イギリス University College London – UCL Japan Youth Challenge 2022 チャレンジレポート

今年も世界のトップ大学の1つであるイギリスの University College London (ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン)とthe University of Cambridge （ケンブリッジ大学）が開催している夏期プログラム、 UCL  Japan Youth Challenge 2022に本校の生徒たちが参加しました。

イギリスの Six Form (大学進学準備課程)の学生や日本の選抜された志の高い高校生とイギリスや世界各地の高校から選ばれた生徒が一緒に、ＵＣＬの先生方の授業を受けたり、社会問題への解決方法やお互いの文化について、ディスカッションを行い、お互いを高めあうことを目的としたプログラム(オンライン)、8月3日から3週間、切磋琢磨の日々でした。

今年のテーマは、”Innovative Enterprises for a Sustainable Future.”　（持続可能な未来に向けた革新的な取り組み）。世界各地の高校生が持続可能な未来のために解決すべき課題に取り組み、チームで探究、その成果を発表し合いました。本校から参加した生徒のレポートをどうぞ。

高2　R. K.　さん

この夏休みにUCL Japan Youth Challenge 2022に参加しました。そこで、科学、薬学、工学、物理、人文、芸術の分野の講義を聴講し、それぞれのグループに割り当てられたグローバルな課題に対してビジネスに繋がる解決案を考え、グループプレゼンテーションを行いました。私はこのプログラムに参加して、学んだことがたくさんありました。そのうちのいくつかを紹介します。

一つ目は、問題に取り組む方法の学びです。　私たちのグループには、これまであまり多く取り上げられない問題がありました。特に印象的だったのは、グローバルな社会問題に対する意識の欠如、整理されていない労働環境です。グローバルな社会問題に対する意識の欠如は、具体的な問題に対する解決案を考える時に指摘されるということが多かったので、それを個々の問題として捉えることも大切だと思いました。整理されていない労働環境についてはそこまで考えたことがなかったので、それも大きな課題の一つであるという気づきがありました。

二つ目は、グループワークを行うときに打ち解けておくことの大切さに気づきました。私のグループは多様なバックグラウンドを持った人が多く集まったので、言語の壁などで言いたいことが伝わらない、理解できないということが度々ありました。その中で、みんなで協力し合うというのが難しかったのですが、ある程度雑談をグループワークの前にしてお互いを知ることが出来た人の意見は理解がしやすかったのです。これはその子の考え方がある程度予測できるからというのもあると思うのですが、どれくらい落ち着いて話せるか、勇気を出して意見を言えるかというのも関わっていると感じました。

三つ目は、新しい分野の知識が身に付きました。文理の境界線がなく、いろいろな分野の講義を聴けたので、ナノテクノロジーや言語学など、学ぶ機会が少ない分野のことも知れました。特に印象的だったのが、量子物理学についての講義です。量子物理学と聞くと難しそうだと思い、難しい講義なのかなって最初は思っていましたが、講義を聴講していると、そうではなくて、古典的な物理学では説明できない現象について研究する学問であるということを知りました。

このように、私はUCL Japan Youth Challenge 2022を通して多くの発見をすることができました。このプログラムの良さは特にいろいろな分野について学べること、自分とは違うバッググラウンドを持っているたくさんの人と人間関係を築けることだと思います。私はこのプログラムに参加して貴重な体験を多くできたので、他の大妻中野生もぜひ挑戦してほしいです！

During the summer, I participated in an online study abroad program called UCL Japan Youth Challenge 2022. There, participants attended lectures in the fields of science, pharmacy, engineering, physics, humanities, and art, and gave group presentations on business-related solutions to global issues assigned to each group. I have learned a lot from participating in this program. Here are some of them.

First, I learned how to approach problems. Among the issues assigned to the group, it contained issues that were not covered very often. The lack of awareness of global social issues and the disorganized work environment especially left an impression on me. As for the lack of awareness of global social issues, it is often pointed out when thinking about solutions to specific problems, but I think it is important to treat it as an individual problem. For disorganized work environment, I had never given much thought to it, so I noticed that this was one of the big challenges we had to work on.

Second, I realized the importance of warming up to each other before doing group work. My group was made up of people with diverse backgrounds, so there were many times when someone couldn’t understand what another participant was saying because of the language barrier. Among them, it was difficult for everyone to cooperate with each other, but for me, it was easier to understand the opinions of the people who I was able to get to know through a certain amount of chatting before the group work. I think this is partly because we can predict their way of thinking to some extent, but I also felt that it has something to do with how calmly they can talk and whether they have the courage to express their opinions.

Third, I gained knowledge in new fields. There were no boundaries between the humanities and sciences, and I was able to listen to lectures in a variety of fields, so I learned about fields such as nanotechnology and linguistics that I don’t have many opportunities to study. The lectures on quantum physics particularly left an impression on me. When I heard the word quantum physics, I thought it would be difficult, so at first, I thought it would be a difficult lecture. I learned that it is an academic field that studies about phenomenon that cannot be explained by classical physics.

In these ways, I was able to make many discoveries through this program. I think the good things about this program are that you can learn about various fields, and you can build relationships with many who have different backgrounds from you. Participating in this program gave me many valuable experiences, so I recommend other Otsuma Nakano students to also try it!

高1　K.K.　さん

I am K. K.  a first-year high school student and participated in the UCL-Japan Youth Challenge in the summer of 2022. I would like to share with you my impressions from my four-week online study abroad experience under the theme of “Innovative Enterprises for a Sustainable Future.”

I had a vague longing to study abroad, but the recent Corona disaster had increased my resistance and I had almost given up. Then I learned about UCL’s online study abroad program, and as I researched the details, I decided that I would definitely like to attend lectures at one of the world’s leading universities. The four-week program offers a wide variety of lectures that only a university(University with all faculties) can offer, and since the curriculum can be freely arranged, I chose several lectures that I’m interested in such as “Data Science” and “International Relations”.

In the first two weeks, I was able to take these classes in English and ask questions directly to the professors, which was a very good experience. Furthermore, in the latter half of the two-week period, there was a good amount of time set aside for workshops where I could exchange opinions with students my own age, and I felt that the appeal of this program was that I was exposed to a wide variety of different ways of thinking.

In discussing this year’s theme, ” Innovative Enterprises for a Sustainable Future” and how to balance “economic activities” and “environmental issues,” I learned that the SDGs are viewed quite differently in the two countries. In the process of finding a compromise between our differing opinions and sublimating them, we voluntarily set up meetings outside of the curriculum and engaged in thorough dialogue, and the sense of accomplishment we felt when we reached a consensus was a stimulating experience that we could fully share through the PC screen.

There are many pros and cons about online study abroad programs on the Internet. Until I participated in the program, I was somewhat skeptical about the limited results that could be achieved through online study abroad. However, through this experience, I realized that there are many advantages as a step toward actual study abroad.

I spent an intense four weeks immersed in English during the four weeks I attended the course, and through my willingness to work hard, I was able to directly feel the results of my efforts. In addition, as we proceeded with our group work, bonds were formed with others who had participated in the same learning experience, and it became an asset for me to keep in touch with them even after completing this program.  Moreover, our interest in each other’s countries deepened, and I strongly felt that now I would like to experience their cultures firsthand.

I believe that online learning will continue to evolve as a tool for communicating with people from different environments and cultural backgrounds, and will become a major tool in the world of schools and business. I felt that this was a perfect opportunity to participate easily without changing my life axis and to deepen my understanding about the other’s culture while testing my English skills. I hope to have the opportunity to share and exchange with many people the joy I experienced this summer at the UCL – Japan Youth Challenge.