The event, "Super Welfare School @SHIBUYA 2025," will be held on the 8th floor Shibuya Hikarie from October 28th to November 4th, with the theme of "learning together" regardless of whether one has a disability or not. The event is organized by the non-profit organization People Design Institute.

"Super Welfare" refers to a society that people with disabilities and minorities can aspire to, as well as new welfare values that encourage a change in people's awareness. The event, which began in 2021, has expanded in scale every year, and this year marks its fifth year. Through 18 symposiums over four days on topics such as lifelong learning, social education, inclusive education, and barrier-free reading, as well as an eight-day experiential exhibition called the "Super Welfare Library," the event will spread the message of the importance of everyone learning and connecting together from Shibuya.

Masahiro Tanaka, representative director of the organizing group, said, "We want this event to be experienced not only by people with disabilities, but also by able-bodied people and the younger generation. That's why we chose Shibuya as the location, and we want to spread the word and promote it in a positive way across the country."

Discussing diverse learning styles at the symposium

The symposium, which will be held from October 31st to November 3rd, will feature speeches from experts in education, welfare, government, and business from all over Japan. A variety of programs are planned to consider learning and social participation regardless of whether or not one has a disability, such as "Snack Jiritsu" (sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), a forum for adults to talk about "jiritsu" (disability), and "Barrier-Free Map - Spreading compassion with a universal map" (sponsored by Shibuya Ward), which will introduce the efforts of Universal MaaS. All sessions are free, and can be viewed in person or via YouTube live streaming.

-Symposium "Barrier-Free Maps - Communicating compassion through universal maps"(10/31 13:00~)
-Symposium "Snack Jiritsu: A place for adults to talk about their "Jiritsu"(10/31 17:00~)
-Symposium "Supporting the Deaflympics from Shibuya!! Deaf Athlete Talk Show"(10/31 from 7pm)
-Symposium: "What is the 3D model of the library material for super welfare?"(11/1 11:00~)
-Symposium "STEAM Education that Considers People - Co-creating an Inclusive Society through Diversity and Design Thinking"(11/1 13:00~)
-Symposium: "Creating a space where diverse people can learn together"(11/1 17:00~)
-Symposium: "The Potential of School Libraries and Apple Shelves: Diversity in Reading that Opens New Worlds for Children"(11/2 17:00~)
-Symposium: "Childcare and Learning Approaches Based on Children's Interests, Strengths, and Needs"(11/3 13:00~)
-Symposium "Work and Leisure - Work, play, and learning are all important!"(11/3 15:00~)

"Super Welfare Library" - A new public space that stimulates the five senses

During the event, an experiential exhibition titled "Super Welfare Library" will also be held at the venue. It proposes an "indoor public space" that combines elements of a park, library, art museum, etc., and offers content that stimulates the five senses through inclusive play equipment, art, music, and technology. In particular, the "sensory room," which actively encourages sensory experiences while also being considerate of those with sensory sensitivities, is a space that symbolizes the idea of Super Welfare.

Furthermore, related projects will be held not only at the venue but throughout Shibuya, with a special program called "Super Welfare Radio" being broadcast on Shibuya Radio (FM 87.6MHz) and products being sold by Shibuya Ward welfare businesses, making this an initiative that will involve the entire town.

The "Super Welfare School" is going beyond the traditional framework of welfare and is becoming established as a place where everyone can mingle and learn from each other. It will be interesting to see how this new form of "learning" originating from Shibuya will spread.

Venue