Czech Participation at EXPO 2025 Focuses on Students and Connects Schools with a New Educational Project
The World Expo 2025 in Osaka will not only celebrate architecture, Czech culture, and innovation but will also serve as an inspiration for Czech pupils and students. A new educational project focused on creative learning connects primary, secondary, and vocational schools across the country, offering interactive teaching materials and creative activities inspired by Czechia’s participation at EXPO 2025. The goal is to foster creativity among young generations and introduce them to the concept of world expos. The program is being developed during the 2024/2025 school year under the leadership of Petra Čiháková, founder of the initiative Books a Bit Differently.
"Young people often lack sufficient information about world expos and their impact on the future. That is why we decided to give the next generation a platform and support them through the theme of Czechia’s participation, 'Talent and Creativity for Life.' I consider it crucial to provide them with the opportunity to develop their strengths and creativity. They have my trust," says Ondřej Soška, Commissioner General of Czechia’s participation at EXPO 2025.
The project connects students and teachers from various types of schools – from primary schools to vocational and art institutions. It includes engaging educational activities that inspire students to create their own works, drawing from the Czech National Pavilion and its central theme. Students collaborate with educators and experts from different fields, participating in a wide range of activities – from designing scenographic costumes and jewelry to utilizing 3D printing and multimedia.
Interdisciplinary collaboration plays a key role, often bringing together seemingly unrelated disciplines, such as set designers and blacksmiths. Some projects even unite multiple schools within the same city. The outcomes of these efforts range from fusions of art and modern technology to explorations of Czechia’s historical legacy at world expos or the deepening of Czech-Japanese relations.
"This initiative not only connects education with art and innovation but also fosters intergenerational dialogue, international cultural exchange, and the preservation of Czech identity in a global context. Through this collaboration, Czechia’s participation at EXPO 2025 gains an additional dimension, emphasizing the significance of education, talent, and creativity as key pillars for the future," explains Petra Čiháková, coordinator of the creative education program for Czechia’s participation at EXPO 2025.
The results of student creations will be showcased at EXPO 2025’s accompanying events, including exhibitions and workshops. Another key outcome of the program is the development of educational materials, many of which are co-created by the students themselves. These materials introduce students to the history of world expos and the theme of Czechia’s participation at EXPO 2025: Talent and Creativity for Life.
Among these materials is the comic book 100 Years of Czech Literature in Japan, a series of comics focusing on the last century of Czechoslovak and Czech participation at EXPO (according to the Bureau International des Expositions, BIE), and the book Talent and Creativity for Life, in which the Czech National Pavilion’s mascot, René, guides young readers through the history of Czech inventions and achievements.
René also plays a central role in a unique collaborative artwork titled The Linden Tree of Life, created by all primary schools in the city of Pelhřimov. This nine-meter-high representation of Czechia’s EXPO mascot will be made up of numerous linden leaves, each inscribed by students with their dreams and wishes. Each leaf will answer one of the questions: “What would I like to become?” or “What good would I wish for my community?” On May 16, 2025, The Linden Tree of Life will also be officially recognized as a Czech national record. The final artwork will be unveiled during the Czech-Japanese Cultural Day at Masaryk Square in Pelhřimov.
The educational materials are being developed in collaboration with Kamil Ubr, a member of the National Pedagogical Institute’s leadership, Josef Soukal, chairman of the Czech Language Teachers’ Association, and František Brož, the Czech Language and Literature coordinator for ČT Edu.
About the Czech Pavilion at EXPO 2025 In December 2022, after more than twenty years, the Office of the Commissioner General announced an open, anonymous architectural competition to design the National Pavilion for EXPO 2025. Thirty-eight studios have participated, and in March 2023 a jury of experts led by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřičná selected the winning design: a glass spiral by Apropos Architects. The main structure of the building will be made of modern wood panels, while the façade will feature art glass, which has a centuries-old tradition in Czechia. The National Pavilion, which will be located on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay from April to October 2025, will provide a prestigious setting for Czech participation at EXPO 2025. The pavilion will house a permanent exhibition, a multifunctional auditorium, facilities for business meetings, restaurants, a CTP lounge, and a relaxation area overlooking the sea.
About the Czech participation at EXPO 2025 This will be the sixth time that Czechia has taken part in a world exhibition as an independent state. Ondřej Soška, who won the Ministry of Foreign Affairs selection process with his concept and theme "Talent and Creativity for Life", has been serving as Commissioner General since September 2022. Czechia aims to showcase not only what the Japanese already know and admire, such as Czech glass and classical music, but above all Czech innovations, nanotechnologies, promising start-ups and talent from the regions.
