The JICA International Cooperation Junior High/High School Student Essay Contest is an opportunity for junior high school and high school students, who will lead the next generation, to learn about global issues and challenges, deepen their understanding of the connections with Japan, and think about how they can take action. The theme for the 2024 contest was “For the Future of the Earth – What We Can Do” and a total of 36,202 entries were received, 16,526 from junior high school students and 19,676 from high school students. With the major theme of “For the Future,” the junior high and high school students, who bear the responsibility for the future, wrote about the steps they have taken toward the world with a glocal viewpoint. From these entries, an award ceremony was held on February 15, 2025 at JICA Chikyu Hiroba in Ichigaya, Tokyo, for a total of 40 winners, junior high and high school students.
Discovering issues in the world around us, which leads to international cooperation
JICA President Akihiko Tanaka told the award winners to be interested in the connection between the international community and Japan in two aspects: “issues happening on a global scale” and “multicultural conviviality. He sent a message to them to keep their ideas and attitudes about Japan from their immediate surroundings, and about the world as “their own business” even while in Japan.
Naoki Ogi, the head judge for the junior high school student section, said that reading the essays, which were filled with the thoughts of each student, showed how hard they are working to do what they can for the future of the earth, and also mentioned that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child includes a document requesting permission to make proposals regarding the global environment, and that young power He stated that there is a possibility to save the world. He conveyed his hopes for the award winners and young people, hoping that this step forward will lead to future development.
Ms. Tomoko Hoshino, the head judge for the high school student section, said that during the judging process, she found herself evaluating the essays based on her desire to “meet the person who wrote the essay,” in addition to what could be evaluated as scores, such as the content of the activities and composition of the essay. She also said, “I hope that you will receive many thoughts and feelings from the essays you write in your future life. When you are frustrated, you will be encouraged by the essays you have worked so hard to write,” he encouraged the winners.
Think of global issues as your own
Fowler Himiru (junior, Meiji Gakuen Junior High School) and Iida Yuwa (senior, Ehime University Senior High School), winners of the President’s Award of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the junior high school and high school categories, respectively, represented the winners and delivered their award acceptance speeches.
In her search for what she could do for the future of the earth, Ms. Fowler said that she realized that the world could be a better place if everyone took action and made it their own, even if it was something small and nothing special. She emphasized that the world’s problems are not far away and that it is important for each person to be aware of them as his or her own personal problem, and she hopes to create a society that compensates for each other’s shortcomings.
Ms. Yuzawa Iida shared that she wrote her essay based on her experience visiting Mozambique and that education is the key to opening the way to the future. She stated that her experience in Mozambique made her realize that nothing is taken for granted and that she is supported by many people in her life. He also spoke passionately about his desire to share his experiences and feelings with many people and to continue to treat people with love, as well as his dream of expanding the potential of children through education.
Roundtable discussions and workshops were held!
After the awards ceremony, a roundtable discussion with the judges and guests, a game simulating refugee evacuation, and an international understanding workshop were held.
During the roundtable discussion, the award winners asked the judges questions about the content of each essay, questions that had arisen in the course of their activities to date, and questions that were asked because they are of a generation that is struggling with their career paths. After the roundtable discussion, the participants were very upbeat and positive about taking the next step forward.
Next, a card game simulating refugee evacuation was played under the theme of “If you were a refugee. The participants were very interested in learning more about how other people evacuated from their homes, and they were very interested in learning more about the evacuation process. It was evident that the experience of evacuation through this game raised the participants’ awareness of the problems of refugees.
Following the workshop, based on stories from JICA staff who had worked in Ecuador as overseas cooperation volunteers, each group discussed the challenges facing the country and possible solutions. The challenges faced by the country included conflict, the acceptance of refugees, and the lack of educational opportunities. Although Ecuador seemed like a distant country, participants seemed to gain a new perspective by seeing the country’s problems as their own.
Through this roundtable discussion and game workshop, participants learned about the current situation in developing countries and considered the various possibilities of international cooperation. The participants, who thought, realized, and acted on their own to solve problems that exist in the world, which may seem distant but are close at hand, and who spoke of their thoughts and feelings, had a big and bright future ahead of them.
Conclusion
Congratulations again to the winners of the JICA Essay Contest and thank you to everyone who participated. The theme for the 2025 essay contest will be “What We Can Do for the Happiness of the World – For the Future,” and we plan to begin accepting submissions around June 2025. We look forward to receiving many submissions.
© Source JICA
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