10 Days Without a Classroom: ID Gakuen High School's Inquiry Program in Onagawa Town, Miyagi, Cultivating 'Human Skills' Beyond AI

ID Gakuen High School (hereinafter 'ID Gakuen'), a nationwide correspondence high school operated by Ikubunkan Yume Gakuen, will implement a practical inquiry program titled 'Project: Increase Activity Population in Onagawa Town' in Onagawa Town, Motoyoshi District, Miyagi Prefecture, from Wednesday, July 1, 2026, to Friday, July 10, 2026. The 10-day initiative aims to foster relational population growth in the region.

This program is part of 'Yumekatsu PBL' (Project-Based Learning), a key component of the school's Dream Education initiative. Over nine nights and ten days, students will stay in Onagawa Town—a community that has been rebuilding since the Great East Japan Earthquake—and tackle challenges related to sustainable regional revitalization. Starting from their personal 'dreams,' 'strengths,' 'interests,' and 'aspirations,' students will collaborate with local businesses, organizations, and government bodies. Throughout this process, they will practically cultivate essential skills for the AI era—such as identifying core issues, formulating hypotheses, logical thinking, creativity, and action—grounded in 'human skills' that AI cannot replicate.

Cultivating the Ability to Ask Questions in Onagawa Town

In an era when AI makes knowledge acquisition easier than ever, ID Gakuen emphasizes not just the ability to find correct answers, but the ability to formulate original questions. Through fieldwork and dialogues with local residents in Onagawa Town, students will observe the current state of the region, identify challenges, develop solutions, and implement them. They will engage with questions such as:

- Despite physical infrastructure recovery, why does a shortage of human resources persist?

- What kind of support is truly needed by the local community?

- What perspectives should outsiders adopt when engaging with the region?

By confronting such questions, students will strengthen their hypothesis-building and core-issue identification skills.

Students will learn about the region from multiple perspectives—government, private enterprises, and local residents—developing the ability to view issues from diverse angles. They will also study Onagawa Town’s unique examples of 'creative reconstruction' following the Great East Japan Earthquake, deepening their understanding of regional revitalization and social problem-solving.

Student-Led Inquiry Projects (Planned)

Within this program, students will plan and implement projects aimed at increasing Onagawa Town’s activity population based on their individual inquiry themes.

Currently, students have proposed the following initiatives:

① Creating a Networking Space for Correspondence High School Students and Youth

Students plan to connect correspondence high school students around Sendai City and university students (graduates of correspondence high schools) enrolled at Satonoba University via online platforms. They aim to host discussion forums where youth with diverse backgrounds can interact, fostering peer connections among correspondence high school students and creating opportunities to reflect on career paths and community engagement.

② Producing a Pamphlet on 'School Non-Attendance and Correspondence High Schools'

Students will conduct interviews with Satonoba University students, middle school teachers near Onagawa Town, and free school staff, compiling diverse experiences and perspectives on school non-attendance and correspondence high schools into a booklet.

The completed booklet will be distributed to free schools and middle schools around Onagawa Town, as well as to all ID Gakuen campuses, serving as a reference for students and parents when considering future paths.

③ Promoting Onagawa Town’s Appeal via Social Media

Students will report on daily life, local attractions, and human connections in Onagawa Town, sharing content on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The goal is to inspire youth outside the town to think, 'I want to visit' or 'I want to get involved,' thereby expanding Onagawa Town’s relational and activity population.

Program Overview

[Program Name] Project: Increase Activity Population in Onagawa Town

[Duration] July 1 (Wed), 2026 – July 10 (Fri), 2026 (9 nights, 10 days)

[Location] Onagawa Town, Motoyoshi District, Miyagi Prefecture

[Implementation Framework] - Satonoba University - Asunooto Inc. - NPO Corporation Asuhenokibou - Onagawa Town Office

About ID Gakuen High School

Ikubunkan Yume Gakuen, which operates Ikubunkan Junior High School, Ikubunkan High School, and Ikubunkan Global High School, launched ID Gakuen High School in April 2020 as Japan’s 'fourth form of secondary education,' following full-time, part-time, and correspondence programs. The school aims to pioneer a new model of Japanese high school education. Guided by the educational philosophy that 'schools exist solely for children’s happiness,' Ikubunkan Yume Gakuen has implemented its unique 'Dream Education' program with the mission of 'inspiring dreams, pursuing dreams, and realizing dreams' for every student, achieving notable results.