University Co-op Report 2021
Business Activities
Relationship with Society
Broadening horizons and knowledge by participating in social activities
We provide support for students working on social issues such as reconstruction support activities for the Great East Japan Earthquake and environmental activities from the perspective of the SDGs. We also promote exchanges for students with international perspective and exchanges with co-ops, and cooperates with UNICEF activities, etc.
The 64th General Meeting in December 2020 was held online. Utilizing many tools to deepen understanding, exchanges took place at the University Co-op Festival after the General Assembly.
Activities
COVID-19 Special Page
Maintaining the connection while keeping physical distance
We set up a special website in April 2020, when many universities are closed for classes, to introduce the recommendations from experts and to introduce the efforts of other universities. We conducted questionnaires three times in April, May, and July 2020 to collect the real situation and voices of students who were refraining from classes, clubs, and part-time jobs, and announced some proposals on how to solve the problems together.
International Co-operative Alliance
Strengthening cooperation with co-operatives in the world
* International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is one of the oldest NGOs in the world, comprising about 310 cooperative organizations in 109 countries with 1.2 billion individual members.
* The photos here are from 2019.
ICA-AP activities in Singapore
Japan-Korea University Co-op Student Exchange Seminar
Environmental Activities
Supporting the students’ activities to address social issues
As one of the goals of the SDGs, the practice of environmentally friendly behavior and business activities has become a global awareness. University co-ops support university students who are tackling social issues such as CO2 reduction, energy and resource conservation, and promotion of the 3Rs. The 2020 Environmental Seminar 2020 in August 2020 was held online.
Themes of the 2020 Environmental Seminar
Juon Network
Learning the importance of nature in rural areas
Juon Network, an incorporated nonprofit organization, was established in April 1998, with the suppport of university co-ops. The purpose of its activities is to create a sustainable society by expanding the network of support between cities and rural areas through experience, exchange, and support activities in forests and other areas.
JUON disposable chopsticks made from domestic thinned wood
Forest School: Kaze no Tani Ibigawa Town, Gifu
Forest School: Sanuki no Mori Sanuki City, Kagawa
Field School: Budo no Oka Yamanashi City, Yamanashi
The University Co-op Scholarship Foundation's “Tasukeai Scholarship”
Supporting students who have lost their parents
Since 1992, the University Co-op Scholarship Foundation has been providing students who have lost their parents with a study assistance system to support them in continuing their studies. In order to further develop and disseminate this system, we established a general incorporated foundation, and in January 2020, the system was newly launched as the “Tasukeai Scholarship”. NFUCA and the University Co-op Scholarship Foundation will continue to work together to spread the idea of “tasukeai” (mutual help) throughout society and universities.
The logo is a combination of four hearts, representing the meaning of the four colors of the University Co-op logo.
Research activities of university co-ops
Every year, NFUCA collect data from more than 20,000 university students to investigate their actual condition.
We collect data from more than 20,000 university students every year to study the current situation of university students. The annual Fact-Finding Survey on Student Life has received responses from as many as 20,000 university students with the cooperation of each university co-op, and the scale of the survey and the accumulation of data over 56 times have attracted attention from society as a survey that captures the current conditions of university students over time. We also conduct the Parents' Survey of New Students and the Survey of Graduate Students’ Living Conditions.
Press conference of the 55th Fact-Finding Survey on Student Life