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H-Camp, an educational program implemented by Hakuhodo as one of its CSR activities, includes an original sub-program for ideation experience called “Open Camp,” where secondary school students can participate as individuals. The trainers are all uniquely talented representatives of Hakuhodo, including designers, copywriters and planners. The program allows the students to have fun and learn about ideation methods and planning skills. As school education in Japan shifts its focus from traditional “memorization” to autonomous thinking, judging, and addressing challenges, we hope this program will provide an initial opportunity to develop personality.

This program was launched in 2013. This year, we organized three sessions in the summer vacation month of August. In a relaxed atmosphere typical of the summer vacation, each participant actively engaged with other team members to give shape to the freewheeling thinking of teenagers.

Here is part of the feedback we received from participants after the completion of each session.

Session on Tuesday, 2 August: “Thinking to Transform Things into News”

Trainer: Masahiro Mitsuya PR Director, PR Strategy Division, Hakuhodo

－Taking our daily events as examples, we learned how to turn them into “news” through discussion.

Feedback (excerpts)

－I learned that news items are the outcome of various people’s efforts and ingenuity. Today’s program completely changed how I think about news. (11th grader)

－I should not miss the critical part of any event. I should think about what to emphasize when conveying a story to someone else. Those are the most important things I learned. (9th grader)

Session on Tuesday, 9 August: “Design a Character to Communicate Who You Are”

Trainer: Hiromi Yoshida Art Director, Interactive Design Division, Hakuhodo

－What is my personality? What am I capable of doing? Searching for answers to such questions in amusing ways, we worked together to produce “self-characters” to see you through.

Feedback (excerpts)

－I was surprised to find that my own views and others’ views on my good points were completely different. How I see myself in daily life seems to be different from how others see me. Just when I thought I had done my best, I was told there was still room for improvement. I was impressed. (12th grader)

－I almost felt the world change as I realized that everything around me was the result of someone else’s hard work. (10th grader)

Session on Wednesday, 17 August: “New Product Development Idea Competition: Invent New Sweets for High School Students”

Trainer: Yohei Fujii Innovation Planner, SEEDATA

－We looked at the thinking and unique behaviour of high school students with regard to sweets, and considered ideas for developing new sweet products.

Feedback (excerpts)

－It was interesting to find that different perspectives for the same thing lead to different views. (11th grader)

－I realized that only a few ideas come out when we think alone but many ideas emerge when we think in a group. I also found that better ideas come out by developing a single idea in various ways. (10th grader)

－It was fun to get many ideas, as each group had its own focus and emphasis. (11th grader)

*Click the link below for future sessions of Open Camp:
⇒http://www.hakuhodo.co.jp/h-camp/open-camp/(in Japanese)