Learning and Playing Week
What would Liberal Arts education in the world look like after 25 years? The future of learning Agenda 2025 Co-created Programme
Shape New World Initiative
【Hypothesis of the future in 2050】 Similar to how digital and analog worlds are merging, a future where boundaries between learning and play have dissolved.
Join us for an enlightening panel discussion on "What would Liberal Arts education in the world look like after 25 years?," where we will explore how liberal arts education will change or remain similar in the future by delving into the diverse approaches, benefits, and challenges of liberal arts education across different cultures and regions. This event brings together esteemed educators, scholars, and thought leaders from various countries who will share their insights and experiences. There will also be an interactive quiz with prizes!
Recorded video available
Discussion
- Lifelong learning
- EDTEC
- Educational inequality
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
-
Agenda2025
Co-created Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.07.26[Sat]
10:30 ～ 12:30
(Venue Open 10:00)
-
- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
*Subtitles: Choose “Subtitles/CC” in the “Settings” (gear icon) at the bottom right of the YouTube video.
*Subtitles may not show with multiple languages or overlapping audio.
In this program, we will discuss how liberal arts education will evolve in the world 25 years from now from a global perspective. Liberal arts education is a style of education that fosters broad knowledge and critical thinking across diverse academic disciplines, and there are many aspects of liberal arts education that differ from the Japanese educational system. Youths from around the world will discuss the characteristics and challenges of liberal arts education in their respective countries - drawing out commonalities and issues, and thinking about the future of education in the realm of technological development and greater globalization. At the end of the program, there will be an interactive quiz with a chance to win prizes! This is a valuable opportunity for those interested in liberal arts education to think about the future of liberal arts education. We look forward to seeing you there!
Reports
【Reflection】
The dialogue programme offered a rare and valuable opportunity to gather young leaders and experts from diverse countries and backgrounds to discuss the possible future of liberal arts education in 2050.
Liberal arts education originates from the concept of “the learning that liberates humanity”. It is an education that cultivates knowledge across broad fields such as the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and the ability to integrate this knowledge to view matters from multiple angles and think critically. It aims not merely at acquiring specialised knowledge, but at nurturing comprehensive human capabilities—such as logical thinking, ethical judgement, expressive skills, and dialogue abilities—to cultivate individuals who can act on their own judgement within today's rapidly changing society.
The exchanges revealed a broad consensus that the role of education goes far beyond the acquisition of knowledge and technical skills: rather, education should equip learners with adaptability, resilience, critical thinking, and the capacity to engage in democratic processes and social contribution.
Participants shared concrete perspectives from their own contexts. Mr Derick Omari highlighted how accessibility and inclusive design can enable learners with disabilities to participate equally, emphasising the potential of community-based learning hubs in Africa. Mr Yi Jun Mock stressed the importance of integrating career guidance into formal education so that all young people, regardless of socio-economic background, can access opportunities. Mr Toshin Sequeira drew attention to how governments can embed experiential and phenomenon-based learning in curricula, citing Finnish reforms as a reference point. Mr Jeremy Raguain illustrated how climate change and environmental challenges must be mainstreamed into education systems, with experiential and intergenerational learning playing a central role. Mayor Ryosuke Takashima emphasised the civic role of schools as spaces for democratic practice and social cohesion, arguing that education should nurture active and compassionate citizens.
Through these diverse insights, the session shed light on both universal challenges and locally specific approaches. It became evident that liberal arts education in the future must be reframed as lifelong learning, blurring the boundaries between formal schooling, community practice, and the workplace. The discussions also underscored the need to balance technological progress—including the use of generative AI—with the preservation of human connection, empathy, and storytelling.
Overall, the programme demonstrated the effectiveness of convening cross-cultural dialogues. It fostered empathy and mutual understanding while also producing tangible ideas for policy, curriculum, and community initiatives. The lively participation of both on-site and online audiences, including through interactive quizzes, further underlined the value of integrating play with learning. The session succeeded not only in deepening awareness of future educational challenges, but also in motivating participants to see themselves as co-creators of solutions.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
Following the programme, the organisers and participants shared a strong determination to continue the momentum generated by the dialogue. Several concrete directions emerged for post-EXPO initiatives.
First, there was agreement on building a sustainable international network to exchange educational practices across borders. This includes further collaboration between organisations such as Advisory Singapore, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and grassroots initiatives in Africa and island states. By creating a platform for continuous dialogue, these actors aim to ensure that lessons shared in the programme are not limited to a one-off discussion.
Second, participants highlighted the importance of embedding inclusivity and accessibility into every level of education. Inspired by Mr Omari’s experience, efforts will focus on promoting community-based learning models that support both young learners and adults with diverse needs. In Japan, Mayor Takashima expressed interest in transforming local schools into hubs for lifelong learning, open to older generations as well as children, thereby fostering intergenerational exchange.
Third, the programme reinforced the necessity of integrating environmental and social challenges into curricula. Mr Raguain’s call to mainstream climate change education will be taken forward through pilot projects, aiming to link local communities with global issues. Similarly, Mr Sequeira’s examples of phenomenon-based learning have encouraged participants to explore curriculum reforms that cut across traditional disciplines.
Finally, there was a shared recognition that technology, particularly generative AI, should be leveraged to expand access and personalise learning while ensuring that the human elements of mentorship, empathy, and collaboration remain central. To this end, follow-up workshops and joint research projects are being planned to test hybrid models of digital and community learning.
In sum, the post-EXPO initiatives will focus on transforming the spirit of the dialogue into concrete practices: creating cross-border networks, embedding inclusivity, mainstreaming global challenges into education, and responsibly integrating technology. The ambition is not only to respond to the questions raised in the dialogue, but to translate them into systemic change that will shape the future of liberal arts education worldwide.
*Part or all of this report was generated by AI.
Cast
Moderator
Atoka Jo
Global Shapers
Atoka Jo, born and raised in Osaka, Japan, received her undergraduate degree from New York University Abu Dhabi and her Master’s degree from Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University. During her studies, she was involved in research and projects related to education and development economics in Argentina, Ghana, and Costa Rica, and interned at the United Nations in New York. In Japan, she founded a liberal arts summer program at Himeji Girls’ High School. Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023. One of the 50 Global Shapers to attend the World Economic Forum Davos Conference 2022. Masayoshi Son Foundation Scholar. G7 Youth 2019 Japan Representative. One Young World 2018 Japan Representative.
View Profile
Close
close
Speakers
Derick Omari（Ghana）
Disability Inclusion Consultant
Derick is a certified accessibility expert and disability inclusion consultant. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, he provided disability inclusion and accessibility consultancy to several institutions including governments, academic institutions, private organisations, and international development organisations.
Derick is a leading change scholar from Cambridge University in the UK. He is also a Chevening Scholar and holds an MSc in Disability, Design, and Innovation from the University College of London. He also holds a BSc in Business Administration from Ashesi University.
Derick is passionate about accelerating inclusive development to level the playing field without leaving anyone behind.
View Profile
Close
close
Yi jun Mock (Singapore)
Co-Founder & President of Advisory Singapore
Mock Yi Jun is Co-Founder and President of Advisory Singapore, a fully youth-led charity dedicated to empowering young people from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices.
Since 2016, Advisory has supported over 212,000 youth through its online repository of interviews with working professionals, learning journeys and industry panels with firms, and in-school career guidance programming. Advisory runs Singapore’s largest pro bono careers-based mentorship program, delivering over 12,000 hours of mentorship.
For his work, Yi Jun received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award, the Diana Award, and a Deloitte-One Young World Scholarship. He was named a #Generation17 Young Leader by UNDP and Samsung, and listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 under the Social Impact category. He is an Advisor to the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
He holds a Master of Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, where he studied as a Schwarzman Scholar, and a Bachelor of Politics and International Relations from the London School of Economics.
View Profile
Close
close
Toshin Sequeira (India)
Associate, Asia Pacific Advisory at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Toshin helps governments across Asia-Pacific deliver transformative reforms that improve the lives of their citizens by advising them on strategy, policy, and delivery. Presently, he’s serving as an embedded advisor to Nobel laureate President Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste. Toshin is passionate about ensuring that young people can play an active role in shaping the future. He previously served as a Global Deputy Project Lead to the United Nations SDG Students Program, expanding their presence into 15 new countries. His public policy work includes advising a large Southeast Asian country on reforming its investment attraction policy and co-authoring the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report (2023). Toshin is dedicated to furthering inclusive socioeconomic development by amplifying youth voice and leadership in shaping public policy.
View Profile
Close
close
Jeremy Raguain（Seychelles）
Seychellois conservationist
Jeremy Raguain is a Seychellois conservationist working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office as the Senior Programme Officer (BBNJ Treaty). He is also Columbia University's Coastal Resilience Network Coordinator and also advises the Seychelles Government on international environmental law, and has led various environmental projects through the Global Shapers Community, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and other organizations.
Jeremy is an alum of the Alliance of Small Island States Fellowship and has served as the Climate Change and Ocean Advisor to the Seychelles Permanent Mission to the UN, contributing to international climate and ocean law negotiations. Before this, he coordinated projects and communications for the Seychelles Islands Foundation and contributed to national environmental policy. Jeremy holds a B.Sc. in International Relations (Honors) and Environmental Geographical Sciences from the University of Cape Town, a Diploma in Environmental Management from the Technical University of Dresden, and an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University.
View Profile
Close
close
Takashima Ryosuke
Mayor of Ashiya City
Born in Osaka in 1997, Ryosuke graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in Environmental Science and Engineering and a minor in Environmental Science and Public Policy. From 2016 to 2023, he served as the President of the educational non-profit Ryu-fellow, which focuses on nurturing future leaders capable of addressing global challenges. He has supported proactive high school students aspiring for higher education abroad and youth involvement in community development.
He is dedicated to ‘just learning’ in public schools and engaging in community development centered around dialogue with a broad spectrum of ages, particularly emphasizing the youth. Expert member of the Central Council for Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (from 2025).
View Profile
Close
close
Learning and Playing Week
What would Liberal Arts education in the world look like after 25 years? The future of learning Agenda 2025 Co-created Programme
【Hypothesis of the future in 2050】 Similar to how digital and analog worlds are merging, a future where boundaries between learning and play have dissolved.
Join us for an enlightening panel discussion on "What would Liberal Arts education in the world look like after 25 years?," where we will explore how liberal arts education will change or remain similar in the future by delving into the diverse approaches, benefits, and challenges of liberal arts education across different cultures and regions. This event brings together esteemed educators, scholars, and thought leaders from various countries who will share their insights and experiences. There will also be an interactive quiz with prizes!
-
2025.07.26[Sat]
10:30～12:30
(Venue Open 10:00)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
OTHER PROGRAM
Learning and Playing Week
