The Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin Character Project （HKG Character Project） is an educational program based on creating pop-culture characters. This group is mainly formed by the faculty members and students of the Faculty of Information Design. The aim is to combine the educational program with a contribution to the local community.
In this program, student create original characters and teachers supervise and support students in various ways. In addition to advice on creating the characters, students and teachers work together with community groups such as NPOs, local governments, other educational institutions and businesses.
Though this series of projects, students gain a‘ real life’ perspective on their work. Not only do students increase their motivation to improve their illustration skills, but they also deepen their understanding of its role in society. An additional benefit of this program has been an improvement in the students’ regular curriculum.

本稿は，本学情報デザイン学科の学生，教員を中心に取り組んでいる「HKG キャラクタープロジェクト」に関する教育活動報告である。
本プロジェクトでは，学生がオリジナルキャラクターなどを制作し，担当教員が作品制作の助言を行うと同時に，地域の自治体や企業，NPO 等の諸団体，他の教育機関等と連携しながら作品発表の機会をつくっている。本プロジェクトを通じ，学生たちは技能の向上と社会的な経験を積み，さらに，大学での学修への動機づけを高めることができる。