On Thursday, July 24, 2025, students from Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School held a workshop at the Signature Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai—“The Jellyfish Pavilion: Playground of Life.” This workshop was planned and conducted by nine members (including alumni) of the international conference “Global Youth Forum SURVIVE!”, which aims to envision the post-2030 future from the perspective of high school students. Under the concept of “Bringing social issues closer to us!”, the goal was for high school students to take responsibility for addressing global challenges and to think of them as their own issues.

This time, a participatory workshop was held in which Expo visitors reflected on the idea of an “ideal world” together. The program was carried out in three steps.

First, participants freely imagined their own ideal world and wrote down their ideas on paper. Students acted as facilitators at each table, gently prompting participants to share their ideas. Particularly impressive was how the students carefully supported children who struggled to put their thoughts into words, deepening their thinking through dialogue.

Next, participants discussed whether their families and friends could also relate to the ideal worlds envisioned in Step 1. By considering whether one’s wishes would also be ideal for others, participants had a valuable opportunity to broaden their perspectives. Scenes of lively discussion could be seen all around.

Finally, participants thought about what kind of ideal world would make everyone happy. By expanding their focus beyond themselves to the people around them and to society as a whole, the workshop encouraged them to see social issues as “their own matters.”

At the close of the workshop, the students delivered a powerful message: “The accumulation of our small actions can lead to a better future. By being mindful of our daily actions, we want to create our ideal world with our own hands.”

This workshop was entirely planned and managed by the students themselves, who closely examined familiar social issues and engaged in repeated trial and error. For participants, it became a valuable experience that brought the world closer to home, filled with learning and moments of realization. More events planned by Ritsumeikan students will be held at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai venue. We warmly look forward to your visit.