Waseda University's Contribution to the Community

Photo taken at the Hirayama Ikuo Volunteer Center, Waseda Campus

Cultivating talent that contributes to the community through the exchange of academic knowledge and field experience

Waseda University has set the goal of nurturing knowledgeable personnel as a policy for education and research. Self-competence is the ability to bring together and lead people with diverse values and cultural backgrounds, no matter where they are on the planet. Based on this idea, the university strives to educate students and contribute to the local community through various measures.

WAVOC was established in 2002 and develops and supports volunteer activities both in Japan and overseas. WAVOC offers a variety of volunteer programs with the aim of contributing to society through education, research, and practice, educating invdividuals to enable them to work towards a solution for social issues, and creating new ways of contributing to society. In particular, since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, WAVOC has strengthened its ties with the Tohoku region, including Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture. The content of its activities has changed from support immediately after the earthquake, such as removing rubble, to support aimed at regional development, such as assisting with events, in response to issues in each region. In addition, as of September, WAVOC has sent students eight times to the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January this year, and plans to continue to strengthen its support in the future.

In addition to the activities organized by WAVOC, we support about 30 volunteer groups and hold events such as booth exhibitions and presentation contests at welcome events. In order to increase the sustainability of social contributions, we are also working to create new models, such as backing up students who are starting their own companies or working on social business through industry-academia collaboration.

Students who participate in WAVOC volunteer work will use the educational method of "verbalizing experiences" to reflect on their experiences while putting them into words, and will develop a thought process for contextualizing themselves in society. Students can also acquire basic knowledge by taking designated courses in the university-wide minor ^* "Social Contribution and Volunteering," which is available to students from all faculties. In this environment, students will be able to go back and forth between "academic knowledge" and "knowledge gained from field experience," and grow as individuals.

Establishment of a university-wide minor to systematically deepen understanding of the region

In addition to WAVOC, our university is also strengthening its contributions to the community through education. In addition to implementing the "Regional Exploration and Contribution Entrance Exam" for students who are motivated to learn about solving local issues and development, we will establish a university-wide minor "Regional Collaboration and Contribution" in 2024 to systematize specialized subjects and practical training related to the community. For example, by combining the expertise of a faculty with local activities, such as "Law and Regional Studies" or "Engineering and Regional Studies," it will be possible to contribute to the local community in a more practical way.

One of the practical trainings for this minor is the "Regional collaboration Workshop," which is planned and run by our university staff with the cooperation of local governments, and students can conduct field work on-site, including interviewing local residents and related parties. This workshop allows students to directly propose solutions to the issues faced by local governments across the country.

WAVOC's volunteer activities and Regional collaboration workshops are only possible with the cooperation of the local community. Waseda University's strength is its nationwide network of alumni. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of students who move after graduation to the areas where they were active while enrolled. The partnerships with the local community that have been cultivated over many years are proving to be effective in each of our activities. We will continue to contribute to the local community by nurturing the talent that will lead the future through collaboration between faculty, staff, and alumni.