On Thursday, February 12, the final debriefing session of the "Fukuoka Prefecture x Bangkok Metropolitan Entrepreneurship Human Resource Development Project" was held at Fukuoka Growth Next, hosted by Fukuoka Prefecture. From our university, Mr. So Tazaki (Isahaya High School) from Faculty of Collaborative Regional Development Department of Regional Development 4 and Ms. Hina Okamura (Matsuyama Minami High School) from Faculty of International Studies of Culture took the stage and presented the results of their activities.
This program is a practical entrepreneurial human resource development program in which university students and working adults from both Fukuoka Prefecture and Bangkok (Thailand) visit each other's cities, deepen their connections through company tours and group work, and, with the support of entrepreneurs active both in Japan and overseas, work on developing business plans that will lead to the resolution of social issues.
At the final presentation, mixed groups of Japanese and Thai participants presented their social business plans as the results of their learning and discussions.
Each team devised solutions to the social problems they encountered during their fieldwork in the slums. Tasaki's group presented a business plan aimed at creating jobs for people with disabilities by acting as a hub for businesses and government agencies. Okamura's group proposed developing practical skills and creating opportunities for children in the slums to help them become independent in the future.
After the presentation, Tasaki said, "We sometimes ran into language barriers, but we approached the project with the belief that 'the most important thing is to jump into the field first.' When formulating our business plan, we placed importance on how we could lead to the resolution of social issues and make a social impact. We would like to continue working to solve various issues while keeping that perspective in mind." Okamura shared his thoughts, saying, "I have always been interested in Asian culture, and participated with the idea of starting my own business in the future. There were times when I was confused by differences in thinking and the language barrier, but we tried to communicate in a way that respected each other's opinions. I would like to use the valuable advice I received from my mentors and judges as a springboard to take this activity to the next level."
[Department of International Studies of Culture / Department of Regional Development]
