Students from 18 Countries Announce Their Proposals for a Better Future at Panasonic KWN Global Summit 2017 in Tokyo

Panasonic Corporation held the KWN Global Summit 2017, and the children participating from 18 countries and region presented their ideas under the title of "Our Proposal For A Better Future." The children's ideas included a society where people help each other and recognize diversity, a society where individuals can live the way they want to, a society without inequality, and a society that develops technologies that allow people to live in happiness. Amid a global environment that calls for the world to work more closely together, they created ideas for inclusive societies from their own perspective of the global issues facing society.

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The KWN Global Summit 2017 was held as part of Kid Witness News (KWN), an educational program designed to support the video production of elementary, junior high, and high school students around the world. It runs from August 1 to 5 in Tokyo, bringing together around 100 representatives of 26 schools from 18 countries and region who won the KWN Global Contest 2017 in their respective countries. It is a next-generation development program that gives the children and youth, coming from different cultural backgrounds with different social issues, the chance to introduce their own country and find out more about the other countries, letting them experience what an inclusive society is and build ideas of future societies. This was the first time to hold Panasonic KWN Global summit as part of the KWN program.

Under the theme of "A Better Life, A Better Future," a vision of society Panasonic is pursuing, the 100 participants (including 52 kid journalists) from 18 countries and region around the world gathered news and experienced the town and society of Tokyo, while holding discussions beyond national borders. They made presentations on ideas to shape the future together with "Our Proposal For A Better Future" as a theme.

Guests attending the presentation meeting on August 4 included Kaoru Nemoto, director of the United Nations Information Centre in Tokyo, Masaaki Komiya, Vice Director General of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Duane Kale, Governing Board member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and members of the various countries’ embassies. Executive Officer Satoshi Takeyasu gave a speech on behalf of Panasonic Corporation as the organizer of the summit. "The voices of the children, as members of the coming generation, will have our impact on society, inspiring innovation. It is my intention to listen and fully absorb their messages, to realize the hidden potential these children have." The children's presentations on their proposals for a better future measured up to this expectation. The attending guests gave feedback on the presentations and praised the children as future global leaders, encouraging them to build together a future from a global perspective. "Youth engagement is important for us. You are the change makers. Every one of you has the power to make a better future,” said Kaoru Nemoto.

Panasonic hopes to help children develop the required qualities and skills to live in the future society and to foster global talent. From this perspective, Panasonic will give its full support to children and youth through this program, to enable them to show all of their skills and potential in striving toward their dreams and the future.

[Overview of the Panasonic KWN Global Summit 2017]
Dates:		Tuesday, August 1 to Saturday, August 5, 2017
Main venue:		Panasonic Center Tokyo
Main schedules
Wednesday, August 2:		The children gathered news in the field and had practical experiences.
Thursday, August 3:		The children had group discussions among themselves.
Friday, August 4:		The children presented their proposals for a better future, and the KWN Global Contest 2017 awards ceremony was held.

[Participating children's countries and regions]
North America		Canada, United States
Latin America		Brazil, Panama
Europe		Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia
Middle East/Africa		Oman, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates
Asia		China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam

[Themes and locations covered by the children's news]
Theme		News gathering location
Food and hygiene		Japanese restaurant in Tsukiji (Japanese spirit of 'Mottainai,' meaning "not to waste things"), garbage treatment plant (urban technology)
Sports		Ariake (Tokyo 2020 Nationwide Participation Programme of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee: understanding diversity [e.g., persons with disabilities], trying out boccia), Roppongi (special cooperation with Bascule Inc. to experience virtual reality sports program)
Urban development, environment		Nihonbashi (special cooperation with Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.: Nihonbashi Revitalization Plan), sewage treatment plant in Ariake (water purification, disaster countermeasures)
Tradition and innovation, understanding other cultures		National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Ariake (robots, Japanese technological capabilities), Asakusa (trying out a rickshaw, non-Japanese ukiyo-e artist, etc.)
Understanding diversity		Shibuya (understanding diversity with foreign tourists or residents), Harajuku (Kawaii culture)
Cool Japan		National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Ariake (robots), Akihabara (pop culture)

Secondary School: “Our Proposal For A Better Future”
Team		Proposal		How
Germany, Tanzania, Thailand		The society in our continuous solid social system for the world environment		• By supporting research about the better environmental technology • Our choice the environmental- friendly products as consumers
Czech, Japan, Malaysia, Panama		The society that crosses the boundaries between the people who have the different nationalities, races, disabilities and ages		• By Sports to share the passion to unite in the world • By knowing other, tolerance of each other, and having discussion before fighting
Brazil, UAE, USA		The society that has “Diversity to Empower the Powerless” for all people who can feel proud		• By education who could encourage all people equally in the society and their leadership to change the world as a global citizen
Oman, Slovakia, Vietnam		The society that has the equality without social and cultural gap to be unite in the world		• By education to reduce social gap and understand the diversity in the community, to make social community building to unite like as by having the festival
Austria, Indonesia, USA		The society that has solid social security system, diverse culture and freedom of speech		• Without the lack of the tolerance by providing education of social studies and exposing to the outside world

What is KWN?
KWN was launched in 1989 when the local Panasonic company in the United States supplied video recording and editing equipment to public elementary and junior high schools for an educational program in which children could produce news videos from their own perspective. The program was then developed globally, with 18 different countries and regions taking part today. The aims of the KWN activities are, through video production, to foster creativity among the children, and to raise their social awareness as they investigate things like regional society and global environmental issues. Those overseeing the activities have also reported an educational value to the teamwork skills that can be cultivated through the video production process. The program also allows participating schools the opportunity for international exchange through the global network of KWN participating schools.

The concept of this activity is "The World Through Their Eyes." The program will help the kid journalists sharpen their eyes to look at society, while respecting the children's view of the world.

[URL]
• KWN Global (English)
http://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/kwn.html
• ”Proposal for A Better Future” by Kids Journalist - KWN Global Summit 2017
https://channel.panasonic.com/contents/21225/
• KWN Global Summit Event Movie
https://youtu.be/pyOWJLYINXA
• KWN Global Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_XxTspUpRw
• KWN Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/PanasonicKWN.Global/
• KWN Global Contest 2017
http://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/kwn/contest2017.html

About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. Celebrating its 100^th anniversary in 2018, the company has expanded globally and now operates 495 subsidiaries and 91 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.343 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2017. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic: http://www.panasonic.com/global.

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Contact information

Media Contact:
Global Communications Department
Panasonic Corporation
Tel: +81-(0)3-3574-5664