Go SOZO Tokyo 2020 Spring presented by SAMSUNG SSD ("Go SOZO") was held on February 11 (national holiday) at Ikebukuro Sunshine City Exhibition Hall A1 in Tokyo. Go SOZO is a hands-on event that "expands children's interests and future possibilities. First held in Roppongi last September, the event made a comeback on a larger scale. The event attracted a large number of parents and children, who came to enjoy a variety of technology-based activities and presentations of their own programming and creations, all of which they would not normally have the chance to experience. The following is a report on the enthusiastic atmosphere at the event.
More than 35 hands-on activities to stimulate curiosity and sensitivity
The main characters of Go SOZO are children. The best part of this event is that children can challenge themselves as much as they are interested in and want to do. More than 35 activities in 7 categories such as programming, robotics, games, quizzes, and work experience will take children to an unknown world. The children themselves, not their parents or guardians, are responsible for registering for each activity, a rule that is unique to Go SOZO. Respecting the children's independence and willingness to "try" is the first step to expanding their potential.
To avoid confusion, visitors were divided into three time zones to enter the venue. The area around the entrance was crowded with many people even before the doors opened.
Since programming will become compulsory in elementary schools this year, there was also a hands-on programming session where students could learn while having fun.
Activities using drones and advanced educational robots are especially popular with boys!
The children's senses are stimulated not only by digital tools, but also by experiences that use all five senses, such as sessions with professional musicians.
What does a YouTuber do? Let's sing and dance with Robotuber-NAO!
Children's Presentation Contest" that will make even game creators and engineers' tongues wag.
Children attending a programming school gave presentations in front of an audience.
We also caught a glimpse of the children's insatiable quest to create something better, as they further improved on the work they presented at Go SOZO last September.
Audience feedback after a 4-minute presentation. Tell the presenter how you felt after listening to the presentation.
JAXA professors and professional judges active on the front lines of the game industry commented on the entries. They were impressed not only by the uniqueness of the children's perspectives, but also by the hard work that went into their completion.
There were nine children who presented their presentations. The youngest of them was a first grade girl. She gave a presentation as impressive as an adult's.
After the children's presentation competition, Haruta Kosukegawa, a 3rd year student of the Masayoshi Son Scholarship Foundation, took the stage. He spoke about his goals and beliefs for the future.
Approximately 4,100 people from 1,183 families attended the event! Many parents witnessed the moment when their children expanded their potential!
Masashi Kosukegawa, president of Go Visions, which organized the event, gave us a look back at Go SOZO.
Mr. Masashi Kosukegawa, President of Go Visions, organizer of Go SOZO
Editorial:Compared to the Go SOZO held last September, this year's event seemed to be considerably scaled up.
Kosukegawa:That's right. We worked hard to obtain cooperation from corporate sponsors in order to provide children with a variety of experiences. We had about 4,100 visitors this time, compared to 800 last time.
Editorial:Please tell us about the tendencies of the children who visited the exhibition.
Kosukegawa:About 70% of the total were elementary school students, which is our main target group. There were also about 20% of preschool children. The gender ratio was 60% boys and 40% girls. Although most of the contents, such as craftsmanship, were relatively popular among boys, it seems that girls were satisfied as well. In addition to the Kanto region, some families came from as far away as Okinawa in the south and Hokkaido in the north.
Editorial:What kind of feedback did you receive from visitors, especially parents?
Kosukegawa:Parents also seemed to have noticed many new aspects of their children's development through the event, such as "My shy child was talking to people at the booths he was interested in," and "It was very informative to see and experience programming materials," and "I learned that many companies are entering the field of education, and I saw that learning styles are changing with the times. It was also very informative to see and experience programming materials," and "I learned that many companies are entering the field of education, and I saw that learning styles are changing with the times. The event was billed as a "hands-on edutainment event," and it seems that the more activities the children experienced, the higher their satisfaction with the event.
Editorial:Do you plan to hold such events in the future?
Kosukegawa:In the future, we plan to focus on the development of sensing technology and applications to discover each child's "different talents. The next event is undecided at this stage, but we are considering holding a petit theme park that can be opened like a circus, but mobile and for a limited period of time. What is certain is that Go SOZO will deliver to children the concept of "freeing children from the lid that holds back their potential and giving them the opportunity to freely "imagine" and "create!
<After the interview
Although there were many visitors wearing masks due to the new coronavirus, the venue was filled with children's enthusiasm and curiosity that seemed to dispel any fears they might have had. The children's fascination with a wide variety of activities made us realize that the boundary between "learning" and "play" has become blurred in a positive sense. We will keep an eye on Go Visions in the future.
