By the Chiku Service Group
The HS Chiku students have spent the past year building a meaningful connection with the Yokohama City Health and Welfare Bureau, with the goal of creating new opportunities to collaborate with the community in Kotobukicho.
Following many meetings and ongoing communication, the students organized their first joint event on Friday, April 24th: a music concert at the Yokohamashi Kotobukicho Kenkofukushikoryu Center. The concert featured YIS musicians from the Power of Music Service Group, as well as the Grade 9 and 10 Koto classes. This event represents the first of what the students hope will be many opportunities to participate in community festivals and initiatives alongside the people of Kotobukicho.
After extensive work from these student organizers, here are their reflections regarding the impact created by this initiative:
Lisa (Grade 11):
This event brought me countless memorable experiences through direct human connection and interaction. I was amazed by the diversity of the audience, from people in their 20s to people in their 80s, both with and without disabilities. It was incredible to see no judgment between individuals despite the diversity. One highlight of the event was an interaction I had with a girl around my age who had Down syndrome. When I was showing the audience the kotopicks, she put the picks on her fingers and told me, “I wish I had an opportunity to play the koto one day.” The fact that this interaction opened up a new interest for her strongly struck me emotionally and made me happy.
Ritsuka (Grade 11):
Holding a music event gave me a precious opportunity filled with both challenge and joy. Firstly, interacting with the workers in Kotobukicho challenged me to remain formal throughout the process. There is no doubt that my formal communication skills in Japanese improved through the countless conversations and emails I had. At the event, I was able to see the impact created by the team’s work. I felt a great sense of achievement when I saw the room filled with an audience diverse in age and background. After the event, seeing smiles on both the audience’s and performers’ faces was very heartwarming because the event was aimed at energizing the community. The enjoyment of everyone involved in the event was such a reward for me.
Kaito (Grade 9):
Throughout this event, I feel like we were all able to interact with the local people living in and around Kotobukicho and become closer to them. An old man approached me after the concert and talked about how we should play the Beatles next time, and that was the first time I truly felt close to the local people in Kotobukicho. Even though I have participated in “takidashi” and onigiri-making before, this was the first time I actually interacted with the local people we have been helping for years. I think this was a precious experience that I will remember forever, and I feel like we should continue hosting similar events to connect with and understand each other better.
Rafael (Grade 9):
Participating in this event was a meaningful and valuable opportunity to connect with the people of the Chiku Center and Kotobukicho. Aside from helping with takidashi, I have not had many chances to interact with people of different ages and backgrounds. During the music event, everyone came together to enjoy the performances and share a positive atmosphere. Seeing the audience and performers talking and enjoying themselves made me feel proud of our efforts. Through this experience, I gained a deeper understanding of how much music and community events like this can bring people together and create a strong sense of community.
Through this event, we were able to strengthen connections between communities through music, interaction, and shared experiences. We all felt that a strong bond exists between the three communities, and we hope these connections will continue to grow in the future.
A special thank you to Louie (Grade 11), who created an incredible poster for this event, as well as Mr. McKeown, Mrs. Crum, and Mr. Griffin and the various supervisors and teachers who supported every detail throughout this event. In addition, the support and effort from the music communities at YIS provided us with limitless opportunities throughout this experience. Shout out to the members of The Power of Music and the Grade 9 and 10 Koto classes, who prepared incredible musical performances that truly brought energy and excitement to this event.