What comes to mind when you hear the words “school club activities”?
You might picture students devoting themselves to sports or painting.
But club activities are not limited to those things.
Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School has a Business Research Club.
As a club activity, its members work with businesses in Kojima and people they have connected with through their projects on projects that help share Kojima’s appeal with a wider audience.
We spoke with members of the Business Research Club about what kind of club it is, what they do, and what motivates them.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in February 2022. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Business Research Club at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School
As of February 2022, the Business Research Club at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Washu Senior High School has 42 members: seven first-year students, 25 second-year students, and 10 third-year students.
Many of the members are students in the Business Studies program. In one second-year Business Studies class, half the students are reportedly members of the Business Research Club.
The club carries out activities such as the following:
- The “Kojimatching” project
- Studying together to pass certification exams offered at school
- Taking part in national contests
The club has also achieved strong results in contests organized by various groups, including an Excellence Award in Fukuchiyama Public University’s 2021 Regional Revitalization Plan Contest, “Inaka Power Koshien,” and the Creator Award in Ehime University’s Faculty of Collaborative Regional Innovation “Social Co-Creation Contest 2021.”
The Business Research Club is a well-rounded club that excels both academically and in extracurricular activities, earning good results in both certification exams in the high school curriculum and club contests.
The activities can also be put to use when choosing a future path, such as going on to university or finding a job, making them a valuable experience for the future.
Interviews with Business Research Club Members
We spoke with members who take part in contests and members in charge of developing new gelato products for the “Kojimatching” project.
Members in Charge of Contests
As of February 2022, the current second-year high school students have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since the year they enrolled.
There were likely periods when they could not fully participate in activities, and many things they wanted to do but were unable to.
But the words that came from the contest team members were not “because of COVID,” but rather, “because we were in the midst of the pandemic.”
What activities do you do?
Contest team member A
We passed the first round of screening for Japan Challenge Gate 2022, a contest organized by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, and are planning our strategy for the question-and-answer session in the second round.
Japan Challenge Gate 2022: A business plan contest for high school students organized by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency
What have you thought about during your activities?
Contest team member A
We were in the middle of matching businesses with each other, so it was difficult to keep in touch, and it was something we had never done before.
But it’s fun discovering things about Kojima that we didn’t know.
I feel like I’ve learned a lot through these activities.
Contest team member B
I didn’t know about examples of regional revitalization before joining the Business Research Club, but through our activities I’ve learned about what other high schools are doing and ways to solve local issues. It’s been very useful.
When local people thank us or tell us, “That was delicious,” during product development and sales, we feel that what we’ve been doing has meaning.
Contest team member C
When you do a lot of matching, you meet someone new each time.
There are people you communicate with for the first time.
When we matched with Takahashi Jonan High School, it was really interesting to meet face-to-face and talk with people doing activities similar to ours.
Contest team member D
I think competing in a contest and speaking in front of people are experiences you don’t often get to have.
I’m grateful to be able to enjoy and experience so many things while I’m still in high school.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you?
Contest team member A
It was precisely because we were in the midst of the pandemic that we were able to think about taking another look at our hometown, Kojima.
Contest team member B
We’ve had more online interactions, such as meetings on Zoom, and I think it’s become easier to discuss matching with high schools far away.
Contest team member C
When the town fell quiet during the pandemic, I realized that it was the local people who had always brought life to the town.
Small things can bring people joy and happiness. When people were happy about our new gelato products, it felt good to know that we had become a source of enjoyment and a reason for someone to look forward to something.
Are there any activities you’d like to try in the future?
Contest team member A
Right now, our matching activities are limited to Okayama Prefecture, but eventually I’d like to go beyond Okayama Prefecture.
I’d like to do matching projects using ingredients from other prefectures.
Contest team member B
I’d like to look for opportunities to do matching not only within Okayama Prefecture, but also in places farther away and on remote islands.
Members in Charge of Gelato
In fact, during the interview, the members in charge of gelato also said, “We want to expand our activities beyond the prefecture.”
Apparently, the members had never discussed this in concrete terms with one another, but the Business Research Club members had naturally come to share the same goal, even without putting their thoughts into words and sharing them with each other.
What activities do you do?
Gelato team member A
We’re moving forward with discussions about making gelato with “Seaside Farm Nanba Farm Ice Cream Shop.”
- Pure Kojima Fig Gelato
- Not-Quite? Strawberry Daifuku Gelato
- Brazilian Gelato
- Blueberry Gelato
Gelato team member B
The discussions expanded, and we also decided to collaborate with Kajitsu Kobo Co., Ltd., which was introduced to us by Chugoku Bank.
Kajitsu Kobo Co., Ltd. handles peach puree and chocolate, and our goal is to develop a product using them and sell it at Okayama Toyota Motor Corporation’s Higashi-Okayama store on February 11, 2022.
This collaboration also involves the “Heart for Art” project by Kajitsu Kobo Co., Ltd. and Arigato Farm Co., Ltd., a Type A continuous employment support facility.
They will create the artwork for the labels used when the products are sold, and a portion of the proceeds will go back to the project.
What have you thought about during your activities?
Gelato team member A
The two of us have only just joined the club, so this is our first time being involved in activities on a full scale.
The two of us, newcomers who joined on a whim, have become core members of a major project.
Actually, neither of us belonged to a club before.
When we became second-year students and started thinking about our future paths, we thought, “Maybe we should have something we’ve worked hard at besides the certification exams we take in the Business Studies program,” so we joined the Business Research Club.
That said, part of the reason we decided to join was the “enthusiastic offer” from our advisor, Mr. Oike (laughs).
Are there any activities you’d like to try in the future?
Gelato team member B
I don’t know if it’s actually possible, but it costs nothing to say it.
I want to make our activities bigger than they are now. And I want to cross prefectural borders.
From the Writer
The author entered university in 2020, at the same time the club members advanced to high school, and was strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with the changes that came with entering university, many things were restricted. During those two years, when I couldn’t have the same kind of student life as before the pandemic, I sometimes found myself focusing on what I couldn’t do.
The same was true for high school students. One student said, “School closed a month after I enrolled, so I felt like I’d fallen behind.”
But the Business Research Club members are not only not pessimistic; they clearly understand the positive effects the pandemic has had on them.
For the members, the pandemic was not simply a bad thing that meant they could do fewer things or could not enjoy the student life they had hoped for. It became an opportunity to expand the scope of their activities.
I’m excited to see what the Kurashiki Washu High School Business Research Club, which enjoys its once-in-a-lifetime high school experience while working with the local community, will do in the future.
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