“PICNIK”（Program for Inter Cultural Nexus In Kyoto)
“PICNIK” is a program promoting global understanding. The program sends foreign university students from Kyoto City to elementary and junior high schools in the city to assist in their global understanding education classes and introduce culture, living and customs from their countries/regions, as well as playing with the children.
The Aim of PICNIK
- 1. Children can feel a closer connection to the world through direct communication with foreign students.
- 2. The program gives children an opportunity to rethink the identity of their country through comparison with multiple cultures while learning about relationships with different countries and regions of the world. They can also untangle the conventional concept of values and enhance their problem solving abilities.
- 3. Provides opportunities for foreign students to interact with local Japanese society.
Features of PICNIK
- ＊ From the day of application to the day of the class, a PICNIK coordinator will consult with foreign students.
- ＊ Before the class, there will be a meeting between the student, the coordinator and school personnel.
- ＊ The foreign lecturers dispatched to the schools are foreign students and foreign researchers from universities in Kyoto City. (Their Japanese language levels differ but they are required to be conversant in daily conversation or higher to register for this program)
- ＊ Classes the students and researchers are dispatched to will be reviewed and the contents compiled and examined as classes conducted for global understanding education.
From Application to Implementation of the Class
PICNIK dispatches foreign university students to elementary and junior high schools in Kyoto City. Please apply only if you can agree with the purpose and terms of usage of the program. Applications are taken by e-mail, fax, and regular mail.
１．1. Send the completed application form to the secretariat
Fill out the application form and apply to our office at least 1 and a half months before the planned class.
(You can download the application form from the bottom section of this page)
※ Foreign students are dispatched to classes scheduled to be held from June to March the following year. The period to accept applications: From April to early February in following year, every year.
After checking the contents of the application, our coordinator will contact you if the application is accepted.
※If you are not contacted by our coordinator more than 1 week after you submit your application, please contact our office.
Please note that we may not be able to dispatch a lecturer on the day or for the contents you designate in the application form.
（※We cannot dispatch students to local events and the like, or provide English lessons similar to ALT）
２．2. Meeting between school personnel, the foreign student, and the coordinator conducting the program
Meeting between school personnel, the foreign student, and coordinator will be held at kokoka Kyoto City International House.ｓ
At the meeting, the 3 parties will discuss the purpose and contents of the class, what the school wants the foreign student to prepare, the schedule on the day of the lecture, and study materials required for the class.
This meeting provides an opportunity to get acquainted with other members, therefore, all parties must participate.
３．3. Prior learning exercise
For the lecture to be successful, please conduct a prior learning exercise. We sincerely request the school to create an atmosphere of acceptance for the foreign student, for example, by studying basic information about the country the student is from.
４．4. Conducting the class
The foreign student visits the elementary/junior high school.
※The student is not a professional educator or speaker. Please note that the class should be run by the teacher, not by the foreign student.
５．5. Submitting a questionnaire after the class
After the class is conducted, please submit the Form of Completion and photographic data as a record to our office.