ギルド名鑑No.219 伊藤 蓮さんが挑戦する、多様な人と好奇心と可能性をつなぐ場づくり

(The English version follows the Japanese text.)

港区を起点にいろんなところで働く・暮らす、楽しい時間を創りたい人たちによるコミュニティCreative Guild。このギルド名鑑では、そんなCreative Guildでつながったユニークな方々をご紹介しています。今回ご紹介するのは、学習院大学国際社会科学部2年の伊藤 蓮さん。世代や文化の壁を超えた多様性の中で、好奇心のままに新しい世界へ飛び込み、可能性の輪を広げる場づくりに、「まずやってみよう」の精神で取り組んでいます。

英語を学ぶのではなく、英語で社会を学ぶ

伊藤さんが学ぶ学習院大学国際社会科学部には、ユニークな特徴があります。それは、英語そのものを学ぶのではなく、英語を使って経済や社会を学ぶこと。伊藤さんはそんな環境の中で、世代や立場を超えて多様な人と関わりながら、自分自身の視野を広げてきました。そして現在、その経験を活かし、大学という場を起点に、分野や世代、文化などの垣根を超え、多様な人たちが知的好奇心を持って出会い、学び合い、協働・共創していける場づくりに、思いを同じくする仲間たちと挑戦しています。

好奇心から、まず一歩を踏み出す

伊藤さんが大切にしているのは、「好奇心」です。知らないこと、違う価値観、これまで出会わなかった人に興味を持ち、まず自分から一歩踏み出してみる。そこで得た経験を誰かと共有すれば、自分一人では気づけなかった考えや可能性が見えてきます。

だからこそ、最初から正解や結果を求めるのではなく、「まずやってみる」ことを大切にする。その好奇心を自分だけのものにせず、多様な人と分かち合いながら、一人ひとりの世界と可能性が自然に広がっていくきっかけをつくること。それが伊藤さんらしい在り方につながっています。

「こんな場があったら」を待たずにつくる

日々の中で、「こんな場があったらいいな」「こんな人とつながりたい」と思うことはあるでしょう。しかし、方法がわからない、失敗するかもしれない、忙しくて時間がない。そんな不安や理由を並べて、誰かが実現してくれるのを待っているだけでは、残念ながら何も変わりません。

可能性は、頭の中で思い描くだけでは広がらない。自分で一歩を踏み出し、経験し、人と出会い、試行錯誤してはじめて、新しい世界が見えてくるのです。

1ミリでも動かし、そのプロセスを楽しむ

だからこそ、伊藤さんは「まだないなら、まずやってみよう」と、自ら一歩を踏み出しています。目指しているのは、世代や文化、分野といった垣根を越えて多様な人が出会い、好奇心のままに学び合い、そこから新しい可能性が生まれていく場です。

最初は小さな挑戦でも、一つの出会いや気づきが次の行動を生み、その波紋はやがて誰かの人生や社会にも広がっていく。だからこそ、目先の成果にとらわれず、1ミリでもいいから動かしていくこと。そして、そのプロセス自体を楽しむこと。それがきっと、未来をポジティブに変えていく力になっていくのですね。

If It Doesn’t Exist Yet, Let’s Give It a Try!
Ren Ito’s Challenge to Create a Space Where Diverse People, Curiosity, and Possibilities Connect

Back to the Japanese version.

Creative Guild is a community of people who live and work in different places, with Minato City as one of their starting points, and who share a desire to create more joyful moments in life. In this Guild Directory, we introduce some of the unique people connected through Creative Guild. This time, we feature Ren Ito, a second-year student in the Faculty of International Social Sciences at Gakushuin University. Embracing diversity across generations and cultures, Ren follows his curiosity into unfamiliar worlds and is taking on the challenge of creating spaces where new connections can expand people’s possibilities—all with a simple mindset: “Let’s give it a try.”

Learning Society Through English, Not Simply Learning English

The Faculty of International Social Sciences at Gakushuin University, where Ren studies, has a distinctive approach. Rather than simply learning English as a subject, students use English as a tool to study economics and society. In this environment, Ren has broadened his perspective by engaging with people of different generations and backgrounds. Drawing on those experiences, he is now working with like-minded peers to create new opportunities for people to connect through the university—spaces where differences in fields, generations, and cultures can be crossed, and where diverse people can meet through intellectual curiosity, learn from one another, and explore new forms of collaboration and co-creation.

Taking the First Step Through Curiosity

At the heart of Ren’s approach is one value: curiosity. He believes in taking an interest in what he does not yet know, in perspectives different from his own, and in people he might otherwise never meet—and then taking the first step toward them. When those experiences are shared with others, new ideas and possibilities can emerge that would never have appeared through one person’s perspective alone.

That is why, rather than searching for the perfect answer or worrying too much about the outcome, Ren values the willingness to simply try. By sharing his curiosity with others, he hopes to create opportunities for each person’s world—and sense of what may be possible—to expand naturally. That openness to possibility is becoming an important part of who Ren is.

Creating the Space Instead of Waiting for It

In everyday life, many of us have probably thought, “I wish there were a place like this,” or “I’d love to connect with people like that.” Yet taking action can feel difficult. We may not know how to begin. We may be afraid of failure. We may feel too busy to make time. But if we keep listing reasons not to act and simply wait for someone else to make it happen, unfortunately, nothing changes.

Possibilities do not expand simply because we imagine them. It is only when we take a step ourselves—when we experience something new, meet people, and learn through trial and error—that a new world begins to come into view.

Moving Forward One Millimeter at a Time—and Enjoying the Process

That is precisely why Ren is choosing to take the first step himself: “If it doesn’t exist yet, let’s give it a try.” What he hopes to create is a space where people can cross boundaries of generation, culture, and discipline; meet one another through genuine curiosity; learn together; and allow new possibilities to emerge from those encounters.

Even the smallest challenge can lead to one new connection or insight, which can spark another action—and that ripple may eventually reach someone’s life or even society more broadly. Rather than becoming fixated on immediate results, what matters is continuing to move things forward, even by just one millimeter. And just as importantly, it means enjoying the process itself. Perhaps that is exactly the kind of energy that can make the future a little more positive.

Back to the Japanese version.