Fukuoka Women's Commercial High School Adopts Expression Education CAMP for Freshmen Retreat
Fukuoka Women's Commercial High School, located in Nakagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, has officially chosen the Expression Education CAMP program provided by the NPO Common Beat for their 2026 freshmen retreat scheduled from April 22 to 24. This decision aligns with the guidelines released by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in March 2023, which emphasize the importance of nurturing the ability to live robustly in a rapidly changing world marked by information technology and globalization. The core focus is on developing students’ capacity to envision and create their own futures, enhancing their sensibilities in the process.
Under the leadership of former principal Shota Shibayama, the school has actively cultivated an environment where students feel free to take risks and embrace challenges. By valuing an exciting atmosphere and fostering connections with the local community, the school aims to facilitate meaningful encounters with adults outside of the school. However, addressing whether students truly feel safe in expressing themselves has highlighted a crucial need for building psychological safety within the school environment.
To cater to this need, the Expression Education CAMP was integrated into the freshmen camp, which aims to nurture interpersonal relationships and psychological safety among students through expressive activities involving body movement and voice. Over the three days, students will collaboratively create a stage performance, laying the foundation for a culture that celebrates challenges. The camp will be held at Fukuoka Women’s Commercial High School’s gymnasium and the Sekiburi Youth Nature House, where various workshops and stage rehearsals will take place.
Retreat Schedule:
Day 1: Building relationships through team formation, dance workshops, reflections.
Day 2: All students collaborate to create a collective performance, followed by rehearsals and overnight accommodations.
Day 3: Final rehearsal followed by the live performance and reflections.
This initiative has drawn positive remarks from school authorities including Shota Shibayama, who expressed, "At our school, we hold the philosophy of 'Enjoying Challenges' as paramount. Implementing the Expression Education CAMP during the freshmen retreat is a significant step in allowing students to build relations that respect each other's differences and express themselves freely. I hope that through this expressive activities, they will meet new aspects of themselves while experiencing the joy of impacting others' hearts."
Yuki Kawamura, Chief Commons Officer and co-representative of Common Beat, emphasized, "For new students stepping into a fresh environment, having the experience of feeling 'It's okay to be myself' can greatly influence their future school lives. We are thrilled that Fukuoka Women’s Commercial High School chose our program for this important occasion. Through our expressive activities, we aim to evoke emotions and foster trust and security amongst students."
During this three-day retreat, students will engage in a process that allows them to face their own sensibilities and create a culture that encourages acknowledging differences while embracing challenges. As Common Beat expands its collaboration with educational institutions, it aims to promote the potential of expressive education nationwide towards realizing a society where individuality resonates.
About Common Beat
Founded on the vision of creating a society where individuality resonates, Common Beat has primarily operated through the '100 People, 100 Days Musical Program'. Having celebrated its 22nd anniversary, the organization has engaged around 8,000 participants, drawing over 270,000 attendees to its performances and contributing to local cultural activities across Japan.
Organization Overview:
Established: March 11, 2004
Co-Representatives: Ryo Adachi, Yuki Kawamura
Location: Tokyo
Website: commonbeat.org
Under the leadership of former principal Shota Shibayama, the school has actively cultivated an environment where students feel free to take risks and embrace challenges. By valuing an exciting atmosphere and fostering connections with the local community, the school aims to facilitate meaningful encounters with adults outside of the school. However, addressing whether students truly feel safe in expressing themselves has highlighted a crucial need for building psychological safety within the school environment.
To cater to this need, the Expression Education CAMP was integrated into the freshmen camp, which aims to nurture interpersonal relationships and psychological safety among students through expressive activities involving body movement and voice. Over the three days, students will collaboratively create a stage performance, laying the foundation for a culture that celebrates challenges. The camp will be held at Fukuoka Women’s Commercial High School’s gymnasium and the Sekiburi Youth Nature House, where various workshops and stage rehearsals will take place.
Retreat Schedule:
Day 1: Building relationships through team formation, dance workshops, reflections.
Day 2: All students collaborate to create a collective performance, followed by rehearsals and overnight accommodations.
Day 3: Final rehearsal followed by the live performance and reflections.
This initiative has drawn positive remarks from school authorities including Shota Shibayama, who expressed, "At our school, we hold the philosophy of 'Enjoying Challenges' as paramount. Implementing the Expression Education CAMP during the freshmen retreat is a significant step in allowing students to build relations that respect each other's differences and express themselves freely. I hope that through this expressive activities, they will meet new aspects of themselves while experiencing the joy of impacting others' hearts."
Yuki Kawamura, Chief Commons Officer and co-representative of Common Beat, emphasized, "For new students stepping into a fresh environment, having the experience of feeling 'It's okay to be myself' can greatly influence their future school lives. We are thrilled that Fukuoka Women’s Commercial High School chose our program for this important occasion. Through our expressive activities, we aim to evoke emotions and foster trust and security amongst students."
During this three-day retreat, students will engage in a process that allows them to face their own sensibilities and create a culture that encourages acknowledging differences while embracing challenges. As Common Beat expands its collaboration with educational institutions, it aims to promote the potential of expressive education nationwide towards realizing a society where individuality resonates.
About Common Beat
Founded on the vision of creating a society where individuality resonates, Common Beat has primarily operated through the '100 People, 100 Days Musical Program'. Having celebrated its 22nd anniversary, the organization has engaged around 8,000 participants, drawing over 270,000 attendees to its performances and contributing to local cultural activities across Japan.
Organization Overview:
Established: March 11, 2004
Co-Representatives: Ryo Adachi, Yuki Kawamura
Location: Tokyo
Website: commonbeat.org
Topics People & Culture）
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