Kyosei Cafe Project - Student Competition 2022: Call for Proposals for "SOGI × Creating a Place to Be"

October 20, 2022

The Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion aims to create an environment where diverse people and ideas are equally respected and accepted. To create a space on the Mita Campus where students from diverse backgrounds can gather, we are calling for a wide range of proposals from students for the creation of this space and are seeking an organization to be in charge of its operation.

"SOGI × Creating a Place to Be"

SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) refers to the way one is attracted to others and one's own sense of gender, for all people, including sexual minorities. By creating a "place to be" on the Mita Campus that is open to everyone, including sexual minorities, where people can gather safely and securely and engage in dialogue, we hope to take a step toward realizing a society where the dignity of every person's SOGI is respected. This is the "Kyosei Cafe" project. The term "cafe" here does not refer to a for-profit restaurant but rather expresses the image of "a place where everyone can feel free to visit and interact."

With SOGI as the concept, the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will support and bring to life a "place to be" designed by students with their free and creative ideas. Next academic year, the students themselves will be in charge of its actual operation. The process of deciding what kind of place would be best and how to create it should also be open to diverse people and ideas. Therefore, we will also hold workshops where you can interact and think together before applying. We are looking for ideas for creating a place where diverse people, including those who have not previously been interested in SOGI or diversity, can visit, meet various people, and generate new possibilities from these connections.

・Application Period: October 20 (Thu) – November 30 (Wed), 2022

・First Round Selection: Early December

・Final Competition: Scheduled for mid-December

・Official and unofficial student organizations of Keio University, as well as student organizations such as the All-Keio Student Association and other related welfare organizations.

・Student organizations whose representative is an undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled at Keio University (limited to regular students in on-campus programs).

※Applications from teams formed specifically for this project are also welcome.

Please review the application guidelines below and apply using the application form.

Application Guidelines (keio.jp authentication required)

Application Form (keio.jp authentication required)

We are organizing participatory workshops to provide an opportunity to share concrete ideas about the Kyosei Cafe Project.

In preparation for your application, faculty members, Keio University alumni, and student supporters from the Working Group (WG) (*) will offer advice on proposal development and presentation creation, as well as answer questions. We encourage you to participate.

※If there are too many applicants for the workshop, some may not be able to participate.

·Date & Time: November 5 (Sat), 11:00 AM–1:30 PM

·Location: Mita Campus, East Research Building, 6th Floor, G-lab

·How to Participate: [ 1st WS Application Form ] (keio.jp authentication required)

·Overview: You may have heard of SOGI, but what can you do about it in practice? The "Kyosei Cafe" project aims to create a comfortable and safe place at Mita—a place where I, as a member of the community, and my friends can feel enriched.

So, why not start by experiencing a place for dialogue where everyone can gather and talk? Regardless of affiliation, job, or experience, we will share our thoughts in encounters that are simply about being together. There is no single right answer or direction. We value what is built when everyone who gathers brings a part of themselves.

Furthermore, with several tables of a few people each, the members at each table will rotate periodically. Each time, with different members, we will discuss various aspects of SOGI. What was discussed at each table will be briefly shared with all participants.

Finally, it would be wonderful if we could all listen to the thoughts of each and every participant.

Rather than just sharing knowledge, we hope that by sharing lived experiences and feelings, everyone can be enriched.

·Date & Time: November 26 (Sat), 10:00 AM–11:30 AM

·Location: Shiba no Ie

·How to Participate: [ 2nd WS Application Form ] (keio.jp authentication required)

·Overview: "Shiba no Ie" is the base for the "Project for Creating a Place of Exchange to Connect the Community," a local project in the Shiba area operated jointly by Keio University and the Shiba Regional City Office of Minato City.

Did you know that right next to the Mita Campus, there is such a wonderful place that connects local children, adults, and the elderly? [ What is Shiba no Ie? ]

In the spring of 2021, "Shiba no Harappa," an outdoor space where townspeople can casually drop by, was also opened. This was launched through the cooperation of Shiba no Ie and local residents, centered around the local neighborhood association. [ Shiba no Harappa ]

What is it like to create and run a "place to be" where townspeople gather? What kind of space will the "place to be" you create on the Mita Campus become, and what kind of people will you connect with there? In this workshop, we will listen to the stories of the university faculty and staff who established and have been running "Shiba no Ie" and "Shiba no Harappa," and we will discuss and imagine together.

A special lecture from "Art Expression, Design, and Communication," positioned as one of the core programs of Keio University's "Training Doctoral Candidates to Draw Up Grand Designs for Future Society."
" Designing Community: From Purposeless Encounters " (Recorded on December 20, 2021)

This lecture discusses the activities of " Mita no Ie LLP (a project jointly operated by Keio University faculty, current and former student volunteers, and the Mita Shopping Street Promotion Association)," covering various approaches to community and town development.

Additionally, for the workshop on November 26, we will welcome as a guest lecturer Mr. Kyosuke Sakakura ( OPEN WORKS ) (Special Research Lecturer at the Keio University G-sec Research Centers and Institutes, Representative of Mita no Ie LLP, and Project Facilitator for Shiba no Ie), who was a speaker at the aforementioned lecture.

(*) Working Group (WG) Members: Masayuki Okahara (Professor, Faculty of Letters; Chair, Graduate School of Human Relations), Yoshikazu Shiobara (Professor, Faculty of Law), Masanao Takeyama (Professor, Faculty of Economics), Kenki Kasai (Associate Professor, Faculty of Law), Kentaro Tomoe, Kota Iwahashi (President, Specified Nonprofit Corporation akta )

We look forward to receiving your applications!