Tottori Prefecture: Student Exchange with Turku, Finland | Pre-Departure Training Held
On July 25, 2026, Tottori Prefecture held a pre-departure training session for its student exchange program with Turku, Finland. The session brought together students travelling to Finland and helped them deepen their understanding of the exchange programme’s objectives and background. Togo Uchida, Executive Director of ICLEI Japan, served as a guest lecturer.
The training began with an icebreaker activity, followed by discussions on Tottori Prefecture’s initiatives and local challenges, as well as group work to prepare for the students’ upcoming visit to Finland.
Togo Uchida then delivered a presentation entitled “Climate Change and Local Governments from the Perspective of Consumption.” The session covered global trends in climate change, climate action using carbon footprints as an example, and the role of local governments in addressing climate change. He also encouraged the students as they prepare for their learning experience in Finland.
In the second half of the program, students who participated in last year’s exchange program led a group workshop conducted entirely in English. The participating students actively communicated in English and engaged in in-depth discussions on the assigned themes.
The students will next take part in an English-language training session in late August and an online pre-exchange meeting with students from Turku in early September. They are scheduled to travel to Finland from September 14 to 21 for an eight-day exchange program.
In addition, Tottori Prefecture plans to hold a Tottori Youth COP event in December this year to provide further opportunities for young people to connect and collaborate. The students participating in the Finland exchange program are also expected to take part in a youth policy development program as part of the event. Through this program, the students will have an opportunity to apply the knowledge and insights gained in Finland to future policies and initiatives in Tottori Prefecture.
(Article provided by Tottori Prefecture, and translated by ICLEI Japan)
