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Membership	2025

2025 Annual Report

In April, we conducted a beach cleanup in collaboration with local elementary schools and women’s groups. While collecting various types of marine debris and deepening exchanges with participants ranging from elementary school students to seniors, we fostered intergenerational interaction. This allowed us to raise awareness about biodiversity, marine conservation, and environmental protection. It also prompted reflection on environmental issues, such as what improvements we can make ourselves to achieve sustainable production and consumption.
　In July, we invited guest teachers from the community to conduct lessons on the Hachijō dialect, recognized by UNESCO as being at risk of extinction. First-year students aimed to “learn and become familiar with Hachijo dialect folk tales and expressions”; second-year students aimed to “create works like the Shome-bushi folk song using the Hachijo dialect”; and third-year students aimed to “learn the grammatical features of the Hachijo dialect and conduct a comprehensive review of dialect learning.” They heard numerous dialect expressions from the guest teacher. Through experiencing the actual spoken Hachijō dialect, the lessons allowed students to actively use the dialect themselves and appreciate its rich expressive power. Hearing the guest teachers’ passion for the dialect also heightened the students’ awareness of their role as potential inheritors of this endangered cultural heritage.
Following this, in January, the Student Council hosted a Hachijō Dialect Karuta Tournament. Following the unique rules of Hachijō dialect karuta, students carefully savored the content of the reading cards announced by student council officers. After listening, they took not only the picture cards but also the text cards. This vertical-grade
karuta tournament allowed all students to interact, fostering exchange across grades. Taking both picture and text cards provided an opportunity to become familiar with the Hachijō dialect, a cultural element of Hachijō Island, and heightened their awareness as potential inheritors of this dialect.

Annual Work Plan

Next year, we will conduct classes aimed at the sustainable preservation and transmission of the Hachijō dialect, recognized by UNESCO as being at risk of extinction, to ensure its continuation for future generations. By inviting local residents as instructors, we will deepen understanding of cultural diversity through multigenerational exchange while cultivating new custodians to protect the Hachijō dialect, an intangible cultural heritage. Furthermore, we will continue the annual beach cleanups with local communities and neighboring elementary schools, fostering awareness of biodiversity’s importance, marine conservation, and environmental protection. Through these activities, we will deepen each student’s thinking about what improvements they can personally implement to contribute to the region’s sustainable development.

Past Annual Reports

2024 Annual Report