On 1st February, ECOPLUS holds an international symposium“Community, Place and Learning”at Rikkyo University, Tokyo. With special guest speakers from Australia and Hawaii, the symposium will provide us an opportunity to consider the way to combine “Place” and “Learning”for sustainable living.

With distinguished researchers and practitioners, ECOPLUS has undertaken a 3-year project to explore the meanings of“Place-based Education”in modern context in Japan. With special guest speakers from Australia and Hawaii, the symposium will provide us an opportunity to consider the way to combine “Place” and “Learning”for sustainable living.

*Date: 1st February (Wed), 2014

*Place: Rikkyo University Tachikawa Memorial Hall (Tokyo, Ikebukuro)
*Guest Speakers: Dr. Ron Tooth (Principal of Pullenvale Environmental Education Centre, Australia)
Ms. Kukui Maunakea-Forth (Executive Director of Wai’anae Community Re-Development Corporation, Hawaii)
*Commentators: Dr. Peter Renshaw (Head of School of Education, Queensland University, Australia)
*Organizers: ECOPLUS / Rikkyo University Research Center for ESD
*Supported by Japan Outdoor Education Society / The Japanese Society of Environmental Education
*Funded by Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE)
*Admission free

➢ Schedule
9:30 Hall Opens
10:00 Symposium starts
10:15 Presentations
(Dr. Tooth, Ms. Maunakea-Forth)
*lunch break*
13:40 Proposal of“PBE Model”
14:05 Panel Discussion
16:10 Conclusion

Registration:
please send your information
(Name, Affiliation, Address, TEL, Email)
to

November 16-18, 2013, Annual Kiyosato Meeting was held in Kiyosato, Yamanashi. Over 200 people involved in environmental education gathered at same place and ECOPLUS made presentation and workshop focus on PBE (Place-based Education) to the participants. A lot of people discussed about what is \”root in the place\”.

Novemver 16-18, 2013, Japan Environmental Education Forum(JEEF) held 27th \”KIYOSATO MEETING\” in Yamanashi Pref.
Over 200 people gathered from all across Japan and had workshops, presentations and information exchange.

ECOPLUS gave \”3-hour Workshop\”, \”10-min Presentation\” and \”Booth Exhibition\” on Place-based Education(PBE).

In \”10-min Presentation\” part, 27 organizations and individuals gave audience brief presentations. Mr. Mizumura from ECOPLUS introduced PBE basics and committee activities of these 3 years. Stimulating theme collected over 50 audience to the booth.

\”3-hour Workshop\” on second day gathered 33 participants. Mr. Ohmae, General Manager of ECOPLUS introduced PBE idea, world\’s trend and ECOPLUS\’s activities. After comments from Dr. Abe (Rikkyo University) and Mr. Takagi(NPO Neos), workshop moved to group discussion.

In each group, members discussed and introduced; their activities, necessity to \”rooted in place\”, relationship between cities and countrysides, why young generation goes to city after studying, citizenship and so on.

Lastly, each person filled a comment sheet, which says \”What is \”rooted in the place\”\”. Some answers are; \”notice, learn, change and continue\”, \”to have a place to die, make place to own hometown\”, \”people live in the regions take activities as their own matters\”, etc.

ECOPLUS\’s committee on PBE with 7 professionals to build \”a model of PBE\” will hold a international symposium and last session on 1st February 2014 at Rikkyo University.

The second session of \”Place-based Education\” Project was held on 30th-31st, July in Kosuge village, Yamanashi.

The second session was held in Kosuge village, Yamanashi prefecture on 30-31st July. Three committee members, Dr. Kimata, Mr. Yokoyama, Mr. Sakuma participated in the session.

Kosuge has a headstream of Tama river which supplies drink water to Tokyo area. On 30th, members visited around the village and saw a closed elementary school, which is now used as a place for interaction between locals and universities in Tokyo area. At the village office, members got lectures about educational activities from village officers and related organizations. At night, members had a discussion with local people, some of them had moved in from Tokyo. They introduced their activities on \”food\”, \”farming\”, \”experience in nature\” and so on.

The committee is planning next discussion session in Kyushu in September, as well as symposium in Rikkyo university (Ikebukuro Tokyo) on 1st February 2014.

The first local symposium was held at Oguni-machi, Nishiokitama-gun, Yamagata from Saturday, June 8th to Sunday, 9th 2013 as one of the third year’s activities throughout Japan.
The first local symposium was held at Oguni-machi, Nishiokitama-gun, Yamagata from Saturday, June 8th to Sunday, 9th 2013 as one of the third year’s activities throughout Japan.
On the first day, we went to Kirisutokyo Dokuritu Gakuen, that has Christian ethics for nearly 80 years, and heard the explanation with Mr. Yamaguchi, who is a vice-town mayor. Then we also went and saw ex-Kotamagawa elementary school, that had been closed despite of renovation under advanced idea and now is used as an atelier by an artist.
On the second day, we had the local symposium. Takano explained the activities done in previous two years, and were given case reports from Mr. Inoue, who runs Kodomoen at Kaneyama-machi, Yamagata and Mr. Nishina in Oguni-machi. After that we had discussion under the following themes, “sustainable society,” “environmental education” and “community-based.”