“Ohara House Katalyzer,” a nationally designated Important Cultural Property in the Bikan Historical Area.
In addition to its role as a tourist facility, it also focuses on educational programs, serving as a “catalyst” for new exchanges and business opportunities.
“Kurashiki Mirai K-juku” is one such program.
In fiscal 2020, it was also held as the “Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar,” commissioned by Kurashiki City.
The theme of the 15th session was “Understanding the SDGs Through Keywords.”
It was held shortly after Kurashiki City was selected for the FY2020 “SDGs Future City” and “Local Government SDGs Model Project”.
Here is a report on the “15th Kurashiki Mirai K-juku: Understanding the SDGs Through Keywords,” held on Saturday, July 25, 2020.
The information presented was current when this article was published in August 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the “Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar”?
In fiscal 2020, “Kurashiki Mirai K-juku” was also held as the “Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar.”
The “Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar” is a monthly seminar held in collaboration with Kurashiki City projects, supporting the creation of connections among teachers, businesses, and local communities.
This is the second of five seminars.
For a report on the first session, see the article below.
Overview of the 15th Kurashiki Mirai K-juku: Understanding the SDGs Through Keywords
The theme this time was “Understanding the SDGs Through Keywords.”
The seminar proceeded as follows.
| Format | Content | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | Understanding the SDGs Through Keywords | Miyuki Yoshikawa |
| Sharing time | Share your “!” and “?” | |
| Breakout session | What “I” can do to transform learning | |
| Presentations | Presentations by participants and overall comments from the lecturer |
Up to this session, participants were recruited primarily for online seminars to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Around 10 people attended at the venue, and those attending in person also accessed the seminar from their own computers or smartphones to listen and interact.
A survey was conducted at the beginning of the seminar, and topics of interest were shared in real time.
Participants interacting with one another using the chat function may be something unique to online seminars.
Lecture by Miyuki Yoshikawa
In her lecture, Miyuki Yoshikawa explained the history and concepts behind the SDGs.
The “keywords” mentioned in the title are the following four:
- No One is Left Behind (leave no one behind)
- Making things visible
- Interconnectedness
- Backcasting (working backward from a goal)
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 international goals to be achieved by 2030, set out in the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015.
Before the SDGs, there were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established in 2001. However, since their purpose was primarily to “solve the problems of developing countries,” they did not focus on developed countries.
In particular, an active stance by developed countries is essential to address “climate change and environmental degradation,” which have worsened as a cost of development. The SDGs include these issues as well.
The “17 goals” are as follows.
I think each goal is fairly easy to understand. So, what is the current situation in Japan?
The achievement status in 2019 was as follows.
- Goals 4, 9, and 16 achieved
- Goals 5, 13, 14, 15, and 17 not achieved
This trend can be discerned, and making it “easy for anyone to understand” helps clarify what needs to be done.
So, should we work toward achieving the goals “one by one”?
The SDGs are “all achievable, or none are”
Miyuki Yoshikawa said that with the SDGs, “all goals are achievable, or none are”.
She shared an example that clearly illustrates why.
Why is “6: Clean Water and Sanitation” necessary for everyone in the world?
Water shortages lead to various problems.
- Rising temperatures accelerate desertification, causing agriculture to decline.
- It becomes difficult to earn an income from agriculture, and people leave rural areas for cities.
- Rapid population growth in cities leads to housing shortages and slums, worsening sanitary conditions.
- Extremist groups that recruit young people unable to find work increase in number.
When one problem remains unresolved, it “cascades” into other problems.
This perspective is important.
For this reason, Yoshikawa said that the SDGs should be approached not by asking what to do based on the current situation (forecasting), but by working backward from the desired outcome to decide what to do (backcasting).
Breakout Session
After the explanations, there was a question-and-answer session about the SDGs, followed by a break and then the breakout session.
Kurashiki Mirai K-juku places importance not only on listening to talks in a “seminar” format, but also on giving participants time to interact with one another.
The breakout session theme was what “I” can do to transform learning.
Everyone, whether attending at the venue or online, took part in the discussion online.
It is a scene very much of the “COVID era”: people at the venue talking in different places, each with a smartphone in hand.
After discussing in their groups for about 40 minutes, each group presented the opinions they had come up with.
Although “SDGs” is a broad topic, it was striking that people discussed it as something personally relevant.
Miyuki Yoshikawa commented on each presentation and gave a summary, but the session ended with an atmosphere suggesting that there was still much more to discuss.
From the Writer
Kurashiki Mirai K-juku is a seminar focused on “education.”
This time the theme was the SDGs, but themes tend to be rather grand in scale.
However, people from a wide range of backgrounds—from university students to schoolteachers and business owners—take part and engage in lively discussions.
One notable feature is that “many young people participate online.”
After the session, a university student who said, “I live nearby, so can I come over there?” and continued the conversation at the venue left a strong impression.
Kurashiki Mirai K-juku is held on the fourth Saturday of each month.
For the latest information, check the website for the Takahashi River Basin Future Education Seminar.
Articles about Ohara House Katalyzer
15th Kurashiki Mirai K-juku / 2nd Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar Information
| Name | 15th Kurashiki Mirai K-juku / 2nd Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, July 25, 2020, 1:00–3:00 p.m. |
| Location | 1-2-1 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Takahashi River Basin Future Career Education Seminar |
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