The world is now facing unprecedented and complex problems wrought by modern politics, economy, science, and technology. The problems we solved in the past were comparatively local and lucid enough to easily observe their clear causes and effects. However, various crises that the modern world is challenged with right now are beyond our comprehension of time and space and posed by myriad phenomena entangled with each other.

Aizu Summer School is a 5-day program for young people to find and seek themselves in nature and to tackle open-ended questions in such a world. In the mountains of Oku-Aizu, Fukushima, 20 high school students and university students come together from all across the country and meet a little bit more experienced practitioners and explorers of questions and friends to discuss these questions. Through the conversations and sometimes tranquil mediation in nature, we practice and nurture rich soil to survive and thrive well in this world.

This year's focus goes to "environmental problems" and "science and technology". Today, the word science and technology gives us conflicting impressions. On the one hand, trust and reliance on developing technology worship innovation, but on the other hand, the term Anthropocene represents the environmental overburden that our economical activities cause to nature. Though technology is a necessary key to solving environmental issues, we often overlook the root of its cause: our concept of nature and human beings justified by modern technological development.

The modern environmental problems including climate change are questioning the relationship between humans and nature in an ever more pressing manner.

"What is the worldview that spun out science and technology?"
"How do we form our perspective on humans and nature?"
"How can we face technology and nature?"

We will meet in Aizu this summer for the questions without answers.