From Childhood to Adulthood: Japanese Design Education Program Implemented in Barcelona Public Schools

## From Childhood to Adulthood: Japanese Design Education Program Implemented in Barcelona Public Schools

Borderless Design School, an organization providing design and creative education for children, has collaborated with CASA ASIA, a cultural exchange organization in Spain, to implement a design education program in elementary schools, high schools, and adult education institutions across Barcelona. The program focuses on themes of Japanese and Catalan culture.

This initiative took place in educational settings with diverse backgrounds. Participants organized the differences and commonalities between Japanese and Catalan culture, and expressed their findings through color, form, and design while connecting them to their own experiences and sensitivities. The process involved not merely 'knowing' the culture, but actively interpreting and reconstructing it through their own perspectives.

### Developing 'The Power to Question' in an Era of Instant Answers

In an age where information is immediately accessible through generative AI and search engines, the necessary skill is not just the ability to find answers quickly. It is increasingly important to develop the ability to ask one's own questions by thinking critically about information, such as 'Why do I feel this way?' and 'How does this look from the viewpoint of another culture?' Borderless Design School focuses on helping individuals find their own questions and transforming those questions into dialogue, rather than teaching a single 'correct' answer.

### Creativity as 'The Power for Dialogue'

We do not consider creativity merely as a power to express something. It is the ability to examine inner dissonance and questions, face the values of others, and connect them to dialogue. We nurture creativity as 'the power for dialogue.' Through our practice in Barcelona, we feel confident that the methods we have cultivated as a children's school have high potential for connectivity with diverse educational settings, from elementary schools to adult education.

### Practices Across Diverse Public Educational Settings

● Elementary Schools: In the Raval district, children thought about global heroes and heroines and expressed their ideal leader figures through color and shape.
● High Schools: Students from diverse cultural backgrounds gathered to engage in inquiry-based lessons, conceptualizing symbols and characters for Barcelona.
● Adult Education Schools: Provided time for participants aged 20 and over to express themselves by connecting their own experiences and memories with culture.

The feature of this program is that it does not one-sidedly teach Japanese and Catalan culture, but allows participants to observe the backgrounds and values of each culture, organize the differences and commonalities, and reinterpret them through their own perspectives. We view design and art as a communication tool that connects people beyond countries and languages, and we aim to expand our creative education programs in close cooperation with local governments, international exchange organizations, and corporate training programs in the future.