Online Exchange with Overseas Universities 2024-2025

日本語ページはこちら（Japanese）

In order to further build ”international cooperation in consumer policy,” Tokushima Prefecture has been holding a student-led online exchange (presentations and discussions) between universities in the prefecture and overseas universities since FY2021.

This year, as a continuation of the theme used in FY2022, each university will create a handbook on the theme ”The Ways of Ethical Consumption in Food ~Our Consumer Behavior Declaration~,” which is closely related to the SDGs, in anticipation of the National Convention on Food and Nutrition Education to be held in Tokushima in June 2025.

Faculty members from the participating schools, the coordinator, and advisor, gathered to discuss this year’s exchange theme, etc.

During the discussion, the faculty members shared their opinions on how to create this year’s handbooks based on those created in 2022, such as a handbook focusing on ”food,” which is deeply related to ethical consumption, by utilizing the characteristics of each country and school, and including contents in the handbook that lead to ”practice” with a view to field work, centering on ”what can be done in schools.” 

Each school presented issues related to their field of study, and ethical consumption as considered through their experiences in their respective schools, then exchanged ideas with each other.

The contents of the presentations showed the unique characteristics of each school, such as devising actions and recipes that students can ”put into practice” in their daily lives; using water servers instead of using plastic bottles with the environment and economy in mind; supporting agricultural producers through fieldwork; using AI in ethical consumption; and the sin of greenwashing, etc.

The coordinator and the advisor commented, ”It is important to clarify the target audience and appeal to them,” and ”Suggestions from consumers to society, such as ’things we can do in the neighborhood’ will lead to the realization of an ethical society, which is everyone’s goal. I hope that you can work to complete a more refined handbook through what we have discussed.”

Based on the issues and challenges discussed at the 1st meeting, each school presented a draft handbook that would contribute to solving these issues, and discussed initiatives in their countries, effective use, and publicity.

Each school once again made use of its unique characteristics in its presentations, including: reduction of container packaging at university festivals; research on menus leading to food waste by conducting surveys on likes and dislikes of young children; creation of recipes focusing on local ingredients that university students can easily use; fostering consumer understanding through producer support; importance of AI, social responsibility, and education for creating a sustainable food future; promotion of ethical consumption by taking advantage of food heritage; causes of food waste and greenwashing; and the circular recyclying system for food scraps and other waste generated in home economics classes in school.

The coordinator commented, ”Sometimes, it is difficult to ’put into practice’ what you have thought up in your head, so I felt that by not just ’thinking about it’ but also ’trying it,’ your way of thinking can change even further.” The advisor commented, ”Listening to each school’s presentation, I realized that everyone has already begun to do their part to realize a sustainable society. I hope that you, as young people, can take the next step from the community of one ’university’ to expand your activities to a ’wider area’ and the ’whole country’ in cooperation with other universities, local communities, businesses, and governments.

Each school will complete their handbook based on the discussions during these exchange meetings, and they are scheduled to be published on Tokushima Prefecture’s official website by March 2025.
 

This year, students from each university brought together the sensibilities and wisdom of the youth and created a handbook. Please have a look.

※ All information (text, photographs, illustrations, etc.) in the handbooks may not be reproduced, reused, or sold without the permission of Tokushima Prefecture and the respective university that created the handbook, except in cases permitted under copyright law, such as ”reproduction for private use” and ”quotation.”

This year, the common themes of the handbooks created by each university have been compiled into a ”Consumer Action Declaration.”

Tokushima Prefecture will continue to implement initiatives to realize a sustainable society and promote its efforts to become an ”international hub” for consumer policy through such international exchanges between universities,
 

Since FY2021, Tokushima Prefecture has been conducting this online program between universities in Tokushima Prefecture and overseas universities, where students can exchange opinions on consumer education and present them, in order to further strengthen ”international cooperation in consumer policy.”