「Volunteering」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Afiq Amjad bin Khairir: Volunteering at Nalba

投稿日時: 投稿者:
A selfie of Afiq with three kids with their faces blurred out.

selfie with the kids at nalba

I decided to volunteer at nalba, a volunteer-run cafeteria that provides dinner for children and a safe space for them to do homework, relax, and play with others. They operate every Mon/Wed/Fri from 3.30pm to 8.00pm.

My main job at nalba was honestly just to have fun, play, and interact with the kids until dinner time. I also tried to help out with the dinner preparation once, so f you’re also interested in cooking, there’s also that aspect of nalba.

The kids were always so full of energy and constantly want to play games, run around, talk to you etc. so there’s never really a day where you don’t quite do anything at nalba. I absolutely loved talking to everyone there, from the kids, to the other volunteers, to the people in charge. They were all so kind and accommodating, so never feel scared to approach them if you have any questions regarding anything.

My advice to those interested, the kids are probably more shy/intimidated by you than you are of them, so when first starting out, you probably have to put more effort into trying to get them to play with you. They’re definitely always down to talk/interact/play, so don’t feel like you have to wait for them to come up to you.

 

Sergianni Jennings: Volunteering at NPO Reframe

投稿日時: 投稿者:

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.!

Eve Koslofsky: Volunteering at Mitsuba kindergarten

投稿日時: 投稿者:

Above is a portrait drawn for me by one of the students at Mitsuba!

For my CIP I decided to volunteer at Mitsuba kindergarten. Each week I went to Mitsuba and for two hours I played with the kids and helped them out with small tasks. I feel like I learned so much from this experience, both in my language skills and my cultural understanding of Japanese schools. The kids were all so sweet, curious, and friendly, welcoming me into their classroom with open arms. The teachers were also very generous, something I was very grateful for whenever I was confused or stuck! Anyone who is interested in this CIP, I would say give it a shot – especially if you enjoy working with little kids and want to work on your speaking or listening skills.

Jayden Fedoroff: Volunteering at Bazaar Cafe

投稿日時: 投稿者:

For my CIP, I volunteered at the Bazaar Cafe, which is right down the road from Doshisha University. The volunteer work consisted of primarily helping out in the kitchen. I would wash dishes, clean up the kitchen, and during down time, I would chat with the other volunteers and customers.

I thought that volunteering at the Bazaar Cafe was very fun! The volunteers and staff are incredibly friendly and the atmosphere was very laid back. Some of the days, the cafe was very busy, and during those times I had to wash a lot of dishes and there wasn’t as much time for chatting. However, when the cafe became less busy, I was often treated to a free lunch and I got to have some very nice conversations with the other volunteers.

I would highly recommend this CIP to students that really want to practice speaking casual Japanese (and Kansai-ben.) The volunteers are very laid back and kind, so they’re very easy to talk to. However, I would recommend also checking what the available times are for volunteering. I volunteered on Wednesdays from 12-2PM, which is when the cafe would occasionally become busy. If you would prefer a time that is less busy, I would recommend volunteering in the afternoons (around 2-4PM.) They are also very accommodating, so if you can’t come in during your usual time, if you let them know in advance, you can just come in the following week or reschedule for another time that week.

Bryan Wang: Yoshida Daycare

投稿日時: 投稿者:

I  had actually started out working at a cafe, but after a couple weeks I ended up switching to working at a daycare. I mostly just helped around the daycare and played with the kids, who were all super sweet. They were all very curious about me and American culture as well, so it was fun talking to them about that. One challenge I faced was communication. A lot of the kids spoke very quickly and with a lot of slang, so it was hard to understand them at times. But the kids were surprisingly patient with me and kindly explained what I did not know. The senseis I worked with were also very kind and accommodating and were happy to help with anything I had questions about. My biggest piece of advice is to not be afraid to ask questions. Even if you end up embarrassing yourself, you’ll inevitably learn something!

Joyce Wu: ナルバ子供食堂

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My CIP was volunteering at a children’s cafeteria called Nalba. I really enjoyed my experience. My responsibilities included playing with the students and helping out with cooking here and there. I was able to learn a lot of new recipes that I plan to try out after returning to America. The kids were also really fun to interact with and I made a lot of precious memories. I would definitely recommend this activity!

Santiago Chamorro: Volunteering at St. Maria’s Children’s Dining Room

投稿日時: 投稿者:

For my CIP, I volunteered at St. Maria’s Church to help its members set up and manage a dining room for children. This activity mostly consisted of helping prepare food, setting up tables, and interacting with the children that come to visit. This CIP is filled with kind and patient volunteers who helped me with my tasks, and allowed for me to practice Japanese through conversations we had while working. The children are also great. They are energetic and very nice, and although the speed at which they speak may be a challenge, they always  cheered me up with every visit. Apart from preparing the food, you also get to share a meal with the volunteers and children, which gave me a great experience to enjoy some homemade Japanese food and to practice Japanese with the people I sat with. In this CIP I not only got to practice my speaking in a very active environment, but I also got a deeper understanding of this small sect of Japanese society. For anyone interested in this CIP, I recommend to be ready to interact with children and adults, and to communicate in a bit of a busy environment. It can be a little challenging at times, but it is very fun!

You Wu: Volunteering at Kyoto Institute of Technology Museum and Archives

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My CIP is volunteering in a museum archive that specializes in posters collection. My main job was to organize museum posters from recent years in Japan or help my supervisor Wada-sensei with some hands-on museum work.

It was highly pleasant to just look at various posters with all ranges of excellent artistic designs. I also got to work on different kinds of posters, including the poster (ポスター) collection books from Shōwa era. However, it could get a bit boring after several weeks, since archive work is repeated and I usually worked alone. Therefore, it’s important for volunteers to reach out actively to ask more about museum work or politely address our own requests. After reaching out, I found myself being much closer with my supervisor! She is also nice enough to show me around various curation works that were in progress and gave me some different work that fitted my interests. People here might seem to be introvert but are actually friendly and helpful!

 

 

Dale Yu: Volunteering At Nalba (子供の食堂）

投稿日時: 投稿者:

My CIP activity involved volunteering at Nalba, a children’s after-school cafeteria. However, Nalba serves as much more than just a cafeteria for many of these children; it functions as an after-school program where they can learn how food is prepared, interact with peers, and engage in creative play. The children are primarily elementary school students, ranging from first to fifth grade, which introduces a wide variety of personalities to work with. I spent most of my time playing and conversing with the children, which provided excellent practice in listening and speaking. Frequently, there are opportunities to assist adults in preparing dinner, alongside children who are curious about food preparation. The children are generally welcoming and express excitement each week upon your arrival. This enthusiasm makes you feel appreciated as a volunteer, especially when they seek your assistance with various games, tasks, or even resolving conflicts with others. Some of the kids even get attached to seeing you every week which makes the times at Nalba memorable for you and the children. Overall, I would recommend Nalba to future students seeking an experience where they feel valued as part of the community.

Adam Bollt: Volunteering at the Doshisha University Historical Archives

投稿日時: 投稿者:


My activity was volunteering at the Doshisha University Historical Editorial Office and History Archival Center. I got to participate in and learn about numerous tasks the university carries out in order to preserve and promote its history. One week, I was helping arrange an exhibition for the university, and another, I was handling precious historical objects that belonged to famous figures in Japanese history. It was a truly unique experience to see Japanese historical conservation from the inside out, and to meet and talk with other people fascinated by history, whose perspective on history was necessarily shaped by growing up in a culture and historical environment wildly different from mine. I believe that any experience as a study abroad student has contact and interaction with new perspectives as a primary objective, and this historical-related activity was perfect for that – indeed, history is all about perspective! The volunteer activity felt mostly very informal, so one could really choose to do what was personally interesting if one spoke up – though there were certain moments of sudden formality, so one could get a taste of a whole gamut of types of experiences. So be flexible enough to go with the flow and enjoy every moment for how unique it is!