs Summit Workshop!
On Tuesday, November 5, 2019, Kojimachi Junior High School(Chiyoda-ku,TOKYO) held its SDGs Summit. It was the first time JCS took part in organizing the event and is really proud to have been the summit’s primary organizer for this year. The summit-workshop enabled students to gain a better understanding of SDGs and to reflect on the relevant actions that need to be immediately taken. The goal of the workshop was to prepare Kojimachi Junior High School students so they can excel at developing and exchanging opinions about SDGs.
Held as part of Edvation×Summit 2019, a conference organized for innovators in the education industry worldwide, the program had as venue the Kioi Conference hall, which JCS operates in association with Seibu Properties, and Kojimachi Junior High School. Since last year, JCS has been a proud venue partner for the Edvation×Summit.
The Workshop Started
In total, 14 students from the Kojimachi Junior High School participated in the workshop. In addition to the main facilitator, a JCS employee, four university students scheduled to join JCS in April and who earlier expressed interest in SDGs and education also took part in the workshop to support the students. The workshop participants diligently listened during the event that discussed the goal of the workshop, which was to foster independent thinking about SDGs and understanding and observance of the three rules of the workshop: listening, communicating, and respecting others’ opinions. After an exchange of brief self-introductions, the students were eager to begin group activities and to share thoughts and opinions among each other.
By Changing the Students’ Words into Pictures, Visibility Increased
To record the details of discussions in real-time using words or pictures, graphic recording was used. Momoko-san, a famous Japanese graphic recorder in education provided support for the graphic recording. Worth noting is that the students and observers were amazed at how quickly and easily their opinions were translated into drawings and how this procedure helped facilitate understanding of the concepts.
By Discussing and Exchanging Opinions in Groups, New Ideas Were Generated
Students formed groups on the basis of the topics they wished to discuss. They were initially provided with pictures representative of the problems but they were expected to reflect on the problems and the causes and solutions to these problems. By reflecting on those solutions and which of the 17 Goals they relate to, the students could better understand the SDGs. As the discussion gained momentum, some groups ran out of desk space to write their opinions such that they started writing on the floor. The event showed that exchanging opinions enable the learning of new ways of thinking that, as we believe, could sustain creativity or the thinking of new ideas, as well as innovation.
After Announcing What They Discussed, Students Thought About What They Themselves Can Do
The time limit of 40 minutes was soon up, and the details of the discussion were written down and then presented. It was a relief for the students once the presentations were completed.
Students chose poverty and child labor as the discussion topics. Child labor was a fitting topic because November 20, World Children’s Day, was coming in two weeks. We hope could encourage the students into thinking about various problems around the world and to collectively speak them out as the young generation who will soon be responsible for the future of their country and the world. Finally, they chose one of the SDGs, thought of the appropriate actions they could immediately take, and wrote them down. The cards will remind them of what things were discussed and their realizations as to what they can do for the future.
Summary
JCS, using its more than half a century of experience operating conferences, planned and operated the Kojimachi Junior High School SDGs Summit in the aim of enabling students to gain a better understanding of the importance of developing their own ideas and articulating them. We will continue to spread awareness on how important communication is and the take steps to be taken to achieve SDGs.
