Approximately 360 participants from the schools gathered for the opening ceremony. At the venue, which was the auditorium of Rikkyo University, there was excitement and tension in the air as students realized their presentations would be starting soon and their enthusiasm for learning was noticable.

Presentations were held in presentation-style and poster session style. From Tamagawa Gakuen, six high school students who took the “Global Studies” class participated. They talked about the research they did on each theme.

In the first presentation, a 1st year high school student presented about a report titled “The Relationship Between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Its Meaning in the Middle East” in English.

The content was very current with the present situation in the Middle East and dealt with things such as politics and religion, and also showed the students personal opinions. He impressed the audience with the power of his speech, dignified attitude, and strong enthusiasm.

Even in the question and answer session with the Rikkyo University’s faculty members after the presentation, he firmly communicated his ideas and confirmed the issues which needed further research.

After the presentation was over, students presenting at poster sessions began their preparations.
Students from Tamagawa Gakuen presented a wide range of themes, including fair trade, medical technology, refugee problems, English education, and environmental problems. Three students gave their presentations in Japanese and two in English.

“I have been studying since last year about what kind of education should be done to increase fair trade’s recognition.”
A student who was conducting her research on the premise of implementing fair trade classes at the school explained her feelings to the students and visitors from other schools who came to hear the story.

A 1st grade student who decided to study abroad next year developed her views on English education from the viewpoint of the significance of high school students participating in international conferences. She also enjoyed discussions with native faculty members who listened to her presentation and was able to display her fluent English in a practical setting.

Students listened to each other’s presentation and absorbed new knowledge while also exchanging opinions. Even with similarly themed presentations they were able to see different viewpoints on the issue.

After all research presentations were over, participants again gathered at the auditorium for the result of the overall review and the awards ceremony.
In the awards ceremony, a prize was awarded to a student of Tamagawa Gakuen who received a gold medal from among 28 pairs of presentations in English.

“Since I am still in my first year and there is still time to learn more, I want to further my research next year.” The speech he gave was quite impressive and the students admired his ability.

The experience of working with daily classes and receiving feedback from many other people such as students at other schools and university teachers was a great energizer for the students to pursue their next line of inquiry.

The facial expressions of the students as they left the school building were shining like the Christmas decorations on the campus and a newfound confidence was apparent in them.

The event, entitled “Discussion in the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management: Global Issues Tamagawa Students See as important in 2016” was held with cooperation with the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, which is an organization that aims to nurture future leaders. Using the school facilities, students held discussions and gave presentations about the themes that they have studied.

The event was held at a site, 15-minutes by bus, from Tsujido Station in Kanagawa Prefecture. Students were excited to see the amazing large site surrounded by nature and the beautiful white-colored facilities.

In the auditorium, students received a greeting from the headmaster after their introduction to the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management; “I hope the event today will be an opportunity for you to think about your future plans”.

At first, the students seemed nervous in the solemn atmosphere of the facilities, but after meeting the headmaster who was very welcoming and friendly, and listening to the stories of the alumni of the school who came to support the event, they slowly relaxed and began to smile more.

After the tour of the inside of the school, the students divided into groups based on their own research themes.
Themes the students chose were all related to international problems that are happening in the world today: “Accepting refugees in Japan and Europe,” “Resolution of Child Labor Problems with the help of IT “, “Discrimination Against Women in Education”, and so on. Each discussion group worked with the alumni of the institute or the head of the event. These people acted as facilitators. Some groups held the entire discussion in English only.

After the self-introduction session, an ice breaking session was held. The students thought back to what they had learned in school and on their travels to Africa and Europe.

And finally, the discussion of the themes that have been studying started. “What does this mean?” and “What do you think about this issue?” were some examples of the questions asked. The students deepened their knowledge of their own research theme through questions from the facilitators. They also enjoyed the discovery of new perspectives and opinions that they have never noticed before then

The facilitators asked questions like “Can you clear up your understanding more?” “What is your passion on this topic?” “Why does that happen?” while the students were brushing up the presentation which they prepared beforehand so that students can review the content of their research and organize what each really wanted to say.

The presentations, which students prepared step by step, were all clearly laid out and all of the groups had confidence when they were giving them to the audience. The members of the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management also gave comments; “Students told us what they really wanted to tell us and they provided data to reinforce their opinions which was well-related” and “It was originally very complex but now it is very simple and became easier to understand”. Students were definitely feeling a level of personal growth after hearing these comments.

Students gave following comments at the reflection session;
“I was able have a chance to rethink why I participated in the overseas training program in the first place, and why I choose this theme.” Now, I am no longer lost in thinking about my future plans because I got a lot of good advice to help me decide what I want to do in the future.”

At last, the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management gave the students some final thoughts and event concluded

This event was a very good opportunity for students to integrate what they had experienced and to develop their self- image and help them clarify what their future plans are.
Moreover, they were able to build their courage to work toward their goals.
The faces of the students as they left the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management were very bright and their confidence was very high.

Students develop their global views during the year by selecting a theme, which interests them and then research it. The themes include the fields of poverty, human rights, the environment, leadership or international cooperation.

In the first half of the year, students learn about their theme from watching videos, Internet searches, and reading books. In the latter half of the year, they have opportunities for hands-on activities such as interacting with foreign students and attending lectures. As a direct result from their research, students begin to develop the unders

On one day, the students presented ideas about their essay themes and were able to listen to their peers` opinions. In a following class, the students learned about Michel Chikwanine, a former child soldier in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Later, when the students were divided into groups of three or four, each group had a discussion on each member’s theme. The discussion format was new for some students, but with encouragement from the teacher, they gradually began to join the discussion.

After talking about their themes, some students offered their additional thoughts. One student stated, "I'd like to know about the environmental measures in Germany," while another student said, "I'm going to study about Gaudi and his religious view that I've been interested in since I visited in Spain".

In the latter half of the class, the students moved to another classroom, and learned about Michel Chikwanine. They gathered in front of a PC monitor, and by using some of the preselected keywords, they were able to pick up additional information. Each group became focused in their search and their interest level intensified as they learned more about Michel Chikwanine and child soldiers.

Students found pleasure from the Global Studies activities, which taught them about global affairs and the ability to understand them from alternative views.

On this day students had a special class during which they guided a group of students from the Goethe-Gymnasium, Germany through the campus.

The assignment was to write articles about their favorite spots in the school as a team consisting of four or five students from Tamagawa and Goethe-Gymnasium.
Each team walked through some spots such as the school building and cafeteria, taking pictures of them, and they built a map together.

The members of each team tried finding three things in common each other and wrote them in the map. They could often be heard saying things like:
“Me too!!”
“Wow! Is it the same in Germany? I feel like we are both very similar!”
The students discovered they had a lot in common and felt closer to each other.

At first some teams had difficulty communicating because of their language barrier. But they kept trying and made full use of their limited questions such as “Why did you come here?” and “How do you feel about Japan?” In the end all of the teams were able to communicate with each other.

“At first I felt uncomfortable talking to them because I was worried about my English skills. But once I started talking, I found the conversation was very fun and it made me very happy!” “Though Japan is very far from Germany, I found that what we both like and are interested in are the same.” From this experience they found that face-to-face communication was more important than worrying about their speaking ability and to focus on enjoying the cultural exchanges. This is the foundation of international communication.