【Call for Participants!】 Multicultural Co-Learning GASSHUKU Activity “Story Co-Creation for Sustainable Futures”
2026.11.04
Let’s create stories for the future together with students from Japan and Costa Rica!
In this multicultural collaborative learning program, participants will learn about challenges related to a “sustainable future”—an issue shared by both Japan and Costa Rica—while working in cross-border teams to create stories for the future.
Students from the University of Tsukuba (including its Malaysia campus) and the University of Costa Rica will collaborate to explore challenges in realizing a sustainable society through fieldwork visits to museums, research institutions, local governments, and embassies. They will then communicate their ideas and solutions to these challenges in the creative form of storytelling.
Through this program, participants will work together with peers from different cultural backgrounds and academic disciplines to give shape to their vision of the future. Not only will you deepen your understanding of sustainable societies, but you’ll also acquire new problem-solving methods through storytelling and develop the skills to communicate your ideas in an engaging way.
Furthermore, this program is designed to be accessible to students from any academic division, regardless of whether they are in the humanities or sciences. We welcome anyone interested in international exchange and cross-cultural understanding, those who want to consider social issues from a new perspective, and those who wish to create the future together with peers from around the world!
If you’d like to participate, please carefully review the application guidelines and the poster below before applying.
Start by attending the information session! Wednesday, November 18, 11:30 a.m.–12:10 p.m. at the Student Commons (1A203)!
Program Details
Dates
Preparatory Sessions: December 18, 2026, and January 8, 2027
In-person Program: January 19-29, 2027
Debriefing Session: February 12, 2027
Places to Visit
Tsukuba City Hall, National Institute for Environmental Studies, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Ushiku Daibutsu, Embassy of the Republic of Costa Rica, teamLab Borderless
Information on Participation
Participation Fee: Free (Participants are required to cover the cost of one round-trip train ticket from Tsukuba to Tokyo on January 25)
Number of Participants: 10 students from University of Tsukuba
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students (including international students) from all academic backgrounds
* Applicants must be able to communicate in English at an everyday conversational level. Students interested in learning Spanish or Malay are encouraged to apply.
Application Period: November 4, 2026 (Wed.) – November 27 (Fri.)
Notification of participant selection results: December 1, 2026 (Tue)
Application form: Application Story Co-Creation For Sustainable Futures
Application Guidelines
Contact Information
Aaron Mena, PhD
Specially Appointed Professor
International Co-Learning Office
Division of Educational Promotion
Department of Educational Promotion
University of Tsukuba
TEL: +81-29-853-5078
E-mail: mena.aaron.gb@u.tsukuba.ac.jp
