• Overview of the business
• Outline of the event
• Implementation Report

Overview of the business

In order to contribute to the development of higher education, we exchange information on the efforts of each university consortium and research results.

Outline of the 14th Consortium of Universities Research Exchange Forum

Theme

University Consortium and Volunteers

Schedule

Saturday, October 7, 2017 13:00-20:30 (Poster session is 12:00~16:00)
Sunday, October 8, 2017 9:30-11:30

Venue

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (1919-1 Tanicha, Onna-mura, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa)
* Free shuttle bus is operated from Naha City. Advance reservation from the Apollon system is required.

Co-host

National Association
of University Consortiums of Universities Okinawa

Content

The 14th Consortium of Universities Research Exchange Forum Leaflet　

(Day 1)
Keynote Speech: 13:15~14:05

Guest Speaker
I:14:10~15:00

Lecture II:15:00~15:20

Symposium: 16:00~17:45

Information exchange meeting: 19:00~20:30 (Hotel in Onna Village (under adjustment))

(Day 2) Subcommittee 1 (Contact: University Consortium Okinawa)

Subcommittee 2 (Contact: University Consortium Okinawa)

Subcommittee 3 (Contact: University Consortium Okinawa)

Subcommittee 4 (Contact: Academic, Cultural and Industrial Network Tama)

Subcommittee 5 (Contact: University Consortium Kyoto)

Time schedule and venue

<Day 1> Saturday, October 7, 2017

*Lunch time for participants visiting the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University is from 12:00 to 13:00 (12:30-13:00 for general meeting participants)

<Day 2> Sunday, October 8, 2017

*Lunch time for participants visiting the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University is from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. *Please note that the program is subject to change.

Purpose of the tournament

　The theme of the 3rd University Consortium Okinawa held in 2016 was "Volunteer Spirit." At the symposium, university students talked about their participation in UN volunteer activities, the director of the Okinawa Center of the Japan International Cooperation Agency gave an explanation focusing on the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and a professor from a local university introduced examples of educational support efforts by university student volunteer organizations to address child poverty, which is currently a serious issue in Okinawa. After the event, several partner schools requested to further explore this theme. This time, I would like to realize this request at the National Forum.
"Volunteerism" is voluntary, non-profit, and public. Among them, "spontaneity," which is the origin of the word volunteer, is an act of one's own initiative and one's own will. In other words, not being imposed or ordered by others or circumstances. Next, "non-profit" means that you do not expect gratuitousness, that is, financial rewards. However, volunteering itself does not deny the fact that it is paid, and that the purpose of the activity is not economic compensation. Furthermore, "publicness" is also called social or public interest, and refers to being useful to others and society in some way. Individual issues are transformed into social issues through support for things that are not directly related to oneself and have no personal interest. In addition, you can cultivate "creativity" in the sense of rewarding and self-actualization through volunteering, and your "power to live" through volunteer activities by connecting with others and being appreciated.
In this way, "volunteer spirit" or "volunteerism" has the potential to make society richer and happier than individual unpaid activities or one-sided support from others. It is important for university students, who will eventually lead civil society, to understand and experience its significance through practice, in order to improve modern society.
Volunteerism also has the potential to correct various disparities that have arisen between people. Educational disparities such as child poverty, which have become a problem in recent Japan, are mainly due to economic disparities and health disparities in families. Of course, the government and NGOs are also working to solve these issues, but can it really be improved just by setting up an organization?
At this year's National Forum, the theme was "University Consortium and Volunteers" in order to think about the impact on society of university consortiums, including university students, participating in volunteer activities. In the keynote speech, we will reaffirm the theory of why volunteerism is indispensable in modern society and the importance of volunteer education in universities from a global perspective, and at the symposium, we will develop a discussion with volunteer practitioners. Hopefully, after participating in this forum, we will be able to get hints for future activities, such as what kind of consortium activities (toward common goals) are possible for each university, and what kind of collaborative mechanism can be created so that students of each university can experience the two-way beneficial effects of volunteers on "practitioners and beneficiaries".

Implementation Report

　For two days on October 7 (Sat) and 8 (Sun), the 14th National University of University Research Exchange Forum was held at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (Onna Village, Okinawa Prefecture) with the main theme of "University Consortium and Volunteers".

A total of 263 people from higher education institutions and governments across Japan participated in the event to consider the impact on society of university consortiums, including university students, and to discuss the reasons why volunteerism is indispensable in modern society and the importance of volunteer education at universities from a global perspective.

On the first day, a keynote speech was given by Mr. Olivier Adam (Executive Director, United Nations Volunteer Programme (UNV)), a guest speaker by Mr. Agnes Chan (singer and doctor of education), and a lecture by Mr. Peter Gruss, President of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University.

Keynote speech

Lecture I

Lecture II

Symposium

In addition to Olivier Adam and Agnes Chan, Yasuhide Nakamura (Professor Emeritus, Osaka University and President of the International Society of Volunteer Studies), Yasumasa Kimura (Representative of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) Tokyo Office), Yukihiko Nunomura (Deputy Secretary General of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), Ayakazu Imai (4th year student at Kwansei Gakuin University, Faculty of Sociology, United Nations Youth Volunteers) and other volunteer practitioners engaged in lively discussions on "University Consortium and Volunteers."

In addition, at the poster session held in parallel with the symposium, many questions and impressions were raised by the participants about the respective efforts of each consortium organization, and there was a scene where exhibitors and participants actively interacted.

▽Poster session (18 exhibiting organizations)

On the second day, five breakout sessions were held on various themes, including "Sustainable Development and Environmental Law and Policy," "Human Resource Development through Volunteerism," "From Industry-Academia Collaboration to Co-Creation," "Community Contribution and Volunteering," and "Current Status and Prospects of Student Volunteer Development in Times of Disaster: Examples of Disaster Prevention Education Initiatives in Kyoto and Akita." We presented practical case studies and exchanged opinions with participants.

▽Subcommittees (5 subcommittees)

The next 15th forum will be held in Hakodate in September 2018. Details will be announced on the website of the University Consortium Kyoto as soon as they are decided.
We look forward to your participation.