This semester for my CIP I volunteered at Mitsuba Kindergarten. As a volunteer, I was able to play with children and also act as an assistant to the teachers for any help they needed. I had a really great experience at my CIP this semester and was able to make a lot of memories with the kids. I especially enjoyed sitting down and drawing together with them and was touched by the amount of drawings they gave me throughout the semester.

The teachers were also incredibly kind and I always enjoyed talking with them during my volunteer hours. The kids also have a daily snack time and the teachers would often include me as I had not tried many of the Japanese snacks that they served!

I would recommend this CIP to anyone who loves playing with kids and being in a lively environment. I would also suggest to those who do this CIP to have confidence in your Japanese when speaking to the children or teachers as they are all kind!

This semester I volunteered at NPO Reframe, an organization that provides a space for children and community members to be themselves and participate in various activities. I spent the majority of the semester spending time with kids and playing different games. I really enjoyed the space that NPO Reframe created because it allowed for everyone to participate in activities they enjoyed within a community. My favorite moments volunteering included having tea and cookies with kids and learning about different Japanese games that I had never played before. I found it especially fun to learn different hand gesture games that are played in Japan. It was really interesting to compare different games played when I was growing up in the U.S and what the kids play. I also had a great time teaching them the hand gesture games I played as a kid.

If you are interested in volunteering with kids in a peaceful and relaxing environment, I would recommend volunteering at NPO Reframe. The kids there are very friendly and love to spend time reading or playing games. This is the perfect environment to truly engage in conversation and also participate in different activities like tea time, cooking, video games, nature walks, etc.!