School of Fun for Children in Fukushima

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

(On April 19, 2014, we moved some of our stuff to a newly-rent apartment in Koriyama City, Fukushima, which we now call "Koriyama House". This report is about the move and the cherry-blossom party the following day from a viewpoint of a student volunteer.)

We departed Tokyo in a car with a lot of stuffs, heading for Koriyama. In a service area we stopped at, it felt chilly, and the beautiful cherry blossoms we could see through the windows of the car made me feel we were really approaching Koriyama.

After we arrived at Koriyama House, on the 8th floor, everyone was excited about the view of the Koriyama City and Shinkansen trains. The first group of people who arrived there cleaned up the apartment, and then the second group came, and we together brought the stuff in, opened up cardboard boxes, and built our Koriyama House little by little. We went shopping, and talked over on which should be put where. This feeling of "moving together" was new, and very enjoyable.

A hot spring after work till the night, and the house-warming party afterward, were my happy moments. We talked until very late, and I was impressed by the passionate thoughts everyone had in their heart.

We made rice balls in Koriyama House, and went to Kaiseizan Partk for a picnic. Children and their mothers also joined, and we had a wonderful time together with the sweets and dumplings they brought. It was a precious opportunity to have a talk with parents of our participating children. They welcomed the fact that now we have an office in Koriyama. We also had some nonsensical small talks, and all was in fact meaningful.

It was an opportunity that we could feel that Academy Camp is being accepted by people in Fukushima, and I could feel how wonderful Academy Camp is myself. Now that we have an office in Koriyama, we will have more opportunities to visit there. I would like to thank people who would welcome us anytime, and I hope Academy Camp can also evolve, answering the warmness of such people there.

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

We have just held the third instance of a camp series named "Academy Camp on Medicine 2013", in which junior-high and high school students from Fukushima, together with university students from Tokyo metropolitan area, experience different aspects of medical studies. The one-night camp was held from February 22 to 23, 2014 in Ibaraki, partially funded by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as part of promotion of science and technology communication. We stayed at Seizan Training Center.

During the two-day period, we had a variety of activities focusing on how to save our lives after big earthquakes. In the first session, we studied the mechanism of earthquakes, and discussed the risks in the first 72 hours of the disasters. In the second session, medical and paramedical students helped participants taking the vital signs of one another, and the participants made promises to protect their own bodies after next disasters. In the final session of the first day, the participants composed the choreography of the keywords they learned that day, so that the knowledge would firmly sit in their minds.

On the second day, the participants made graphs of their shifts of psychological states since the Great East Japan Earthquake to learn how to deal with potential psychological problems after next disasters. They understood that people's feelings differ, and so they should respect the feelings of others. Then some of the participants with a variety of backgrounds took roles as lecturers to talk and discuss about their special interests in small groups. In the end, all participants made three promises each on saving lives, and declared those promises to be witnessed by others. 

This camp was an opportunity for all participants, including children from Fukushima, medical and paramedical students and people who have supported disaster-recovery, to look back the Great East Japan Earthquake and to be prepared in their daily lives for the next disasters. In addition, communicating with people of different ages and backgrounds seems to have helped the children to set the new goals in their daily lives and for the future.

To me, this was also an opportunity to look back my personal history since March 11, 2011, and to ponder over my specialty as a medical student and my own future. I feel now that my mission is to become like a bridge between ordinary citizens and medicine. I would like to connect what I have gained from this camp to the next occasions.

MATCHING OPPORTUNITIES

GlobalGiving UK (globalgiving.co.uk) is offering a bonus week through March 3 - 10, 2014, with 50% matching and bonuses for top two projects that raise most funds and for the top project with most individual donors. If you live in UK, please consider donating from our UK project page during the period.

GlobalGiving (globalgiving.org) is offering a Japan Matching on March 10 (from 11:00am EDT / 0:00 on March 11 JST) with 100% matching until $100,000 matching funds run out. This will be a special occasion, in which you can double the impact of your support! We would really appreciate your considerations.

Links:

• Academy Camp's Facebook page in English