Hands On Tokyo Youth Impact Project

Dear Supporter,

    The teen advisory board has been very busy since our last report. The teens left the comforts of Tokyo and spent a weekend volunteering in the Tohoku region.  Almost four years has passed since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake damaged the area, causing one of the most devastating natural disasters on record. With each trip, Hands On Tokyo reassures the local residents that they have not been forgotten.

   In May, seventeen students accompanied by two chaperones travelled to Tohoku from Tokyo. This was made possible by supporters like you! Thank you so much for your support of our teen advisory board. Because of your generous contributions the teen advisory board was able to contribute to  our ongoing efforts in the Tohoku region. We raised $4,150 on Globalgiving so far, and we have $5,850 remaining to reach our minimum fundraising goal. We could use your help and support in getting the word out to others about the campaign underway to meet our goal!

  Here is a recap of the trip from Jennifer the club leader: 

    “We finally arrived at Yamamoto-Cho after 6 hours of traveling. We were in Yamamoto-Cho to help Saito-San,all his crops were destroyed in the tsunami along with his wife. We started by securing the paprika plants so they could continue to grow instead of flopping over to their side. This was a tedious task but no one complained. With 17 people the job was completed quickly and we moved on to the more labour-intensive task of sticking large metal tubes in the dirt to support the structure of the greenhouse. Although this was tough, we were able to get a couple greenhouses completed before we went back to our hotel for the night. Before we left, Saito-san offered us some of his delicious fresh strawberries that we enjoyed looking out at the beautiful mountains. 

    The next day, we traveled to Ogatsu-Cho where we visited the effects of the disaster on an elementary school. This touched the hearts of many of the students as they walked around the rubble viewing the broken down classroom walls and a crumbling painted mural of children holding hands. Then the bus drove us to a rose garden, which was started by Mrs. Tokumizu to give hope to the people because after the disaster the area was left undeveloped and gray. The rose garden was a symbol of regrowth, beauty and color. We pulled the weeds and cut the lavender to make into potpourri. After gardening, we went to visit an elementary school teacher who led us in a simulation of how the kids escaped from the rapidly rising water. We saw rubber balls, wood planks, and other things that got stuck in the tree when the tsunami hit. Then, he showed us a video that was taken on 3/11 of the actual tsunami. It was a very powerful experience. This really stirred emotion amongst the student volunteers and many told me that they would love to go on this trip again on their own time during the summer when they can as well as with the club again next year. 

   I really enjoyed being the trip leader and I am very excited for next year and all the volunteer opportunities to come. I am so grateful to be part of Hands On Tokyo and an active member of the Japanese community.”

Jennifer,  Hands On Tokyo Club Leader

Teen Report

Dear HOT supporters,

  Thank you so much for your support of our teen advisory board. We raised $2,600 on Globalgiving so far and we have $7,400 remaining to reach our minimum fundraising goal. We could use your help and support in getting the word out to others about the campaign underway to meet our goal!

  You may not be familiar with our teen advisory board, so I would like to explain about the group and the impact it is making every day. In 2010, The American School In Japan -Japan alumnus Jonathan Higa and Alex Heideman decided to get more involved in Hands On Tokyo by offering more youth-centered community service activities. Through volunteer activities, the students involved saw the need to establish the teen advisory board to spread the idea of volunteerism to teens in the international school community as well as sparking interest amongst their Japanese peers. By 2014, there were 19 members on the teen advisory board from six different schools. Their activities consisted of; environmental clean up efforts, technology projects with children in institutionalized homes, charity concerts, blind soccer- engaging participants with a lack a vision, Tohoku –disaster relief assistance, beach clean ups, gardening and painting at an institutionalized children’s home.

  April was a busy month for the teen advisory board. Hands On Tokyo hosted a "Spring Charity Concert" at the Tokyo American Club on Saturday, April 4th, 2015 along with the teen advisory board. All of the proceeds from this concert were used for our Tohoku Recovery Assistance and Projects. This event was a success! There were many teen volunteers who performed and assisted the day of the concert. On April 25th and 26th the teen advisory board facilitated a painting project. In the following pages you will find additional information about some of the events as well as some pictures of the teens in action.

Here’s a recap from the teen advisory board members:

“The painting project was a really inspiring and exciting event for us, it was a tangible manifestation of our efforts and goals over the past year. It was great to finally see our fundraising at work firsthand, and to be able to physically  participate in giving back to the community. What made this  event so successful, in my opinion, was the fact that the activity itself was so fun. Volunteering isn't necessarily gritty strenuous work in fact, what added to my personal sense of accomplishment was that we could come together and give to the community as a team. Making valuable connections and bonds as we do so. This feeling of collaboration and contribution combined with a positive side of spectacular, sunny weather made the day memorable and fun for all the participants: they were unanimous in regarding the day as a great success. ”

"It was especially cool for me because I never paint houses...not that I paint anything to begin with. It was a new experience for me and that made it even more fun. Collaboration and teamwork was something that was  emphasized throughout the entire day," said Kenji Makiguchi, a volunteering senior from St. Mary's International School.

 The current fundraising campaign will provide valuable support for our teens to continue to make an impact in the community both through their individual outreach and by being an example of engaged volunteerism to their peers in Japan. Please help us today by making a donation or by sharing the great work of these students with members of your network.

 A reminder that if you don't already, please follow and share what we are up to! We look forward to sharing more stories with you!

• Meet Our Teens (PDF)