I undertook this innovation due to the growing disparity in Japan between Cultural Diversity and Cultural Understanding. Cultural diversity is increasing because more people are immigrating to Japan due to a lack of employees. Cultural understanding is becoming more difficult due to this disparity because even when cultures are side by side, there is little interaction. This is resulting in misunderstandings or just silence when it comes to understanding different cultures.
This innovation was intended to help move away from just the surface-level engagement of multicultural events and instead focus on fostering exchanges in which young people can listen, think, and learn from one another. The purpose of this innovation is for young people not just to share their cultures but also discuss their identities, belongings, and social issues within a respectful forum. Moreover, as this innovation would encompass both offline interactions as well as online interactions, it would help address both the need for offline immersion as well as online engagement for building relationships. This will eventually help young people imbibe the skills for accomplishment within a diversified society.
In practice, the innovation serves as a youth-led cultural exchange organization, comprising both in-person and online elements. It brings students together through in-person events, which include facilitated discussions and collaborative activities or shared cultural experiences, encouraging participation and openness. These act as point-of-entry events that help participants become comfortable reaching out across cultural differences.
Alongside these, the organization conducts online exchange sessions in an organized way, bringing together students from different schools and backgrounds. Each session covers one theme pertaining to identity, tradition, education, or inclusion and is prepared with guiding questions for discussion that allows for deep, thoughtful conversation. Activities of reflection and feedback are woven throughout so participants can monitor shifts in their own perceptions. Put together, these components have produced a process of continuing cultural exchange, rather than an event.
The innovation has since spread organically through student networks, school communities, and online platforms. Participants who attended the first events showed a strong interest in continuing the discussions, which expanded to the current regular online exchange sessions. The importance of word-of-mouth was prominent, in particular: students invited peers from other cultural backgrounds and schools.
Added to that is the clarity of the organization, which has been documented in such a way that it has considerably supported sharing and replication. The feedback summaries, discussion frameworks, and event formats have been shared with interested students and educators to enable the model to scale beyond a single group. With greater awareness of the organization, the participants continue to grow more diverse.
The innovation continues to develop based upon reflection upon participation. The initial idea was to have one face-to-face experience, but it soon became apparent that participants wanted more than this initial offering. Accordingly, online dialogue components have been introduced to keep the process alive.
The discussion formats were also improved to facilitate more balanced discussions, and the reflection activities were improved to better reflect changes in perspective. These changes ensured that the innovation was still responsive to the needs of the participants while maximizing its impact.
If you are interested in becoming a participating member, please visit our website to gather information on the purpose of the organization, activities, and exchange sessions on a periodic basis. If interested in becoming a participating member, please use the contact information provided on the website or write to informationyujobridge@gmail.com
. New members can be added to the group and can also take part in offline and online interaction sessions, which helps spread the effect of cultural dialogue and inclusion.
