1. Programs Organized by the Whole School or by Different Classes |
- Since last year we have started a 2-week study program in the Philippines.
Fifteen students from our school visited 2 Jesuit schools in Manila and
Naga. During that time they paid visits to different institutions and held
exchange programs with various people. The students visited children institutions,
old folks homes, mental hospitals, refugee communities, Hamsen patients
and slum dwellers. Such experiences with suffering people were powerful.
- Participation in a program sponsored by the city of Hiroshima called, Disabled and healthy children living together camp. This is a two-day program with 60 disabled children. About 20 students
of our Junior Middle school take part as healthy boys, while 30 High school
students help in the organization of the program.
- Project of 1st year High school students. Together with High school girls
of Seishin Notre Dame they invite on Xmas Day about 60 children of the
Yawata Gakuen institution to celebrate Xmas in our school. The students
themselves make fund raising in the school, ahead of time, to pay for the
expenses of lunches and presents for the children on that day. They enjoy
playing games and sports with them on that occasion.
- Program of 3rd year Junior school. This consists in a 3-day fund raising
campaign in the streets of Hiroshima at the end of the year. Citizens cooperate
generously and the funds collected go to support the productive activities
of the Taiyo no Machi welfare institution in Saijo, the institution for disabled children built
in Nepal by Fr. Oki, and scholarships for poor Filipino children.
- We also use the home room time to start other activities, like experiencing riding in wheel chairs
and learning dactilology. From now on we plan to expand such home room
activities.
2. Activities Organized by the Students Association |
- The services committee of the association makes simple appeals for action
to all the students. For instance,
- for blood donations in the school. About 150 students are blood donors
- for participation in the bazaar of the children' institution, Hikari no Sono. They help in the selling of games and old books. During the culture festival
of our school students also sell old books and donate the profits to "Hikari
no Sono".
- Groups of volunteer students do fund raising inside and outside the school
for UNICEF, for the long-legged (Ashinaga) association and the green feather
association. Last autumn they also collected rice in answer to demands
from Kamagasaki (Osaka) and sent it to the homeless workers there.
- the Junior students' association sweeps and cleans twice a month the surroundings
of the bus stop nearby.
3. The Gakuin Service Society |
- This is a group of 15 volunteer students established after the Great Hanshin
earthquake. They continue their activities in a spirit of cooperation whenever
needs arise.
- for blood donations in the school. About 150 students are blood donors
- They participate in most events of nearby Furuta children's center. This
is an opportunity for them to play with the children of the town in the
haunted house, with the stamp relay courses, during Xmas celebrations and
graduation parties.
- participation in drawing and painting classes of children with down syndrome,
visits to the children's home Hachiman Gakuen and helping the disabled of the institution in the summer camp by the
beach.
4. Activities of the soapbox group "Jug Ranger" (5 members) |
- This small group was born to bring joy to children. They practice daily
whenever they have free time and they perform in the places already mentioned
above every time they find an opportunity. Recently, the Commission for
Social Welfare of the city and several other groups ask often them to perform.
- There are also some high school students who go to Nepal to visit Fr. Oki
and contact the disabled children there. Others take courses during the
summer organized by the Commission for Social Welfare on children's education
and experiences in pre-kindergarten. Some classes also collect old stamps
and used prepaid-cards.
- Many students participate in volunteer activities organized for the whole
school or by small groups. There are many students with good hearts and
the teachers are also very cooperative in such volunteer activities, but
people are usually busy with other student and club activities. In fact,
the interest in volunteer activities of most students is still low.
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