Sea and Japan Project Public Relations Office
We held the “Hakodate Marine Education Promotion Conference” for educators to introduce the subsidy system for marine education and practical examples!
March 23, 2024 (Saturday) 11:00 – Venue: Kanamori Hall and others (Hakodate City, Hokkaido) –
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On Saturday, March 23, 2024, Blue Commons Japan, a general
incorporated association, will hold a symposium called “Hakodate Marine Education Promotion Conference” aimed at educators in the southern Hokkaido area and the general public who are interested in the ocean. The event was held at Kanamori Hall in the warehouse. The event was held in two parts, with 62 people attending the symposium in the first part, and 380 people, mainly local elementary school students, visiting the experience booth in the second part. This event is part of the Nippon Foundation’s “Ocean and Japan Project,” which connects people through the ocean in order to pass on the rich and beautiful ocean to the next generation.
https://www.hakodate-umi.com/
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2555/resize/d77920-2555-281dbcec4d3d43acb3e4-0.jpg&s3=77920-2555-44e7576f7d9fc5a3b5bcf4b22e69d710-2048×1365.jpg] -Event Overview-
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Part 1: Symposium – Case studies in the southern Hokkaido region In recent years, in educational settings, there has been a demand for “cross-sectional, comprehensive learning, and exploratory learning” as a means of nurturing children who can think independently about things. In this respect, the sea can be closely connected to all subjects because it has various aspects such as environmental issues, meteorology, biology, fisheries, fisheries, shipbuilding, shipping, and geography. Hakodate is surrounded by Hakodate, and in the southern Hokkaido region, which has developed in close contact with the sea, this is a perfect learning theme. At this symposium, we hope that children living in Hakodate and southern Hokkaido will develop a sense of attachment to their local area, as well as develop the qualities and abilities that will help them solve social issues and think about their own way of life. We introduced various practical examples of marine education, as well as subsidy systems for marine education and good examples of how they are utilized.
First of all, there will be a case study presentation of the “Hakodate Sea Classroom”. This initiative was started by citizen volunteers in 2019 with the aim of making the Hakodate area a “model base for practical marine education in rural areas.” Saori Yoshida, who is in charge of planning and operation, will present case studies such as the management of the “Hakodate Morning Market Mini Aquarium” held in 2023, and courses that take advantage of local characteristics, such as the “Sea Fishing Nature School” and “Children’s Sea Fishing Academy.” Did. In addition, we received comments and impressions from a total of eight people, including experts in various fields who were involved in the planning as external instructors, educators, and middle and high school students who participated in the courses.
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Rika Ishii, a 5th grade elementary school student who took the stage as a participant in the Children’s Sea Sou Academy, held up a poster she had made herself during the course on stage and said, “I wondered why swimming is prohibited in the sea in Hakodate. I’d like to check it out,” he said. Nagaaki Sato, an underwater photographer who taught a course called “Become an Ocean Communicator,” in which middle and high school students dive into the ocean and take underwater photos to create a class for elementary school students, says, “If you want to make the ocean your own, you should “The best thing to do is to go there and dive,” he told the audience.
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2555/resize/d77920-2555-7a25e554282db2eaa4c8-2.jpg&s3=77920-2555-7bcb006afc42b8c4f8082eb3c1b68424-2048×1365.jpg] Next, junior high and high school students who participated in “Become a Sea Communicator” took the stage. We actually held a “sea class” in which we presented the charms and characteristics of Hakodate’s sea while showing the audience the underwater videos and photos that we had taken by diving into the sea. There were also quizzes such as “How much kelp is produced in Hakodate?” and “Why is there so much kelp in Hakodate?” and the visitors were deeply impressed by the unexpected knowledge of the local sea.
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2555/resize/d77920-2555-43caf8c6015d16ddc4d8-3.jpg&s3=77920-2555-26ee30066b52d6a64bc4b3f4ba7a7e69-1200×800.jpg] Next, Shingo Kokubun, the representative director of our organization, introduced the initiatives of “Hakodate Brilliant Action” and “Land Police Box in Hakodate Hakodate Minato University” as initiatives for “marine education through food.” We developed a menu focusing on yellowtail from the waters around Hakodate, which had been rapidly increasing in catch but had no food culture and was hardly consumed.We provided it in school lunches, etc., and gave advance lectures to get people to try it. They also announced that they are devising ways to communicate the changes in the marine environment that are behind the scenes.
Part 1: Symposium ~ Lecture
Following the announcement of local initiatives, Miho Takekura of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation Ocean Policy Research Institute explained the “Marine Education Pioneer School Program”, a subsidy system for local governments, schools, and educational institutions that are engaged in ocean education. I did it. Furthermore, he introduced specific marine education initiatives and their results across the country, including examples of elementary schools in Hokkaido and Okinawa prefectures interacting with each other around marine education. “The sea can be a place and a subject for learning. Even if the sea is not nearby, it can be used in any subject and in any school,” the educationalists who attended the event listened with interest. It was tilted.
[Image 5: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2555/resize/d77920-2555-23141475a0ff2c85757c-4.jpg&s3=77920-2555-1f63e31da72ca0e7636bc38a5e16f61e-2048×1365.jpg] Part 2: Exchange meeting
The venue for the second part was moved to Hakodate Minato University. The networking event started with a greeting from Yuma Furuya from the Nippon Foundation Ocean Division. Various players involved in school education and marine education in the Hakodate/southern Hokkaido region gathered and interacted with the symposium speakers, and many ideas were born regarding specific methods and methods for marine education.
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Part 2: Experience booth
At the same venue as the exchange event, we set up an experience booth featuring the “Spring Fish Touch Pool” produced by Iyu Saito, who is active as “Hokkaido’s fish teacher/singer-songwriter specializing in fish.” Mr. Saito and his staff introduced the characteristics and dangerous points of various fish in the coastal waters, such as flounder, sculpin, blue crab, tiger shark, and ray, to the visitors, and the children cheered from everywhere.
A third grade elementary school student living in Hakodate City who participated said, “I had no idea there were so many fish in the Hakodate sea.I was very impressed when I touched a live fish for the first time.” In addition, we exhibited underwater photographs taken by junior high and high school students, and offered samples of Hakodate Seasoning, a powdered seasoning developed by our
organization. Many families visited from the 1:00 p.m. start until the very last minute.
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Participants’ comments
・I realized that marine education fits perfectly with what I want to do and think I should do, such as STEAM education. Once again, I wanted to learn about cases from all over the country as an
individual.
・After listening to the story of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, I realized that we can improve the time for integrated learning and the quality of inquiry learning at the school level as well. I would like to consult with the vice principal immediately.
・We had no idea that there were so many people in the same area who wanted to provide educational opportunities for children using the sea as their field. I would like to start by connecting and then linking it to concrete actions.
・I think there is a need for a project that allows children to experience it without their parents. I would like to use this experience as an opportunity to think about this.
-Organization overview-
Organization name: Blue Commons Japan (General Incorporated Association) URL: https://www.hakodate-umi.com/
Activities: Operation of the Hakodate Morning Market Mini Aquarium, implementation of sea-related “courses for children”
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Nippon Foundation “Ocean and Japan Project”
The sea supports Japanese people’s lives in various ways, sometimes giving them peace of mind, excitement, and inspiration. This is an all-Japan project that aims to encourage people across the country, including children, to view the ongoing environmental deterioration of the ocean as their own, and to expand the circle of action to preserve the ocean for future generations. is.
https://uminohi.jp/
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002555.000077920.html