Fostering Study Abroad Momentum Even During the Pandemic! What Is MEXT’s “#SekaiClub × SDGs Exploration”?
Hello! I’m Akiko Arai, and it’s been almost four years since I joined SUNNY SIDE UP as a mid-career hire.
Today, I’d like to introduce an event held during the pandemic for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s first public-private collaborative study abroad promotion campaign, “Tobitate! Study in JAPAN,” which I have been in charge of since 2017.
“Tobitate! Study in JAPAN” (hereinafter “Tobitate”) aims to foster study abroad momentum and double the number of students studying abroad by 2020. In addition to PR activities, we communicate daily through various approaches, including website and social media management, production of printed materials such as flyers and posters, advertising campaigns, and hosting information sessions and events.
※Check out our PR activity case studies here!
The Pandemic-Era Project Born from Survey Results: “#SekaiClub × SDGs Exploration”
Did you know that “young people with a high interest in studying abroad also have a high interest in solving social issues and SDGs”?
According to a survey conducted by Tobitate targeting high school students, 71.6% of those interested in studying abroad responded that “there are social issues in Japan they want to resolve,” compared to 48.7% of those uninterested in studying abroad—a difference of over 20%. Additionally, 30.4% of those interested in studying abroad responded that they are “interested in SDGs,” compared to 9.7% of those uninterested—again, a difference of over 20%.
Based on these results, we launched the “#SekaiClub × SDGs Exploration” project with the desire to nurture high school students’ interest in the world and their sense of purpose in studying abroad, even during the pandemic when traveling overseas is difficult.
We received 400 applications from across the country and selected 171 reporters from 45 prefectures.
From October to November 2020, the selected reporters learned online from officials at central government ministries and national research institutions overseeing each issue, UN and embassy staff, university professors, and people on the front lines of solving social issues at NPOs and companies, covering five SDGs-related themes (“Eliminating Poverty,” “Achieving Gender Equality,” “Sustainable Cities and Communities,” “Climate Action,” and “Conserving Biodiversity”), and published their reports.
In December, we awarded Best Reporter honors to five students who conducted particularly outstanding reporting activities, and special awards to 14 others who demonstrated excellent work.
“SekaiClub × SDGs Exploration Results Presentation Event with kemio”
On January 24, 2021 (Sunday), we held an online results presentation event, “SekaiClub × SDGs Exploration Results Presentation Event with kemio,” where the five Best Reporters shared their learning outcomes with kemio, a creator active on the world stage!
Kemio engaged in discussions with the high school students on each theme. This event was featured in various media outlets. Participating high school students shared comments such as, “I want to go abroad soon and absorb as much as I can,” and “When I go abroad, I want to know and love my own region so I can proudly talk about Japan.” The event achieved its intended purpose of deepening understanding of the significance of studying abroad and increasing motivation!
Even during the pandemic, we can create an atmosphere of “studying abroad is great, I want to study abroad!” This was a meaningful event that reaffirmed this belief.
Although it seems we won’t be able to study abroad for a while this year either, we will continue to work on PR initiatives to foster study abroad momentum through various methods!
Check out the final reports from the five Best Reporters on the note below!
Best Reporter ① “No Poverty”
Mitsuha Kawanishi (Fukuyama Akenohoshi Girls’ Junior and Senior High School, Year 5/Hiroshima Prefecture)
Best Reporter ② “Achieving Gender Equality”
Yosuke Morimoto (Kyoto Prefectural Yamashiro High School, Year 2/Kyoto Prefecture)
Best Reporter ③ “Sustainable Cities and Communities”
Aki Matsuoka (Fukuoka Prefectural Kaho High School, Year 1/Fukuoka Prefecture)
Best Reporter ④ “Climate Action”
Kanoha Yoshino (Osaka Municipal Suito International High School, Year 1/Osaka Prefecture)
Best Reporter ⑤ “Protecting Biodiversity”
Kotaro Nakayama (Shiba High School, Year 1/Tokyo)
https://note.com/sekaibusdgs/n/n118e0d0c66e5
■What Is “Tobitate! Study in JAPAN”?
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s first public-private collaborative study abroad promotion campaign. Launched with the goal of doubling the number of high school and university students studying abroad by 2020. The main initiative, the “Japan Representative Program,” is a study abroad support system funded entirely by private donations, receiving over 11.9 billion yen in contributions from approximately 248 private companies, providing scholarship support that does not require repayment.
Students can freely set their study abroad period and theme, with seven diverse courses available. Through diverse study abroad experiences beyond classroom learning, the program aims to develop human resources needed by society, particularly in industry, and capable of succeeding globally. Over 8,000 students have already been selected and have studied abroad in approximately 100 countries.
SUNNY SIDE UP, Bureau 1, Department 4, Group 2, Leader
Akiko Arai
Joined SUNNY SIDE UP as a mid-career hire from a major PR agency approximately four years ago. Finds fulfillment in work that allows planning and execution of communication strategies through various methods—social media, web, print, advertising, events, etc.—to achieve objectives, in addition to media exposure. Loves international travel. The most memorable country visited so far is Oman. The country most wanted to visit now is Uzbekistan.
