On July 16, the third presentation session by recipients of the "Okayama University SDGs Promotion Award 2024 " was held at the University Council Meeting. This award recognizes outstanding initiatives in four categories: “Education,” “Research,” “Other workplace contributions,” and “Student group initiatives.” with five groups receiving awards this year. In this session, Associate Professor YOSHIKAWA Miyuki (Faculty of Educational and Research Management), winner of the Excellence Award in the Education category, presented her project titled “A Practice-Based Social Collaboration Education Program in Which Students from Okayama University and Japan’s Four National Universities Explore Regional Revitalization through Fieldwork.”

In this program, implemented as part of the course “Designing the Future of Local Communities (Onsite)” led by Associate Professor Yoshikawa, students identify key questions related to issues faced by rural regions in the era of population decline and deepen their inquiry through structured methods. Through pre-, mid-, and post-activity reflection, students work toward developing answers to their questions.
The practical module consists of a three-day, two-night fieldwork program, which includes activities such as reassessing the community from the viewpoint of “tourists,” conducting interviews with elderly residents under the theme of “learning from the past,” and participating in a joint workshop with students from Ibara High School in Okayama Prefecture. These experiences, grounded in the principles of “field, reality, and authenticity,” led to significant shifts in students’ awareness of challenges facing depopulating regions.

President NASU Yasutomo asked about the career paths of students who participated in the course and commented, “I am very interested in how these students will contribute to local communities in the future. I look forward to seeing the continued development of this valuable initiative.”

References:
・1st Presentation: “Medokoton” (Excellence Award, Student Group Category)
・2nd Presentation: “TEDx Okayama University Executive Committee” (Excellence Award, Student Group Category)

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