By: Kojiro Nishimiya, SIGHT IEEE Tokyo Section Chair

• Date: 11st/July/2018
• Place: Daini-tanabu Elementary School (Aomori Prefecture)
• Target Class: 20 students of 6^th Grade
• Organizer: SIGHT IEEE Tokyo, Co-organizer: Tokyo YP, Cooperation: Sendai section WIE
• Facilitator: Osamu Toda, Mayumi Suzuki, Kojiro Nishimiya

We originally have conducted the delivery class to the pre-university schools as Tokyo YP and Student activities have before. We just focused only in the Tokyo area and the motivation was to provide the chance to think about their own future before going to university. So, the contents of the class are “the career path story” of the facilitators. What was the future plan of the facilitators at the high school days, how did we decide the plan, how did we study and now what are we doing? We talked and shared about these contents and then we would like the students to consider their future career comparing to our stories as the reference. However, in alternating succession of this activity, we have come to request from the schools of local area. Especially Daini-tanabu elementary school is in the very far area from Tokyo and any other main cities. They mentioned that they already asked many companies and the organizations which are in the main cities to provide the delivery class in their school. However, the school is too far and almost all companies and organizations couldn’t accept it. Then we found the needs of this activity to the local area. This includes not only educational problems, but also other . They are “Digital divide”, “Educational inequity” and “Insufficient medical system”, etc. of the local area due to the depopulation and the concentration of the population to the center of the city. Especially, the lack of the Information is critical to the future of the children.

IEEE Japan has 9 sections and we have many people of the various organization and position (Engineer, Researcher, Professor, etc.) in each area. We found that we could use this excellent networking. One company is difficult to provide the enough information and the lecture as a delivery class, however, IEEE Japan can provide the various information and technologies to the local areas at the same time if each section can do it. Hence, we started to consider the delivery class to the local area using IEEE networking. Then, our motivation moved to the Japanese modern society problems, from just educational problems. And now we have the experience and knowledge about the delivery class, therefore, as a first step, we, SIGHT Tokyo and Tokyo YP go to the school, and then, gradually we will pass over our experience and knowledge to the other sections. Daini-tanabu elementary school is in Sendai section area. This time, we successfully got the cooperation with Sendai section WIE.

Also, now we are facing to the aging society problem and it accelerates the depopulation of the local area. Therefore, the solution of this problem is urgent matter in Japan. We will solve this problem using IEEE networking and also any other collaboration with external organizations in the future.

The delivery class in the Daini-tanabu elementary school started in the gymnastics hall. Principal of the school had a greeting of the event and the detailed information was talked. Then we divided each class and started the lecture.

In our session, we started to explain about general IEEE stories. All students didn’t know about IEEE and also academic society. Therefore, this was the first time to listen about them. They carefully listened to our talk.

After that, we divided 3 groups and each facilitator talked their own career path and the experience which we have. Also, we asked their dreams and discussed how to achieve the dreams together. We conducted 2 rounds of the general introduction and group discussion for 20 students. Some students didn’t have the specific dreams, but After the discussion, they talked that they want to study much more for the better future. Some students already had the specific dreams and after the discussion, they found that the most important factors are the continuous study and to maintain the motivation for the dreams.

After the class, we felt that the students of the local area don’t have the enough information, but they have enough dreams and motivations to move to their future. Therefore, it is important that we continue to provide the various chances and choices for the decision of their career.

Due to the aging society, the children of the local areas gradually become difficult to get the valuable information from the elder people of the area, therefore, the various people from other areas should provide the information. Ideally, it’s important that the people of the various areas provide the information sharing each other in each area. Hence, we will share our knowledge and experiences to the other IEEE sections and try to have the “Sharing system of the various information” to every local area in Japan, using IEEE networking, in the near future. We strongly believe this activity became the first step of our dream.