2016.04.01
Machi Yoneyama, a third-year student in the Faculty of Policy Management, and her group won the Junior Akademeia Award at the inaugural policy proposal presentation by the first-generation members of Junior Akademeia, held in Tokyo on March 4.
Junior Akademeia was established in the fall of 2015 by Japan Akademeia, which is composed of volunteers from various fields such as economics and public administration, with the aim of nurturing young people who will lead Japan in the future. It is an organization whose main focus is to have motivated undergraduate and graduate students take the lead in learning and thinking about the intractable challenges facing Japan.
Under the theme of "a society that is easy to work in," Machi Yoneyama's group presented a policy proposal for a "Customizable Parental Leave System." Aiming to balance work and childcare, this system provides parental leave points to both parents at the birth of a child, with points being deducted according to the time taken off for childcare. Their proposal won the Junior Akademeia Award, which is the grand prize.
Comment from Machi Yoneyama
When I was asked to become a member of Junior Akademeia, I thought to myself that I wasn't particularly highly motivated. However, through our activities, I realized that our opinions are valued by society more than we think. Many of us may mistakenly believe that we need absolute knowledge to express our opinions. But what is needed now are our opinions, which are not hardened by knowledge, and our honest "feelings" about the world. Of course, knowledge is also important, but I realized that we must work hard, look at the bigger picture, and have a vision for what kind of society we want to create and what kind of future we want to build.
As an SFC student, I am grateful for the abundant learning environment I have been given, and I will do my best in my final year so that I have no regrets!