SDGs+Beyond Future Society for Life Week
「Co-Lab Gears」（Next Generation Co-Creation Leader Development Project）
Link and Motivation Inc
As of 2024, 16 companies from Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu area co-create a program to “foster co-creation leadership”. Specifically, the program will run concurrently for 8 months to create “co-creation challenges” from students and “maximize individual growth. Over the past five years, more than 50 “co-creation challenges” have been created. This program is “student-led” and reports the results of those “co-creation challenges” and creates new “connections” for the next generation toward 2030.
Discussion
- future society
- post-SDGs
- Next Generation/Inclusion
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
-
Track Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.10.12[Sun]
10:00 ～ 21:00
(Venue Open 10:00)
-
- Venue
- Others (Inside Venue)
- "TEAM EXPO Pavilion"
Programme details
1) “Programs” that are not “adult-led” but by students, for students
Although the company will bear the costs for the stage, the “planning” will be carried out by the students, who are the main actors in this project.
2) The target of this project is not only “Japan” but “the world”.
Since the number of people who can be involved in person at the Expo site is limited, the project will also be disseminated online to the world. We are also considering recording the event and disseminating it via SNS and other means.
3) We are not sending out “desk top fantasies,” but rather “concrete examples of co-creation” from 2020.
This is not a contest of ideas with no feasibility for the future, but rather, we will communicate concrete examples of co-creation with various stakeholders, as well as the lessons learned and insights gained from such co-creation.
4) Speakers will not be limited to the “Next Generation Co-Creation Leader Project,” but will present “Co-Creation Challenges” in each region and around the world.
We will discover enthusiastic “co-creation challenges” by young people in each region and take up the good ones here. The event will serve as a platform for this purpose.
5) Develop horizontal linkages with other pavilions through linkage and co-creation based on the TEAM EXPO pavilion.
The TEAM EXPO pavilion will be the center of a dialogue with other pavilions on various themes, such as “how the future society should be” and “how to realize it.
Reports
【Reflection】
Under the concept of “By Students, For Students – October 12”, we carried out a program that received high praise from both participants and audience members as “a truly inspiring event.” The program consisted of two main components.
The first was the “Theme Week Session”, inspired by the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan initiative, where countries around the world engage in dialogue to co-create a “Future Society for Our Lives.” In this session, eight student teams presented proposals on eight different global themes.
A total of 34 students participated, joined by 16 co-creation partners from diverse nationalities, generations, and professional backgrounds.
Through their presentations, both students and partners reflected on what concrete actions they could take toward building a more vibrant, sustainable future society.
Audience members shared comments such as, “It gives me hope to see how deeply young people are thinking,” and “I was inspired to change my own behavior starting tomorrow.”
These responses indicate shifts in both awareness and personal motivation—evidence that the event succeeded in promoting reflection and transformation.
The second component was the “Edge-son One Grand Prix”, a co-creation contest where student organizations presented the “journeys” and “outcomes” of their collaborative actions that had emerged from our university development program, Collagia.
A total of 15 teams (54 students) participated, and the winner was determined by votes from supporting companies.
The inaugural Grand Prix was awarded to the student group OLEA, whose ongoing, large-scale efforts to create a new culture of disaster preparedness were recognized for their impact and sustainability.
Many students in the audience were inspired by the achievements of their peers and were able to visualize more concretely what they themselves wanted to accomplish in the future.
Company representatives who had mentored the student groups also expressed joy and pride, saying, “It’s rewarding to see the students we’ve supported achieve such meaningful results.
This reaffirms that our involvement was truly worthwhile.” The experience strengthened their motivation to continue engaging in human resource development.
While both programs were successful, the Theme Week Session also presented challenges.
Because each theme covered a broad range of issues, students struggled to clarify “what message” and “to whom” they truly wanted to communicate.
In the end, each team successfully delivered a message that reflected their deepest intentions. Looking back, however, we realized that since many organizations conducted their own “Theme Week” programs during the Expo period, another possible approach might have been to form partnerships and propose collaborative initiatives with other program organizers.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
Future Directions
Our future direction consists of three main initiatives.
1. Expanding career education nationwide
We will continue providing career education for high school and technical college students, expanding programs to all prefectures. Currently, our main initiatives are MIRA-GE for high school students and Shigotalk for technical college students.
MIRA-GE offers opportunities for students to engage in in-depth dialogue with adults on themes such as peace, multicultural coexistence, and SDGs, helping them clarify their aspirations and discuss the future with peers.
Shigotalk invites active engineers from manufacturing companies to share their career experiences and convey the appeal of working as engineers.
We define the ten years encompassing three years of high school, four years of university, and three years after entering a company as the “Diamond Ten,” a critical period for human development.
From this perspective, we aim to offer these programs broadly from the age of sixteen onward.
Building on past implementations across Japan, we will continue expanding these efforts nationwide beyond the Osaka–Kansai Expo.
2. Expanding collaborative human development for professionals
Our second direction is to extend our principle of “joint human development across organizations” to the professional domain.
We will design cross-company programs that enable employees to connect, learn, and grow together, rather than limiting development within individual firms.
By fostering these collaborative frameworks, we aim to create momentum that enhances the collective human potential of Japanese companies.
3. Participation in the 2030 Riyadh Expo
Our third direction is international expansion, culminating in participation in the 2030 Riyadh Expo.
At the 2025 Osaka–Kansai Expo, we hosted an event led by students who had participated in our career education programs.
As a soft legacy of that initiative, we will extend this educational framework overseas between 2025 and 2030.
The Riyadh Expo will serve as a milestone where we present Japan’s and other countries’ career education practices as a Japan-originated educational model to the world.
Cast
Moderator
Kashihara Yohei
Link and Motivation Inc
Born in 1980 in Kagawa, Japan. He has been engaged in recruiting and youth development consulting for more than 100 companies over the past 20 years. He has also developed and implemented “Next Generation Co-Creation Leader Development Programs” in collaboration with industry, government, and academia, including “Co-Lab-Gears” in various locations throughout Japan. He is also a part-time lecturer at Waseda University, Doshisha University, and Osaka University. Specializes in recruiting, training, and retaining sharp human resources. Author of “Edison Management” (PHP).
View Profile
Close
close
Seiho Umeno
Umebachien Inc
View Profile
Close
close
Speakers
Mao Takahashi
Konan Women's University
View Profile
Close
close
Iori Terada
kakeruX Inc
View Profile
Close
close
Sean Hawk Napier
Kansai and South Central Co., LTD
View Profile
Close
close
Co-organiser
Edgeson Management Association, Inc.
More Information
SDGs+Beyond Future Society for Life Week
「Co-Lab Gears」（Next Generation Co-Creation Leader Development Project）
As of 2024, 16 companies from Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu area co-create a program to “foster co-creation leadership”. Specifically, the program will run concurrently for 8 months to create “co-creation challenges” from students and “maximize individual growth. Over the past five years, more than 50 “co-creation challenges” have been created. This program is “student-led” and reports the results of those “co-creation challenges” and creates new “connections” for the next generation toward 2030.
-
2025.10.12[Sun]
10:00～21:00
(Venue Open 10:00)
- Others (Inside Venue)
- * 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
SDGs+Beyond Future Society for Life Week
