am College, the second term begins. Recruiting 'University Student Mentors' to support the challenges of high school students!
Hello everyone☀️
I'm an, from the am College management office!
Last year, 'am College' was newly launched in Nasushiobara City.
High school students, university student mentors, and professionals active in the community. It was a half-year where people of different ages and backgrounds gathered to talk about the future of the Nasu region, struggle together, and take on challenges together.
And this year.
am College is entering its second term.
What kind of place is am College?
am College is a practical program where high school students take on the challenge of creating business plans for the real world, based on regional issues in Nasushiobara City.📝
Through lectures by entrepreneurs and practitioners active in the region, fieldwork, and interviews with local residents, we will'What are the charms of Nasushiobara City?' 'What are the issues, and what kind of future do we want to create?'think about these things with peers and give shape to ideas.
Meeting peers from outside your school and engaging in dialogue with university student mentors and professionals, allowing you to encounter perspectives and ways of thinking you wouldn't have come up with on your own, is also a major appeal of this program.
Last year's activities
1. Overall Kick-off Workshop
We listened to stories from entrepreneurs and seniors active in the region, and thought about regional issues while interacting with other high school students. In the workshop, we challenged ourselves to create ideas starting from our 'likes' and 'interests'.
2. Idea Review Session & Mid-term Presentation
While engaging in dialogue with peers and university student mentors, we thought about business plans to solve regional issues.
The ideas we came up with were presented to researchers active in the region and various fields, and we further refined them while receiving advice from multifaceted perspectives.
3. Final Presentation
We set up presentation booths at 'Miruru' to introduce our business plans to local residents and researchers.
It was the culmination of the program, where we shared the learning and results of the half-year with the community.
Recruitment for this year's high school students starts in mid-August!
'I want to try something new in the region.'
'I want to expand my world outside of school.'
'I want to talk seriously with my peers, university students, and professionals.'
This is a program we would love for such high school students to participate in.
Recruitment is scheduled to begin in mid-August. We will announce the application guidelines and program details on this note again, so please wait just a little longer🙌
We are looking forward to taking a new step forward with many of you again this year.
Recruiting university student mentors to support high school students' challenges!
In last year's am College, the presence of university student mentors who worried, thought, and walked alongside high school students became a great force supporting the program.
Not as teachers who provide answers, but as companions.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Maybe there's another way to look at it."
The role of a university student mentor is to support each high school student's challenge while engaging in such dialogues.
For this year's am College, we are also recruiting university student mentors to learn and grow together with high school students!
If you are interested in education or community development, want to support high school students' challenges, or are interested in inquiry-based learning or entrepreneurship, we look forward to creating this year's am College with you.
For details such as activities and recruitment overview, please see the following application guidelines (Google Docs).
Recruitment Overview
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in university or graduate school (applications accepted from all over the country)
Preferred: Those from or living in Nasushiobara City, or those with ties to the Nasu region
Number of recruits: Approximately 8 people
Application deadline: Until Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Travel expenses will be provided when participating in events in Nasushiobara City (up to 13,000 yen/time)
Please see the application guidelines for details on activities, schedules, and how to apply.
▶ University Student Mentor Application Guidelines (Google Docs)
Click here
▶ Application Form
Finally, we would like to introduce comments from two people who participated as university student mentors last year✍️
Please take a look at what they felt because they were the closest companions to the high school students, and the learning and growth the mentors themselves gained.
T-san, 2nd-year university student, resident of Tochigi Prefecture
Having received career guidance from university students myself, I had a desire to 'move into a position where I could support others next.'
At that time, I felt drawn to am College, where I could walk alongside high school students and also apply the knowledge from my own major, so I decided to participate.
Since I didn't have much experience participating in activities like this, I was very nervous at first, but am College has a warm atmosphere where people's ideas are never denied and free thinking is always welcomed.
While focusing on my role as a support person during the activities, I was surprised by the flexible creativity of the high school students as they turned abstract ideas into concrete business plans, and I learned a lot myself.
Also, student mentors share roles such as moderating and disseminating information, and not only was I able to deepen my own interests, but I was also greatly inspired by seeing my peers skillfully handle areas I am not good at.
This is a place I definitely want people who think, 'I want to try something new, but I'm anxious because I have no experience...' to take that first step!
I plan to participate again this year! Why not spend some time together where you can support high school students while also growing significantly yourself?
S-san, 2nd-year university student, resident of Tochigi Prefecture
When a friend from my university circle invited me to join am College... I didn't know anything about the great value am College brings, the charm of Nasushiobara City, or 'weaving together what you love'.
My goal is to be involved in community development and the maintenance and growth of cities, and I am studying at university to achieve that. What makes a city attractive to people? How do we create the cities of the future? At am College, there were many opportunities to think deeply about these things.
In the activity of thinking up plans to make the future city more attractive together with high school students, I found myself completely absorbed in community development. By interacting with various people, such as high school students, other student mentors, and professionals involved in the activities, my thoughts and ideas about community development were updated.
am College brought me value far greater than I had imagined... I want to participate again this year.
If you wondered, 'What does weaving what you love mean?', if you are interested in community development, or if you are even 1% curious about the charm of Nasushiobara City, why not join us at am College?
Last year, am College was a place where each challenge led to the next step, and many encounters and learning opportunities were born.
This year, too, I look forward to creating this space together with new high school students, new university student mentors, and everyone in the community✨
Please come and weave your passions into Nasushiobara.
We look forward to receiving your applications.
Organizer: Nasushiobara City | Official Note
Planning & Operation: Owner Inc. | Official Website