June 17, 2021

From June 11 until July 31, Okayama University is participating in a collaborative exhibition with WE HAVE A DREAM at Miraiya Shoten Books (5th floor) Okayama AEON Mall, which is the biggest AEON Mall in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions. The title of the exhibition is “Lessons from Around the World: 4 Okayama University Students Venture Out into the World and Share Their Dreams” and features exhibition boards introducing 4 Okayama University students who have participated in the One Young World (OYW), the global forum for young leaders, in the past or plan to participate in the 2021 convention next month. On the boards, the students present their vision for the future of society and share book recommendations.

The special exhibition marks the worldwide publication of “WE HAVE A DREAM: 201 Countries 202 Dreams with Sustainable Development Goals”, a book which showcases young people from around the world talking about their experiences and goals related to sustainable development. The remarkable book also features recommendations from global leaders, such as 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad YUNUS and former Irish President Mary ROBINSON. The idea for the exhibition came about after the creators of the book, OYW ambassadors ICHIKAWA Taichi and HIRAHARA Ibun, attended the Okayama University Top Global University Project 2nd Interim Report Symposium “SGU x SDGs Beyond 2030”. This also led to the Okayama University UNESCO Chair acting as “Academic Consultant” for the book.

In support of the exhibition, OYW Japan Committee Director, Senior Vice President for Global Engagement Strategy, and UNESCO Chairholder in Research and Education for Sustainable Development YOKOI Atsufumi wrote a special message. Referring to industrialist SHIBUSAWA Eiichi’s Yume shichi kun (seven maxims on dreams), he emphasized the importance of having a dream, building a network of ambitious friends and associates, and putting plans into action to create a better future.

○Students participating in the exhibition:
・Faculty of Education, 3rd year, ASANO Hikaru
・Medical School, 3rd year, KISHABA Tomoki
・Discovery Program for Global Learners, 4th year, TSUYAMA Khaya
・Faculty of Letters, 3rd year, DEGUCHI Anna
*Anna and Khaya will participate in the OYW Summit 2021 Munich online from July 22-25.

○ One Young World
This global forum for young leaders is one of the largest annual summits in the world, bringing together next-generation leaders from more than 190 countries. Okayama University was one of the first national universities in Japan to participate in the summit and has sent student delegates every year since the 2015 Bangkok Convention.

Click here for more details on Okayama University’s involvement in One Young World