One World Festival for Youth
One World Festival for Youth
What is “One World Festival for Youth”?
The areas of international cooperation, SDGs, and diversity are being tackled from various perspectives today. An increasing number of young people are willing to learn about global issues and take action to solve them. One World Festival for Youth is a high school student-centred festival, which could be the “first step” to making a difference. As members of “the high school student executive committee” and “volunteer leaders”, students from various high schools in the Kansai region will gather and hold regular meetings to prepare for the festival. Together they will choose a theme and work on planning, management, public relations, etc.
Purpose
- We foster the next generation of leaders who are eager to take action to solve social issues from a global perspective.
- We strengthen the network of diverse stakeholders and sectors, including high school students, engaged in international cooperation and social change and promote the collaboration between the different stakeholders nationwide, starting from the Kansai region.
To develop higher quality and fulfilling international cooperation activities in the future, it would be necessary for the younger generation to understand and participate in these activities. In addition, cooperation and collaboration between sectors are important matters. We will foster the knowledge and skills of the younger generation to take action to solve social issues from a global perspective through the One World Festival for Youth. We also aim to create 1) a forum for information and opinion exchange as well as (research) presentations among the younger generation and 2) an environment where various sectors involved in international exchange and cooperation can connect.
Background
As globalisation progresses and interdependence deepens, the way we live severely affects people’s lives and livelihoods across borders. Poverty, hunger, environmental destruction, natural disasters, infectious diseases and conflicts are some global issues. Given these circumstances, it is crucial to encourage young people to gain an international perspective and to provide them with training to confront global challenges, and take action towards solutions with flexible and innovative ideas. Although some high schools have already adopted education for international understanding, there are no cross-sectional events nationwide where students can present their learning outcomes, research, and share their learning experiences. At the same time, it is vital to connect high school students with various sectors involved in the field of international cooperation such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA, companies, local governments, educational institutions, and NGOs, among others to provide them with a place for information sharing and information exchange.
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