Iwakura High School (Taito Ward, Tokyo), which collaborates with NPO Seibo in educational programs, has received the Excellence Award in the Career Education Partnership Awards, jointly organized by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
This award recognizes outstanding initiatives that promote career education through collaboration between schools and various partners such as local communities, companies, and non-profit organizations.
This year, 64 applications were submitted from across Japan, and the initiatives of Iwakura High School were highly evaluated among them.
At Iwakura High School, great importance is placed on learning that connects students with society. Through programs such as the “Integrated Studies” (Project-Based Learning) classes and the long-standing “Thousand Paper Cranes Project,” students are encouraged to explore real-world issues.
Rather than limiting learning to the classroom, the school creates opportunities for students to engage with social challenges and reflect on their own future paths and ways of living. As part of this learning process, the activities of NPO Seibo are also used as themes for inquiry-based learning.
For example, through our school feeding support program in Malawi and our coffee social business Warm Hearts Coffee Club, students explore topics such as:
①Global education and poverty issues
②Fair trade and sustainable business
③How young people themselves can contribute to society
By learning through something familiar like coffee and through the concept of social business, students are able to understand global challenges more concretely, rather than seeing them as distant problems in faraway countries.
On January 19, 2026, the award ceremony was held at the FY2025 Career Education Partnership Promotion Symposium, jointly hosted by the relevant government ministries. During the event, Iwakura High School’s initiatives were introduced to educators from across Japan.
For more details about the specific activities, please also visit here.
This award represents the result of career education developed not only by the school itself but also through collaboration with many partners, including local communities, companies, and NPOs.
At NPO Seibo, we are very grateful to be part of such meaningful educational opportunities.
We will continue working with schools to support education that helps students learn about global challenges and turn that learning into action.
