BeGood Cafe-Archive » Toshiba Youth Conference for a Sustainable Future 2009

Toshiba Youth Conference for a Sustainable Future 2009

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The first week of August became a memorable moment for participants from around the world, and provided inspiration to tackle global environmental challenges. The second annual Toshiba Youth Conference for a Sustainable Future was held from August 1st through the 7th, 2009, and brought together fresh young minds as well as knowledgeable and experienced teachers in the field of environmental education. This year’s theme, Achieving the Best Mix of Energy Resources in order to halve CO2 Emissions by 2050, enabled participants from different countries and various backgrounds the opportunity to confront environmental issues, learn from each other, and work together towards local and global solutions.
Kicking off at Josai Awa Kamogawa Learning Center in Chiba, surrounded by mountains and the Pacific sea, students participated in team building and goal sharing workshops, allowing them to overcome cultural and language barriers. After presenting pre-camp assignments on the second day, the participants ventured out to explore Kamogawa-city. The students reported being inspired by the ecological local community and traditional Japanese wisdom found in Kamogawa

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On the third day, the conference moved to HRD Toshiba Training Center in Yokohama, where participants learned about Toshiba’s environmental policies and modern technologies, and deepened their understanding of the role of green companies. Students also had the chance to interview experts who are active in implementing environmental policies. The conference concluded with presentations and discussions about possible measures to introduce progressive change in Japan and the world at large.
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On the third day, the conference moved to HRD Toshiba Training Center in Yokohama, where participants learned about Toshiba’s environmental policies and modern technologies, and deepened their understanding of the role of green companies. Students also had the chance to interview experts who are active in implementing environmental policies. The conference concluded with presentations and discussions about possible measures to introduce progressive change in Japan and the world at large.

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The conference was also a meeting place for teachers passionate about enhancing there abilities to promote environmental and scientific education and intercultural communication. Japan Center for International Exchange held a series of workshops to create synergy among teachers sharing the same goals.
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The conference brought together representatives from four countries: Thailand, Japan, Poland, and the US. Each country brought it’s own national flavor and perspective. The students from Poland contributed their refined critical thinking skills and realistic vision of the world. The American students added their vibrant energy and enthusiasm. The students from Thailand imparted harmony and a quite curiosity. And lastly, the Japanese students provided grounding and a regional context for discussion. Taken together, the synergistic combination of four countries from three continents encouraged and inspired a commitment to find creative solutions to the fundamental causes of environmental problems.

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In addition to formal lectures and workshops, shared meals and traveling as a team helped bridge cultural and language barriers. The entire conference itself was a microcosm of the current global movement towards environmental justice, acknowledging diverse cultural values, and cooperation in finding innovative solutions to achieve a sustainable future. After returning to their respective countries, the participants will keep in touch via internet using a website created especially for this conference (www.act-eco.net). Progress reports will be shared to promote a deeper understanding of the issues discussed and further the spirit of international exchange

Voices of the Participants

I was inspired by the students from other countries. They had much more knowledge about the environment, and I thought that I should learn and spread it back at my school and community. (Nao, Japan)
All the participants were friendly and I learned a lot of things. When I go back home, I’m going to keep the idea of green economy and persuade my friends and family to realize about environmental stuff. I have my new dream now someday to establish a green guesthouse with a vertical garden. (Bas, Thailand)

Students acting as Journalists

As a tool to share and widely disseminate the successful results of the conference, participants acted as journalists for this newspaper Act Eco Journal. Each student joined one of three departments (Lifestyle, Business & Politics, and Science & Technology) and wrote articles about their findings and opinions. To create this newspaper, teachers and staff also invested their creativity and knowledge, acting as journalists and editors. Utilizing the time between lectures and often working late into nights, students, teachers and staff created this newspaper to record their discovers and capture the spirit of the conference.

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Toshiba Youth Conference

As part of Toshiba’s commitment to creating a just and sustainable planet, the conference brought together students and teachers from around the world to participate in a week-long program exploring solutions to global environmental challenges. The 2009 participants were from Japan (Hitachi First High School, Keio Shonan-Fujisawa Senior High School, Waseda University Senior High School), Poland (Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace nr 14, Academic High School at PJIIT), Thailand (Triam Udom Suksa School, Assumption Lampang), and the United States (High School for Environmental Studies). The conference was sponsored by Toshiba International Foundation, Toshiba America Foundation, and Toshiba Thai foundation, in cooperation with Toshiba Corporation, Japan Airlines, and Japan Center for International Exchange. The program was organized by BeGood Cafe, a leading Japanese environmental NPO. The next Toshiba Youth Conference is scheduled to be held in Japan during the summer of 2010. For more information, please visit http://www.act-eco.net

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Click here for the camp paper ”Act Eco Journal” !
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