「Volunteering」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Nicole Beamon: Volunteering at Nalba

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Nalba is an after school program that provides children with a place to play and one highly-balanced meal a night. The team takes time and consideration to make sure each meal is locally sourced and delicious for both kids and adults. I had a very pleasant time at Nalba hosting games with the kids and cooking with the staff. From the beginning, I became very appreciative of Nalba’s mission and the help they provide for busy working parents. However, as rewarding as my CIP has been, I do believe that Nalba is for a specific kind of person. Everyday you’re invited to help with homework, talk/play with the kids, and initiate games. Their homework typically consists of kanji and Japanese grammar workbooks. The kids also tend to talk very fast even if they recognize that you’re a foreigner. With that being said, If you are a person who is confident in their speaking or listening skills, I believe you can really thrive at Nalba. Being able to guide them through their homework or even initiate conversations/games will truly add to the kids’ and your experience!

Logan Ruzzier: Curatorial Volunteering at the Kyoto Institute of Technology Art Museum

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My CIP at KCJS was volunteering at the Kyoto Institute of Technology’s Museum and Archives. During my ten-odd 2-hour sessions, spread evenly through the Fall, I engaged in a wide variety of art historical and curatorial activities for the museum. These activities spanned the realms of posters, architectural plans, and fabrics. I worked hands-on each session with one of three staff members, who each specialized in one of the aforementioned fields. I helped prepare artworks for display, measured and organized them within the archives, and even worked with graduate students to get exhibit rooms in order. 

 

My advice to you is to seize upon this opportunity if you are seeking the following from a CIP:

  • 1-on-1 relationship building in an apprenticeship-style role
  • Consistent exposure to uncompromising, workplace-level and instruction-oriented Japanese 
  • Conversations on any topic of your choice with highly knowledgeable, passionate academics (contingent only on your will to ask and ability to understand)
  • Above all, the chance to gather diverse and esoteric art historical knowledge through real objects, as well as the responsibility of handling them

 

This is very much a project that returns what you give, so I recommend that you arrive at the museum each time hungry to help out and learn as much as possible.

Tamar Feinland: Volunteering at the Kyoto Animal Protection Center

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I decided to volunteer at an animal shelter for my CIP. I mainly took care of the dogs, and the members at the center would teach me how they walked, trained, bathed, and played with the dogs, as well as how they cleaned their enclosures.

I was able to interact with the other members quite a bit, as we would always take care of the dogs together, so if we were playing or walking them then I was able to engage in conversation with them. I also really enjoyed spending time with the dogs, and it was clear that the people at the center cared a lot about each of them.

I would advise future students to try starting a conversation with the people at your CIP. I was always nervous that maybe the other members wouldn’t want to talk to me because I’m a foreigner and my Japanese is far from perfect, but whenever I worked up the courage to ask them a question about themselves or the dogs we would always end up having a nice conversation, and it was a great opportunity for me to practice Japanese and connect more with the culture.

Mina Chioldi: Volunteering at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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For my CIP activity I got to volunteer and play with kids at a local daycare near Doshisha University. It mostly consisted of crafts, drawing, and games, and the faculty and kids were very welcoming even though I was a foreigner with a low level of Japanese.

This CIP was not a big time commitment and did not give me a lot of responsibilities, so I would recommend it if you generally like kids. They were very well behaved and cute, so I found it stress relieving to go each week and not focus on my schoolwork. I think that you would get more out of it if you had a higher level of Japanese, but it’s possible either way.

AJ Johnston: Volunteering at Ohara Gakuin

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For my Community Involvement Project this semester I volunteered at Ohara Gakuin, an elementary and middle school in Ohara, a small town north of Kyoto. After a scenic bus ride up to the town, I spent my Wednesdays having lunch with the school’s students, assisting with their English classes, and observing other classes on a variety of subjects. Ohara Gakuin provided me with a look into the Japanese education system and the inner workings of an ordinary school. Studying the way in which teachers approached students of drastically different age groups and learning about English instruction in Japan was fascinating, and getting to know some of the kids over the course of my short time at the school was a lot of fun.

I would advise students looking into this CIP to definitely check it out, as it was a truly unique experience, particularly if you’re interested in working with children in the future or looking into the JET program. Try to take every opportunity to chat with the kids and other teachers, even if it’s awkward or neither party fully understands what’s being said. The kids generally want to get to know you, but can be shy or unsure of how much Japanese you understand— don’t be afraid to go for it and mess up! 

Evan Arbolante: Volunteer at the local Animal Shelter

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I worked at one of Kyoto’s local animal shelters for my CIP.

I had a great time taking care of the dogs and cats. Some of my responsibilities included walking the dogs, teaching them how to sit and walk alongside you, and cleaning their living spaces.

This CIP is perfect if you love animals and share a passion for protecting and caring for them. For me, it felt like a weekly therapy session where I could destress and build bonds with both the animals and the shelter staff.

For those wondering what CIP to choose, find something that excites you and offers a space to connect with others. The most valuable part of the CIP is that it gives study abroad students a chance to form a special community within Japan. Think about what kind of community you’d like to be part of when deciding on your CIP. No matter what activity people choose, CIP often leaves a warm and lasting place in our hearts—so my best advice is to come excited and ready to participate!

Jonathan Wu: Volunteering at the Kyoto International Manga Museum

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This Spring semester, I volunteered at the Kyoto International Manga Museum, where I assisted with archiving, shelving, and preserving manga while learning about Japanese workplace culture and library systems.

Volunteering at the museum was incredibly fulfilling, not only because of the unique nature of the space itself (a hybrid museum/library), but also because of how much I learned about intercultural communication and the subtleties of Japanese work etiquette. As someone who has personally loved anime and manga for a long time, getting to volunteer in a space dedicated to their preservation and study made the experience even more special. This space was a place of personal growth, cultural exchange, and meaningful connections for me, and I am incredibly thankful to have been given the opportunity to be part of it.

My advice to incoming students and prospective students: Don’t be afraid of discomfort or feeling out of place at first while abroad; these moments are often where the most growth happens. Observe how others interact socially, and most importantly, be curious and open-minded. You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn simply by participating with sincerity and respect.

Jack He: Volunteering at Nalba

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Nalba is a 子ども食堂 (children’s cafeteria) that resembles a afterschool daycare. Primary school students join together to play, eat dinner, and play more. My responsibilities primarily entailed playing with the children and helping with the cooking. Throughout the semester, I made friends with both kids and the adult volunteers who work there. I would wholeheartedly recommend Nalba to those who enjoy playing and spending time with children.

Sloane McLean: Volunteering at NALBA Children’s Cafeteria

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Although NALBA is a cafeteria, as a volunteer I was more so responsible for playing with the kids as meals were being prepared rather than participating in the cooking. We would all have dinner together, during which I would make small talk with the kids and volunteers, and then it would be time to clean up and keep the kids entertained as they waited for their parents to come pick them up.

I love kids so this was an incredibly rewarding (though physically tiring) CIP experience for me as I got to develop relationships with the children and see them excited to spend time with me every week. The volunteers at NALBA are incredibly warm and friendly, and the children were very curious about why I was in Japan and also wanted to know about the USA, so there was always a lot to talk about and I easily made conversation with the people I met there.

I highly recommend NALBA to anyone who is nervous about their Japanese skill level but still wants a bit of a challenge for themselves — it’s easy to connect with the kids because there are so many games you can play together which require limited conversation ability, but at the same time you will definitely still need to practice the more advanced grammar you are learning in class when talking to the kids (and they talk a lot!). Speaking with the older volunteers was always a little outside of my language comfort level, but I’m glad I pushed myself. My biggest advice for anyone in a similar situation is to just power through any hesitancies you have at your CIP. Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation, and ask clarifying questions as often as needed! I would say the latter piece of that advice is definitely extremely important, as it’s absolutely necessary in order to understand what the rules and boundaries are.

Overall NALBA was a warm and energetic environment I enjoyed going to every week, and leaving it was really hard. I hope many more KCJS students will participate there in the future!

Gavin Dutterer: Volunteering at Ohara Elementary and Junior High School

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At this CIP, I went to Ohara Elementary and Junior High School once a week, eating lunch with the students and helping out primarily in the English classes. I worked mostly with the 6th graders as they worked on their end-of-semester English presentation, offering advice and answering any questions they had. If you’re interested in this CIP, I’d recommend getting ready to get out of your shell, as a lot of the students are shy and it can be difficult to talk to them. However, it’s a great experience, and being able to help them and provide them with an international perspective they probably wouldn’t get to experience otherwise is extremely rewarding.