Aoyama Gakuin, a comprehensive educational institution in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, held its second Aoyama Gakuin Global Week from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1. AGGW is an annual event highlighting activities and projects associated with the United Nations sustainable development goals that take place on campus.
The first AGGW, held last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was organized by faculty members, but this year students participated in planning, promoting and operating the event, bringing in new ideas and the perspective of youth.
“We have always been international,” said Aoyama Gakuin Vice Chancellor Paul Tsuchido Shew, referring to Aoyama Gakuin’s history of almost 150 years as an international educational institution based on Christian faith. It consists of schools from kindergarten to graduate school, and has been pursuing the mission of nurturing global leaders who serve the public and contribute to society since its foundation in 1874. “The significance of being a Christian school back then in the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912) was found in the ability to offer global education to develop global perspectives. Now, an international mindset is just as important as it was 150 years ago,” Shew said.