Report on 6th Introduction to NPO Activities Seminar 2021

2022年1月18日更新

At the 6th Introduction to NPO Activities Seminar on September 18, 2021, Miku Ōsakadani from the Shoku to Kodomo no Hiroba Miyoshimura (Miyoshi Village as a Plaza for Food and Children) spoke about the student agricultural support experience and children’s participation in cultivating paddy fields and maintaining village woodlands.

Image 1: Parent-child issues

In introducing her associations’ activities, Ms. Ōsakadani drew on actual experiences in discussing the many goals and roles that one project can have. In this context, she touched on parent-child relationship and village woodland issues, as well as conflicted feelings. We learned a huge amount from the difficulties involved in sustaining a project of this nature, as well as Ms. Ōsakadani’s thoughts and feelings on the project.

In relation to the dietary education so essential, particularly to busy students and working adults, we learned some relatively unknown facts—including some that were quite shocking—that led seminar participants to revisit their views on diet, food, and the environment. I was particularly persuaded by the idea of consumption as investment, so that when I buy food, I need to bear in mind not just the price but also whole range of other factors like sustainability. I was also reminded that to make smart decisions, I need to start with getting myself informed.

Image 2: The need for dietary education

When, toward the end of the seminar, participants mentioned how polished Ms. Ōsakadani’s slides were, she gave us some tips on putting together our own slides, the materials that she recommends, and even how to create presentations that are easy to watch and easy to listen to. This was some unexpected knowledge very useful for student life!

In the post-seminar questionnaire, participants noted that they had been impressed by Ms. Ōsakadani’s ongoing focus on sustainability in relation to animal life and her own activities, the coherence of the association’s activities, and the commitment and passion of those engaged in organic agriculture. All participants noted that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the seminar.

(Rinka Yamashima, first-year student, Department of Psychology,
Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences)