School of Fun for Children in Fukushima

Please find a Japanese version of this report here.

On a weekend in June (22nd-23rd) we held our first physical camp in Fukushima for a long time. Thirteen children, from second-graders to first-year high school students, participated from Tohoku, including Fukushima, and Kanto and Chubu regions. We had sixteen staff members, seven of whom had attended our camps in the past as children, four out of the seven were new staff members. Two were mothers of past and present participants. The camp was like a reunion, with those who had been children showing up as grown-up adults.

The camp began with the following question, which was asked online before the participating members had yet to physically assemble all at once: If you could cook and eat the best dinner together, what would it be? - The answer was dumplings wrapped by everyone together, accompanied by local dishes from Fukushima. So the children went shopping and gathered at a cottage north of Lake Inawashiro, where they all tried their hand at cooking and had a delicious dinner. When asked why it was the best dinner as expected, the children responded, "Because we made it together." And to make the next day the best, everyone thought, "Let's find fun things ourselves."

The next morning, after enjoying various activities at the cottage, the group headed to the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum on the shores of Lake Inawashiro. They learnt about Dr Noguchi's discoveries, many of which have been debunked today, and reflected on the relentless workings of science and the challenges of his life, which were never in vain. The children shared their thoughts on his life, saying, "His life must have contributed to future researchers both scientifically and spiritually." Goodbye, one-thousand-yen note (Dr. Hideyo Noguchi was chosen as the portrait for the Japanese one-thousand-yen note from 2004 to 2024).

Reflecting on the enjoyable two days, which, in the words of one high school participant, "felt like we spent ten days together and became really close," we reluctantly parted ways, promising to meet again. Yes, it might be at the Second Summer camp. 

HELP US ON JULY BONUS DAY 2024

The 2024 July Bonus Day campaign is a one-day crowdfunding campaign at GlobalGiving, in which donations between $100 and $1,000 will count, and the higher the donation, the higher the match. The campaign starts at 9:00AM EDT and ends at 11:59PM EDT on July 10th, but matching funds will likely run out before the end of the day. We know the economy is tough, but we hope you will take this unique opportunity to support Academy Camp to help build a future for children in Fukushima and across Japan.

Links:

• Academy Camp Facebook page in English