Fukuoka City, in collaboration with the UN-Habitat ROAP (Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific), conducts activities such as the guest teacher programme to help elementary and junior high school students in Fukuoka City feel more connected to initiatives like the Asia-Pacific City Summit (APCS) and the SDGs.
Starting this year, the program has been expanded to include junior high schools, and at schools that requested it, we conducted a workshop after the lecture under the theme “Let’s think together about village reconstruction.”
●Event dates
| Tue. 9 Sep | 5th graders at Fukuoka City Yanaga Elementary School |
| Wed. 10 Sep | 5th graders at Fukuoka City Higashi Hakozaki Elementary School |
| Tue. 4 Nov | 3rd graders at Fukuoka City Taguma Junior High School |
| Thu. 6 Nov | 1st graders at Fukuoka City Tatara Junior high School |
| Wed. 19 Nov | 1st graders at Fukuoka City Takatori Junior high School |
The lecturer gave a talk engaging with the efforts that elementary and junior high school students are studying daily to achieve the SDGs with the 15th APCS, which will be held in Fukuoka City next year, as well as the activities of UN-Habitat.
The students appeared a little nervous during the first half of the session, but as they engaged in group work during the workshop in the second half, they seemed to relax. They actively exchanged opinions while comparing each other’s worksheets, and in the end, every group was able to consolidate their ideas into one.
When it came time to select the group that would present in front of everyone, many groups at every school eagerly raised their hands saying, “We want to present!” Using handwritten posters summarising their ideas or slides created on tablets, the students worked together in their groups and gave lively, enthusiastic presentations — a scene that was truly impressive.
During the Q&A session, questions such as “How is the location for the City Summit decided?”, “What happens if multiple cities want to host the Summit?”, “What was the most challenging aspect of your work at UN-Habitat?”, and “What skills are necessary to work for an international organisation?” were raised.
In addition, the post-class survey included positive comments such as:
• “I was happy to learn that the next Summit will be held in Fukuoka, where we live.”
• “It was interesting to share ideas with everyone in the workshop and think about a village.”
• “I enjoyed learning things I didn’t know before.”
In the wake of the lectures and workshops, we hope that the students will develop an interest in their own city of Fukuoka as well as global trends, and value the importance of thinking and acting by themselves in their daily learning.
Lastly, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the schoolteachers who applied for this programme for their cooperation.