【FILA】Alumni Workshop "Say Nothing, Nothing Change"

On Thursday, June 13th, we held a workshop featuring our alumnus, Ms. Imaseki, as the main speaker on the theme of "Say Nothing, Nothing Change", a global initiative by UN Women's Unstereotype Alliance, which strives to eliminate negative stereotypes from advertising and media platforms. Currently, Ms. Imaseki is actively working with UN Women, Japan Office as an intern. This workshop was made possible with the support of Prof. Ichiro Sugimoto and Assoc Prof. Tomoko Utsumi.

The workshop focused primarily on the theme "Break Stereotypes", with Ms. Imaseki delivering a presentation. During the presentation, participants engaged in lively discussions, using real-life examples of stereotypes that could potentially cause issues, and debated how to effectively address and overcome these scenarios.

Here are some comments from students who attended the workshop:

"Through today's workshop, I was able to learn how to deal with stereotypes appropriately and some essential frameworks for doing so. In this workshop, we had a group work in which we discussed how we should confront stereotypes based on some model videos of stereotypes. By using the framework provided, we were able to consider possible action strategies to reconcile the issues. This was a great opportunity for me to realize the need to be an upstander rather than a bystander. I also felt the importance of applying what I learned today in my daily life. Also, it was very inspiring to see a senior actually working in the community. Since it is easy for me to project myself onto her career because of our similar ages, this workshop gives me an opportunity to reflect on my future and career." (Third-year student, FILA)

"The phrase 'Say nothing, nothing changes' left a strong impression on me. Despite being only 30 seconds long, the video on stereotypes that we watched during the workshop was very thought-provoking. The discussion based on the video provided a valuable opportunity to think about how we should act when encountering stereotypes in our daily lives. Furthermore, I was moved by Ms. Imaseki's cheerful personality and her passion for her pursuits. It reinforced my determination to spend the remainder of my university life meaningfully and without regrets." (Third-year student, FILA)

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