On Friday, February 10, 2023, the "Forum for Gifu Collaborative Activities between Communities and Schools 2022" opened. It served as a venue for presentations by the members of "Gifu Center for collaborative activities between communities and schools (GIFU CCCS)" on its activities in 2022, and information-sharing for better operations in the future. There were 418 applications for the forum and many showed their strong interest in the forum's main theme, "Integrated promotion by collaborative activities between communities and schools, and community school."

GIFU CCCS was jointly established by Gifu Prefecture and Gifu University in order to support and promote school and community collaboration for sound growth of children and revitalization of the community. The following are the three specific purposes that are aimed at the center:

1. Develop and secure human resources (through collaboration with municipalities and social, education groups, the center provides training opportunities for coordinators of school and community collaboration, educates and secures student volunteers)

2. Conduct survey and research (through collaboration with municipalities and social, education groups, the center carries out survey and research programs to study actual cases of school and community collaboration, pioneering, exemplary cases found in education at home, and makes a presentation)

3. Promotion (the center provides continued support for municipal governments by hosting open lectures or letting its staff attend relevant workshops)

The forum participants including school principals and vice principals are already assuming crucial roles in social education, responsible for public facilities'/schools' operations and development of the community in many parts of Gifu Prefecture. People were also invited to attend the forum from home via a video conference platform (Zoom).

As a guest speaker, Ms. SHISHIDA Manami from the National Institute for Educational Policy Research, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, delivered a speech (online from Tokyo) on "Integration of efforts between the headquarters of collaborative activities between communities and schools, and community school for the promotion of collaborative activities between communities and schools." Her speech was followed by a presentation (offline, at Gifu University Satellite Campus) by Mr. OHNO Ryuji who teaches at Hashima Elementary School (Hashima City, Gifu). He reported the activities of the Kizuna (bond) meeting of Hashima More Gakuzen¹ project.

In the following Q&A session, many questions were raised from the participants both online and offline. The speakers carefully responded to each question such as challenges or tasks that their schools or community needs to tackle. Lastly, Dr. MASUKAWA Koichi, GIFU CCSC Director (also serves as Director of the Center for Collaborative Study with Community, Gifu University) presented a report on GIFU CCSC activities in 2022 and wrapped up the forum.

We hope that every participant continues to demonstrate his/her strong leadership and work for the community based on what they have learned from the forum 2022.

1) Hashima More Gakuen project: students and community members discuss how to address regional challenges and initiate new activities