The Omoro Challenge is an international program aimed at "fostering wisdom and an adventurous spirit" in students and developing "global human resources with intercultural understanding and international capability", which are goals articulated in the University's WINDOW Concept.
Established in the academic year 2016 with full support from Kanae-Kai, an association of KyotoU-affiliated business leaders dedicated to supporting the University's President, Omoro Challenge enables students to travel abroad not just to study, but also to pursue unique projects planned by the students themselves.
For the 2018-2019 program, 32 participants (31 undergrad and one graduate) were selected from a pool of 118 applicants (91 and 27, respectively), to undertake projects such as: "Investigating the mysteries behind Borneo's rich frog diversity" (Malaysia), "The world of Zeibekiko, a dance that crosses the Greek-Turkish border" (Greece and Turkey), "Contemplating an ideal dog-welfare system while visiting a country with the world's highest dog-ownership rate" (Czech Republic), "In search of the true 'French bread': which types of bread do French people really like?" (France), and "Learning about 'real-life' tropical forest conservation around the source of the Amazon River" (Ecuador).
After returning to Japan, participants are expected to share their overseas experiences at a debriefing session to be held next year.
- Full list of the 2018-2019 Omoro Challenge participants and projects (PDF, in Japanese)
Related link
- About the Omoro Challenge, an international student-project support program
http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/education-campus/student_3/types/program2/omoro_challenge (in Japanese)
