On Saturday, September 12, 2020, the “RESAS Workshop: SDGs Edition” was held at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School.
Kurashiki City was selected as an “SDGs Future City” and an “SDGs Model Project for Local Governments,” raising the profile of “SDGs” as a keyword. But what exactly are the SDGs?
What SDGs are “at their core” and what is “unique to them”
Around 50 people involved in education and community development, as well as people working for companies, gathered at the venue and online to learn about this.
This article reports on the “RESAS Workshop: SDGs Edition.”
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Overview of the RESAS Workshop: SDGs Edition
The “RESAS Workshop” is a five-part series of workshops designed to deepen participants’ perspectives and thinking about the region’s “present” and “future.” It is aimed primarily at school personnel, and also includes people from private companies and local government who work with data in their jobs.
The SDGs edition was the third session and followed the program below.
| Content | Speakers |
|---|---|
| Using RESAS in Education | Kawasaki Yoshimi |
| What SDGs are “at their core” and what is “unique to them” | Ishihara Tatsuya Sakanoue Hiroshi |
| Information exchange | All participants |
For details about the second session, see the article below.
Using RESAS in Education
For about the first 30 minutes, Yoshimi Kawasaki, a commercial studies teacher at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School and a RESAS specialist committee member, introduced the use of RESAS in education and the background to holding the workshop.
The “Regional Economy and Society Analyzing System (RESAS)” is big data designed to support various regional revitalization initiatives by providing information.
It is provided by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Cabinet Secretariat (Secretariat of the Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan), and is widely used by local government employees and people in various fields interested in revitalizing their communities, for such purposes as planning, implementing, and evaluating effective measures.
As so-called “big data,” it can be viewed and used by anyone.
Since 2018, they have explored educational uses of RESAS and held workshops at local rental spaces and elsewhere.
One result of these efforts is the “Ura Cafe.”
After that, however, they wanted to return the commercial high school’s resources of “people, time, and space” to the community, and began holding RESAS workshops at the school.
This is the “RESAS Workshop” as it exists today.
What SDGs are “at their core” and what is “unique to them”
Next, the main theme, “SDGs,” was introduced.
The term “SDGs” has appeared in many media outlets recently, and more people may have heard of it.
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.
They are also attracting attention in education, but it seems that awareness varies even among people involved in education.
So two people active on the “front lines” of SDGs took the stage.
- Chairman Tatsuya Ishihara of the SDGs Network Okayama
- Representative Director Hiroshi Sakanoue of the Takahashi River Basin School
SDGs are “a collection of unresolved social issues = what society needs”
What are SDGs, in the first place?
Before the SDGs, there were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established in 2001.
These were aimed more at “solving the challenges of developing countries,” while a major feature of the SDGs is that they also address challenges in developed countries.
You may have seen the 17 international goals.
Each goal may be somewhat understandable, but the themes are so broad that they can feel hard to relate to…
In fact, the SDGs comprise “17 goals and 169 targets,” and the targets are more specific and easier to understand.
Ishihara, one of the speakers, also said, “The 169 targets are more important.” If you are interested, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ explanation is easy to read, so please take a look.
Ishihara described the “challenges of developed countries” as follows:
A collection of unresolved social issues
Since these issues remain unresolved, there is no “answer” telling us what to do.
- Formulate a “question”
- Link it to the SDGs
- Build it “logically” and launch a project
We need to think these things through ourselves.
SDGs as seen through the use of “parks”
In their presentations, both Ishihara and Sakanoue introduced examples of examining social issues using “parks.”
The parks are in different locations, of course, but the key point is that their approaches also differ.
Neither is the “right answer.”
Making use of parks in Mizushima, Kurashiki City
When Sakanoue was consulted about making use of parks in Mizushima, Kurashiki City, he heard opinions such as the following.
- A “place to relax” where local people gather
- Children used to play baseball there, but no longer do
- We want children to make more use of it
While considering things like, “Should we build playground equipment so children can use it…?” he decided to formulate a “question” and analyze the current situation.
- What is “unique” about this park?
- “In the first place,” who does the park belong to?
Looking at population data published by RESAS and the local government (Kurashiki City), he was able to identify a trend.
The population was declining overall, with a particularly marked decrease in children and increase in older people.
Based on these figures, simply installing playground equipment is unlikely to increase the number of users. However, when the surrounding environment is taken into account, the situation may be different.
Linking this issue to the SDGs, Goals 3, 11, and 17 seem relevant.
Making Use of the Park in Front of Kitanagase Station
Next, Mr. Ishihara introduced a case study on making use of the park in front of JR Kitanagase Station.
In recent years, redevelopment has been progressing around JR Kitanagase Station, and the population is growing. For example, “Branch Okayama Kitanagase” opened in 2019.
The area is home to a mix of long-time residents and people who have moved there more recently, so there are various aspects to making use of its parks.
- Active use leads to more complaints, and the park is eventually closed to such activities
- The park goes unused or cannot be used, leading to poor manners and public safety
- The town becomes less pleasant to live in
For example, installing “large playground equipment” in a park in Mizushima might increase use by nearby residents, but it could also lead to problems such as noise, litter, and parking.
For this reason, they are trying to address these issues by establishing a “citizens’ group” and running the park as a “collaborative project”.
Keeping in Mind “Who” and “For Whom”
- Parks in areas where the number of children is declining and the population is aging
- Parks in areas where the population is growing due to redevelopment and other factors
There are likely many parks like these throughout Japan.
The challenges facing these communities may also be similar. Although the two case studies take different approaches, they have in common that people are working to “solve problems” themselves.
Mr. Sakanoue said that it is important to be clear about “for whom.”
Meeting the first “n,” the real user
He described this as “N=1.” What you can see when the number is zero is completely different from what you can see when it is one; as long as it is zero, it is nothing more than “wishful thinking.”
- Is it genuinely useful?
- Are people highly satisfied?
- Would they be willing to pay for it?
- Will they keep using it?
- Will they recommend it to someone?
The SDGs are a collection of social problems that have yet to be solved, so there are no clear-cut answers. Nor is there an answer that everyone will agree on.
To reach agreement, the only way to work toward solving problems is to keep in mind “who” and “for whom.”
From the Writer
Parks are something familiar to us, and I used them as an example, but the SDGs are surely connected to some part of each of our lives.
Even if we are not aware of it, activities we have been doing or are planning to do may be connected to the SDGs.
For students in particular, “school lessons” account for a large share of the opportunities to learn about the keyword “SDGs.”
During the question-and-answer session after the talk, people involved in education also shared initiatives at their schools.
However, this workshop also made me feel that learning about the SDGs through classroom study alone is not enough.
Learn about the SDGs, find related things and activities in familiar places, and take action.
I felt that we need to build on individual efforts and work together toward achieving the 17 international goals.
The FY2021 RESAS Education Workshop will be held starting July 10, 2021.
▼For details, please check the official page.
RESAS Education Workshop: Explore! RESAS Online Seminar
▼The application form is below.
Application Form
RESAS Workshop: SDGs Edition — Event Information
| Name | RESAS Workshop: SDGs Edition |
|---|---|
| Date | September 12, 2020 (Saturday), 9:30–11:30 a.m. |
| Location | 545 Hakurakucho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Commercial High School |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
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The FY2021 RESAS Workshop on Educational Use will be held starting July 10, 2021.
▼For details, please check the official page.
RESAS Workshop on Educational Use: Explore! RESAS Online Seminar
▼The application form is below.
Application Form