The new cafe service that is needed now is...
Theme Introduction
The Community Cafe Project will open and operate a "Student Cafe" on and off campus, where students, faculty, staff, and local residents can gather and communicate casually. Through these practical activities, students will take the initiative in all steps, including setting the concept, formulating a schedule, developing the products to be offered, purchasing, selling, PR activities, and budget management, while learning about cafe management and creating new services such as products to be offered and layouts. In this project, with an awareness of the achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), we will also focus on awareness-raising activities for the 12th goal, "Responsible Consumption and Production (Ethical Consumption)," and one of the themes will be "A Community Cafe that is kind to people, nature, and the future."
Activities
Every semester, we will open a limited-time "Student Cafe" on or off campus. The theme and concept of the project will be discussed in a general meeting, and then each student will go off campus individually or in groups to visit popular cafes and restaurants. All students will write a report on what they saw and felt and give a presentation in class. Based on this, we will exchange opinions and decide on the overall image of the next "Student Cafe" event, the layout of the store, and the drinks and food to be served. We will also actively collaborate with companies to receive advice and products from various angles, and develop products. As mentioned in the theme introduction, we will also be conducting awareness-raising activities for SDGs and ethical consumption, especially fair trade, so in the lectures in the first half of the spring semester, we will learn about ethical consumption, and the products offered at the student cafe will be made with locally produced ingredients, organic products, and fair trade products, focusing on awareness-raising activities.
Student Voices
Department of Service Innovation Miho Dosan
I joined this project because I wanted to be involved in international cooperation in the future. The Community Cafe Project is learning about management through cafe events, while also promoting the 12th SDG goal of "responsible consumption and production" (ethical consumption) to protect the world's natural environment and eliminate poverty. The products sold at the Student Cafe are carefully researched to find out where, who, and with what intentions they were made, and are offered to spread consumption and management activities that will lead to world peace, even if only a little.
Moe Suzuki Department of Service Innovation
In the Community Cafe Project, students themselves plan and operate the "Student Cafe" and learn about cafe management. They create new services based on advice and talks directly from business people and store owners about current cafeteria trends. In addition, every year, with the cooperation of the NPO Fair Trade Label Japan, we promote awareness of ethical consumption. We will continue to create services that make everyone feel happy.
Teachers' comments
What I want students to learn
"Sanpo-yoshi" is a teaching that anyone who does business should value. It is a concept that was cherished by the Omi merchants who were active throughout Japan from the Edo period to the Meiji period, with their main store in Omi, which is now Shiga Prefecture. The number "three" in "sanpo-yoshi" stands for "seller," "buyer," and "society." In order to gain trust, it was thought that a good business would be one in which both the seller and the buyer are satisfied and can also contribute to society. If you do things for others, rather than just thinking about your own profits, you will naturally gain their trust, and that trust will bring you great profits in the future. There are many problems and issues on this earth we live on, such as poverty, discrimination, environmental issues, and war. Let's achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) that solve these problems so that everyone can live happily. This is what I want you to learn through running the "Student Cafe."
Expectations of students
I hope that through the practical activities of the Community Cafe Project, students will acquire the ability to create new services, and after graduation, they will be able to launch projects in various fields and become talented people who can achieve results. I believe that "trust" and "connections" are necessary for this. There is no special way to greatly increase the "intangible assets" of "trust" and "connections," so you just have to make steady efforts to make connections and cherish each and every encounter. How do you sell yourself and make people like you? Be interested in everything, study every day, and gain knowledge and information. Then people will naturally gather around you. Be curious, inquisitive, and service-minded. Let's do our best.