Dolphin's Ear Study Group Holds a "Listening to Young Voices" Workshop in Kitakyushu
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- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 19:10
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On March 7, 2026 (Saturday), the Dolphin's Ear Study Group (student representative: 千ゆう子, University of Tokyo) held a "Workshop to Listen to Young Voices" in Kitakyushu City.
During the program prepared by university students, communication deepened as the session progressed. Middle school students began speaking, in their own words, about the questions and thoughts they feel in everyday life to the university students serving as facilitators. Going forward, the voices shared in this workshop will be used as the basis for designing a survey, which will then be distributed nationwide to middle school students via the peer chat platform "mimi," and conveyed to society.
As a safe space for open conversation created by university students, the workshop allowed some participants to speak about issues they experience in family life. In the final reflection session, students shared feedback such as, "I noticed something after talking," "my thinking changed," and "I got some useful hints." These responses showed that having facilitators who are closer in age helped narrow psychological distance and made it easier for participants to express their feelings and concerns honestly.
This initiative offered middle school students opportunities to gain new insights and perspectives, while also giving them a meaningful space to practice respectful dialogue and listening to each other. Adults present at the venue were also seen listening carefully, taking notes, and paying close attention to the students' words.
Based on the themes shared by middle school participants, the university students will design a survey and distribute it nationwide through "mimi" to collect candid voices on the same themes. The aim is to visualize, in children's own words, what modern middle school students care about, what they question, and what concerns they carry, and then share these with society.
For people who struggle to make time to deeply engage with children amid busy schedules, this initiative will create a system for them to access the voices of middle schoolers.
■ Implementation framework
Participants: local middle school students and university students (University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Kyushu University, Hosei University)
Organizer: Dolphin's Ear Study Group (Student Representative: 千ゆう子, Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo)
Co-organizer: General Incorporated Association Communication Worker Support Organization
Support: Kitakyushu City Board of Education, ACE Child Co., Ltd.
*Consent to publish photos has been obtained from both guardians and the children themselves.
■ About Dolphin's Ear Study Group
Dolphin's Ear was named after how dolphins communicate with each other through ultrasound and read the surrounding environment. The group works to support children whose voices are not easily heard by adults, with university students listening to these voices and delivering them to society.
■ Contact
General Incorporated Association Communication Worker Support Organization, Dolphin's Ear Study Group Office
TEL: 050-5304-9318
E-mail: mimi@comuwa.or.jp
URL: https://dolphin.comuwa.or.jp/
During the program prepared by university students, communication deepened as the session progressed. Middle school students began speaking, in their own words, about the questions and thoughts they feel in everyday life to the university students serving as facilitators. Going forward, the voices shared in this workshop will be used as the basis for designing a survey, which will then be distributed nationwide to middle school students via the peer chat platform "mimi," and conveyed to society.
As a safe space for open conversation created by university students, the workshop allowed some participants to speak about issues they experience in family life. In the final reflection session, students shared feedback such as, "I noticed something after talking," "my thinking changed," and "I got some useful hints." These responses showed that having facilitators who are closer in age helped narrow psychological distance and made it easier for participants to express their feelings and concerns honestly.
This initiative offered middle school students opportunities to gain new insights and perspectives, while also giving them a meaningful space to practice respectful dialogue and listening to each other. Adults present at the venue were also seen listening carefully, taking notes, and paying close attention to the students' words.
Based on the themes shared by middle school participants, the university students will design a survey and distribute it nationwide through "mimi" to collect candid voices on the same themes. The aim is to visualize, in children's own words, what modern middle school students care about, what they question, and what concerns they carry, and then share these with society.
For people who struggle to make time to deeply engage with children amid busy schedules, this initiative will create a system for them to access the voices of middle schoolers.
■ Implementation framework
Participants: local middle school students and university students (University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Kyushu University, Hosei University)
Organizer: Dolphin's Ear Study Group (Student Representative: 千ゆう子, Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo)
Co-organizer: General Incorporated Association Communication Worker Support Organization
Support: Kitakyushu City Board of Education, ACE Child Co., Ltd.
*Consent to publish photos has been obtained from both guardians and the children themselves.
■ About Dolphin's Ear Study Group
Dolphin's Ear was named after how dolphins communicate with each other through ultrasound and read the surrounding environment. The group works to support children whose voices are not easily heard by adults, with university students listening to these voices and delivering them to society.
■ Contact
General Incorporated Association Communication Worker Support Organization, Dolphin's Ear Study Group Office
TEL: 050-5304-9318
E-mail: mimi@comuwa.or.jp
URL: https://dolphin.comuwa.or.jp/