For three days, starting on July 25, 2018, a total of 54 kid journalists from 16 countries and regions gathered at Panasonic Center Tokyo. On the first day, as an Active Learning session, the kids learned about each other and the world. On the second and third day, they split into groups to discuss the theme "How to make a better life, a better world." Then, before the Global Contest Award Ceremony, they presented a "Proposal for the Future" with "What we want to leave for a better future" as the primary category, and "What we can do to make a better future society" as the secondary category. Within this discussion, they introduced "things to be proud of and not to be proud of" about their own country, which they had prepared in advance. They also discussed experiences they had in the Field Work after their Active Learning. Let's look through their three energy-filled days!

Get to know your friends, get to know the world where you live!

Let's think about how to create a better future together!

Primary Category

The lively members of this group showed a keen interest in each other's country even as they introduced their own nations. Hong Kong has an international background where people from all over the world live, Indonesia is blessed with beautiful nature from ancient times, and Canada values diversity and culture. When Zitto from Hong Kong explained how crowded it is in Hong Kong, Rasya from Indonesia was surprised, and asked, "Do you have traffic jams?" The group members tried to understand each other's country by actively asking questions.

Next, everyone posted memorable photographs from their Field Work the day before onto a white board to share their impressions. Rasya was happy to say, "I made new friends from various countries on this field work."

Primary Category

This group felt a bit tense in the beginning. In the discussion of "what do we want to leave for a better future," the opinion was brought up that robots should be eliminated because they could be used as weapons, and they might take away people's jobs. Also, Haruki from Japan said, "Our lives wouldn't change if there were no animals, so maybe we don't need to keep them?" Gift from Tanzania had a different opinion, explaining, "Animals attract tourists, so we should keep them." Each member spoke their own opinion depending on his or her viewpoint.

When creating a collage for the proposal, Syoutarou from Japan taught the members from other countries how to fold a paper crane. Everyone enjoyed cooperating and completing this task.

Secondary Category

Of the eight groups, this group had the most members and carried out a lively discussion. The boys from the USA and Malaysia were excited and led the girls from Japan in discussion. Both America and Malaysia have a long history of immigration, and the members consider diversity and a multi-culture society to be good points of their countries. On the other hand, these countries are also faced with the problem of racism. The girls from Japan, which has fewer immigrants, listened with great interest. Paresch from Malaysia suggested that, to eliminate racial discrimination, countries should "Stop criticism and being judgmental by skin colors." Ben from America pointed out that there is a tendency for people to dislike people who are different than themselves and added that, "A lot of people are coming to California because it offers freedom and a melting pot of race, religion, and sexuality...," For a better future, it is important to see what's on the inside, not to see what's on the outside.

Secondary Category

While being a bit tense, this group worked hard to describe their countries. Brazil has a colonial history, Thailand has been filled with historical temples, and Tanzania has a mixture of urban areas and magnificent nature.

Akemi from Brazil talked about the Field Work, saying, "Nihonbashi blends traditional Japan with advanced technology." This led to an exchange of opinions about whether this discovery at Nihonbashi might be used to represent a better future. In the middle of this, Benz from Thailand said, "New things are born by preserving old things." Everyone concluded that a solution for a better life is to "merge traditional and modern styles and elements."