Solving regional issues: "Regional Studies Co-Creation Project" - Reporting session held for all eight teams

 

 

 

 

A report session for the Regional Studies Co-Creation Project was held on February 3rd at the stage court on the first floor of the Togane Shopping Center Sunpia (Togane City, Chiba Prefecture). 77 students from eight groups reported on their activities over the past year, based on the experiences they gained through group work, fieldwork, interviews, and event participation, organized by theme.

The Regional Studies Co-Creation Project is an activity in which students take the lead in thinking about issues and solutions regarding various themes in the area surrounding Chiba Togane Campus. The initiative began in 2019 and has deepened collaboration with local residents, local governments, and local businesses. Through the project, we promote the resolution of local issues and the revitalization of the city, and cultivate planning skills, management skills, and creativity.

The themes announced this time are as follows:

• Community care that supports the lives of people with disabilities
• Roadside Station and University Project
• Project to eliminate the digital divide among elderly people living in Sanmu City
• Olive Growing Support Project
• Kawashiro Rice Terrace Co-Cultivation Project
• Practical activities aimed at improving the health of local residents and preventing disabilities
• Creating a city with care functions: Popularizing "Disaster Prevention Karuta" to protect lives in after-school care centers
• Togane City Festivals and Traditional Performing Arts

The students expressed what they experienced and learned in their own words, making efforts to make their presentations easy to understand. At the end of each presentation, valuable feedback was given by the local governments and organizations that cooperated with the project.

One of the students who participated reflected on the project, saying, "There were still many things we didn't know about, even in our own local areas. We realized that even small things can make a community even more exciting, depending on how they are communicated."