Ashoka in Fukuoka
Young Changemakers Forge the Future

On December 21 and 22, 2022, Fukuoka Futaba Gakuen (a school in Fukuoka) hosted six young changemakers from the ASHOKA Youth Venture, an initiative to create an environment for young talent to flourish. The six Ashoka Youth Venturers presented their social projects to an audience that included not only students from the school but also their guardians and teachers, all of whom listened intently to their speeches.

Hayato Kano developed a product for severe food allergy patients. One sophomore high school student who heard his presentation commented that, “there are people with food allergies around me as well, but I had never thought of doing something about it. It’s great to see someone in the same grade as me taking action, and it’s made me want to do something myself,” she said.

Sara Kumagai holds a “Library by the River – Book Swap Japan” every Sunday to foster community interaction through exchanging books. Following her presentation, some of participants, a librarian, and teacher, began a discussion with her students that immediately produced several ideas: running a similar library at their school, maybe in the school yard or even the nearby park.
These young changemakers are like missionaries planting the seeds of an “I can be the change” mindset that spreads throughout society in a ripple effect.

On the following day, December 22, there was an opportunity for both young people and adults to explore each other's identities through open dialogue. Twenty-seven people of different ages and backgrounds gathered to listen to each other's stories and, at the same time, spent valuable time rethinking the values that they hold.

Click here for more details:https://note.com/ashoka_japan/n/nec7e9cefc04f

*The BLUEWING Program provides flight support to young changemakers across Japan to enable them to attend Ashoka’s events.