Feature 1
Your hometown is the theme
Teams pick themes from their own community: taking local products abroad, tourism, food or the environment.
Middle schoolHigh schoolUniversity
Japan–Canada Community Project
How would you bring your hometown’s products, tourism or challenges to people in Canada? A longer project that connects preparation in Japan, testing in Vancouver and action back home.
- For
- Middle school, high school and university
- Length
- 4 weeks before + 1 to 2 weeks in Canada + 2 weeks after
- Format
- Preparation in Japan, plus a trip to Vancouver
- Group size
- Planned per school or group
Overview
Test a local idea across the ocean
Before departure, teams choose a theme from local products, tourism or community challenges, interview the people involved and prepare a plan in English. In Vancouver they connect with Japanese Canadian businesses and organizations and local business owners, and test how people respond.
Back home, students present to their school, local government and businesses, and run small sales tests, events and social media campaigns. The project also fits a school’s inquiry-based learning time.
Methods we useProject-based learningCommunity-based learningCross-cultural communicationDesign thinkingStorytelling
Features
What makes it different
Feature 2
Meet the Japanese Canadian community
Students visit people who connect Japan and Canada, such as Japanese Canadian businesses and organizations in Vancouver, and get their feedback.
Feature 3
The real work starts at home
Back home, students present to their community and turn ideas into sales tests and events, so the learning lasts beyond the trip.
Program flow
Prepare in Japan, test in Canada, act at home
The standard format is 4 weeks before, 1 to 2 weeks in Canada and 2 weeks after, adjusted to your school calendar.
- PHASE 1
Prepare in Japan
Choose a theme, listen to the people involved and write the plan in English.
- Choosing a theme
- Stakeholder interviews
- Hypotheses
- Preparing the plan in English
- PHASE 2
Test in Vancouver
Meet local people, test the idea and refine it.
- Meeting Japanese Canadian businesses and organizations
- Street interviews
- Prototyping
- Pitching in English
- PHASE 3
Act at home
Present to the community and put the idea into practice.
- Presentation to school and local government
- Sales tests and events
- Social media campaign
- Reflection
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