Parallel Session (PS-4): ISAP2026

Recorded Video

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Summary

The first half of the session featured presentations on support and challenges regarding youth environmental activities, followed by an interactive discussion with panelists and participants in the second half.

The first speaker, reported based on a survey of youth, the biggest challenge of the youth is the lack of time, alongside funding shortages. This is caused by balancing activities with academic work or primary jobs which means that there is a structural barrier to implementing and sustaining youth environmental action. She then shared the achievements of "Green Future Makers," a programme supporting step-by-step learning and networking. The second speaker addressed the decline in participation during the transition from student to working professional, proposing a collaborative platform that connects daily environmental actions to career development. The third speaker introduced her activities as a Hyogo Student Promoter alongside environmental PR using social media and cosplay. She pointed out difficulties in reaching uninterested peers and the lack of matching with adults, emphasising the importance of spaces for intergenerational collaboration.

Concluding the session, the moderator stressed the importance of reframing youth not merely as targets for development, but as partners for change, empowering their ideas while providing connective opportunities to collaborate toward implementation.

Key messages

The biggest challenges for youth to continue environmental activities are how to generate time aside from their professional duties and how to manage their career development. It is essential to reframe youth from "targets for development" to "partners for change," providing tailored support and systemic mechanisms suited to individual situations.
To prevent the decline in activity during the transition from student to working professional, it was suggested that a collaboration platform connecting daily eco-actions with career development can be highly effective.
Reaching uninterested peers via social media has clear limitations. Scaling up activities requires direct matching mechanisms and collaborative spaces that connect students with professionals, businesses, and local governments.

Prepared by: MIWA Koji (IGES)

Panel Discussion

Moderator

FUKUDA Miki

Chief Policy Researcher / Lens Facilitator, Integrated Sustainability Centre, IGES

Speaker Profile ▾

Panelist

YADOMARU Kotoko

President, NatureLit Japan / Co founder, GFM

Speaker Profile ▾

Presentation Material (2.4MB)

Panelist

KITAMURA Saya

Student, Faculty of Economics, University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences (Student Ambassador for Climate Change Prevention Activities, Hyogo Prefecture)

Presentation Material (14MB)

Panelist

IKEOKA Takuto

Completed Master's Degree at University of Jyväskylä, Finland / Graduate of Kobe University

Presentation Material (3.0MB)