ボランティア活動
At Okinawa Shogaku, all students participate in volunteer activities two or more times per year. We plan and carry out various volunteer opportunities by grade, course, and class such as cleaning, fundraising, and visiting welfare facilities.
Why do we volunteer?
At Okinawa Shogaku, we consider culturedness to be one of the four characteristics of a global person of culture. We believe culturedness is constituted of knowledge and wisdom. Students gain knowledge (academic ability and logical thinking skills) through our learning target-based school classes, but this valuable knowledge can’t fully bloom unless the students cultivate the ability (wisdom) to skillfully apply it to real life. At Okinawa Shogaku, we believe that wisdom (experience) is best acquired by engaging in a wide variety of activities, especially activities having social significance.
Examples of volunteer activities
- Translation of letters for Cambodia foster parent project
- After-school program staff
- Shiraume Alumni Association staff
- Christmas volunteering at facilities for people with disabilities
- Volunteering at retirement homes
- Support for the Fukushima Prefectural Suga School for children with disabilities
- Fundraising for survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
- Helping zoo staff
- Biotope project
- Valley of Gangala cleanup
- Beach cleanup
- Peace Memorial Park cleanup
- Daycare center volunteer work
- Central Community Chest of Japan street fundraising
Examples of activities
Junior high third-year students assist elementary school students in their classes
On July 24 (Tuesday) and 25 (Wednesday), around 30 students from the Okinawa Shogaku Junior High School volunteered to help students in their studies at the Haebaru District Tsukazan Elementary School. This volunteer opportunity was realized when the Haebaru Board of Education Lifelong Learning Culture Section sent a request to our school, and interested junior high third-year students chose to participate.
The junior high students who participated were split into six groups for the six grades of elementary school, and each group took on a group of students to assist in Japanese and math studies. The volunteer students found the experience fulfilling, offering such comments as: “I realized that teaching someone something that I understand and making sure they understand isn’t very easy,” “I was glad to be able to volunteer in a way that I was capable of,” and “I enjoyed spending time with the young children.” This opportunity offered the students an effective chance to increase their sense of responsibility and of belonging to society through engagement with other cultures and other age groups, which is one of our school’s aims.
Students hold a charity performance to support areas affected by heavy rains in western Japan
On July 16 (Monday), Okinawa Shogaku held a charity performance at the Yui Hall of the Okinawa Prefectural General Welfare Center to support areas affected by heavy rains in Western Japan that had occurred shortly prior. The chair of the event committee was Okinawa Shogaku Educational Foundation Director Masajiro Nashiro, and the vice chair was Okinawa Shogaku Educational Foundation Vice Director Masaichiro Nashiro.
The event was co-sponsored by the Kodomo Okoku Shuno Kaigi represented by Kazuaki Yamamoto.
For several years, Okinawa Shogaku has co-sponsored an event organized by the Kodomo Okoku Shuno Kaigi called “Children’s Traditional Performing Arts Festival IN Okinawa,” and this year, we changed the event to a charity event at the last minute after western Japan was ravaged by damage from heavy rains.
The event featured general-admission performances of Ryukyu dance, Karate, and Eisa by local elementary and junior high school students, as well as an opening attraction by Team Uniwashi under the guidance of Okinawa Culture and Arts Promotion Advisor Daiichi Hirata and performances by the Okinawa Shogaku brass band club, chorus club, Team Ryumai, calligraphy club, and Karate club.
There were also support performances by the Ishimine Elementary School chorus club and the Toyomi Elementary School chorus club.
Despite the short time between the announcement of the event and the date thereof, many students and parents attended and showered the high-level and enthusiastic performances with vigorous applause and cheers.
Charity funds raised by selling tickets to the event were combined with funds raised through fundraising by the school’s student bodies and used to support reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas.
Of the elementary and junior high school students who participated through general admission, the students who gave the highest-ranking performance will perform at the Battle of Okinawa Memorial Gathering to be held on August 8 in Tokyo.