While serving as an officer of the Shibuya Center Shopping District Promotion Association, he also serves as a representative of organizations such as the Shibuya Shimbun and the Shibuya Ward SDGs Association, creating a future Shibuya while providing a place for young people and children in Shibuya to play and learn. —— Mr. Suzuki, who continues to work on such initiatives. Looking back on those activities, I can see an example of how to create a rich community, which society needs today.
For young people themselves to create Shibuya in the future
——Mr. Suzuki, you are doing various initiatives related to Shibuya.
Well, there are three things that are particularly visible, one is serving as an officer of the Shibuya Center Shopping District Promotion Association, the other is the representative of the media called Shibuya Shimbun, and the Shibuya Ward SDGs Association. There is another representative director of
In addition to the representative director of Taiheiyo Shoji Co., Ltd., which is the parent of the real estate industry, the chairman of Sibutena Co., Ltd., and the director and founder of Manabuya Co., Ltd., which provides corporate support for junior high and high school students, the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also serves as the deputy secretary-general of the Tokoro-Shibuya branch's youth division. Recently, I made a “sponge”, a gathering place for students in the middle of the center street.
In short, I feel like I'm doing anything around Shibuya station (laughs).
Originally, when I saw Taiheiyo Shoji, a company founded by my father, he was the type of person who didn't actively participate in things like local communities, so I wanted to change that. I've been doing it in Shibuya for a long time, creating and expanding communities and connections. Now it's full of communities (laughs).
——What are your thoughts on continuing this kind of initiative?
I started building personal connections for the sake of business, but I felt that I had finally settled down a few years ago, despite some hardships and twists and turns. Then, when I thought about what I wanted to do now, I myself have four children, and I wanted to do something that would improve the future of children and young people. I think that creating the future of young people in Shibuya is equal to Shibuya's urban development. Instead of adults doing it, we are working on the theme of providing opportunities to young people so that young people themselves can create Shibuya.
——Among them, “Shibuya Shimbun” is a media operated mainly by junior high and high school students.
yes. For example, there are a total of four editors-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief, all of whom are high school students.
About 20 students gather at the editorial meeting, and in addition to this, there are cases where some adults from the management team and companies also participate, so it is also a place where companies and students can interact. In such editorial meetings, high school students do everything from creating agendas to creating slides and running the day, so adults basically don't interfere.
——Many junior high and high school students, including the editors, are active. How did they get involved?
At first, it started with 3 or 4 high school students, but now we have university students and even junior high school students. It's only been a little over a year since it started, but they're having a lot of fun and find it rewarding, and naturally their friends join in saying, "I want to do it too." I've never recruited, but now there are about 20 members, and there are also some new people coming today.
—— Another “Shibuya Ward SDGs Association” also provides opportunities for young people to be active and learn.
The Shibuya Ward SDGs Association was established as a general incorporated association in 2019 and held a commemorative talk event at SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK that year. We invited speakers from Mayor Hasebe, the United Nations, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and the ward assembly to talk about urban development and the SDGs. When I wondered what was different, I thought that the SDGs are something that we are working on for the children, not our own generation. That's what I meant. Therefore, I decided to raise "from children to children" as a major theme.
I myself am raising a child, and I often think that children do not listen to what their parents say, but if their friends tell them, they will accept it without hesitation. The best way to get them to understand the SDGs is to get input from people of the same generation.
Specifically, what kind of activities are you doing? For example, Crank Street in Shibuya Center Gai, which is now clean, everyone picks up trash there, builds a booth, and plays SDGs games. . In an initiative called "Children's Cafeteria," we ask companies to donate ingredients that would otherwise be discarded during the production process, and have them learn about food loss through hands-on experience while making curry using these ingredients.
It is important for high school students to take the lead in managing such things while working alongside elementary school students.
Expectations for SIW2023
——Is there anything you would like to work on in the future?
I have been participating in SOCIAL INNOVATION WEEK (hereinafter referred to as SIW) in the form of holding events, but from this year I will take it a step further and participate as an associate producer.
As an issue for SIW, I think we need to focus more on young people, including Generation Z, and I think there is something I can do about that.
For example, I would like to create something like a cultural festival using the entire city as SIW content. For the day of the event, the student team plans and prepares several months in advance, and of course the students will take the lead on the day of the event. I think it would be great if such an event could be held outdoors in an open space.
I also think that the Shibuya Shimbun team could do something like cover the SIW talk session from the perspective of young people.
——What other points do you think SIW should improve from your perspective, Mr. Suzuki?
It would be nice if the recognition of SIW itself spreads to the extent that a child walking down the streets of Shibuya talks to his mother, saying, "This week's SIW." I think it would be great if we could further lower the hurdles for participation not only for business people interested in SIW, but also for Shibuya residents, visitors, and young people.
Autonomy and casualness that form a rich community
INTERVIEWER Suzuki-san's various activities and ways of thinking are based on the idea that young people and children should be provided with opportunities to play an active role, so that they can learn on their own.
I agree. I feel like I'm self-satisfied when I see children grow up by providing opportunities (laughs).
——However, the important point is that the young people themselves find it rewarding. They don't do it because they are told to do it, they do it because they want to do it.
I agree. We do our best to support those who come, without chasing those who leave.
After all, in order to make this sustainable, we have to make money properly. Today, there are many companies that want to collaborate with students. We are beginning to conclude contracts with companies in which we will develop products through discussions with students, and the rewards will be properly returned to the students.
I think that young people can learn new things by getting involved with companies, and on the company side, rather than working with young people who are invited by adults and gather temporarily, young people who gather voluntarily while feeling rewarding. It would be better if we could collaborate with the community.
We are members who always gather at sponge in the evening, saying, "I've come to play", and naturally hang out while eating sweets, and they take their own initiative. We will work on it, so I think that is our strength.
——It's a good community in terms of corporate collaboration, because you'll get more natural and real opinions, and you'll be able to work with a sense of responsibility at the same time as being rewarding.
I think it's relatively easy to just gather people, but I think it's important for them to be proactive.
——That's the charm of a natural community, not something that adults have forced together. It feels like the original form of community.
However, it is quite difficult for ordinary companies to do this on their own.
You know, I'm doing it for self-satisfaction (laughs).
—— No, I think you can call it “belief”.
(smile)
(Interview and text) Susumu Amada
(Photo) Yu Saito
