By Dhaval, YIS Student
It’s easy to forget how powerful a simple meal can be until you hand it to someone who truly needs it.
For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as the leader for High School Chiku Service Group, one of YIS’s longest-running service groups. Our mission is simple yet meaningful: to prepare food for those in need through onigiri-making, food drives, and weekly food-preparation sessions in Kotobukicho. At first glance, these tasks might seem routine—peeling carrots, making onigiri, washing vegetables—but within them lies something powerful: the chance to connect with and support our wider community.
When I first joined Chiku in my sophomore year, I sometimes struggled to feel deeply connected to the group’s purpose. At times, it felt like just another activity to me. As I took on a leadership role, I felt motivated to deepen my own engagement and help others find meaning in their work as well. With the support of teachers and teammates I grew to see Chiku as something truly purposeful and fulfilling. Today, I come not only to cook but to reflect on hidden issues in Japan, such as food insecurity, homelessness, and what service at YIS (and beyond) truly means.
Through these experiences, I’ve learned much more than leadership or organization. Service has taught me perseverance, such as showing up for 7:45 AM sessions on freezing winter mornings. It has taught me responsibility, through planning activities and leading meetings each week. And it has taught me empathy, by understanding that even a simple act, like handing someone a meal, carries care and dignity for another human being.
But perhaps the most important lesson is how Chiku connects to the broader philosophy of service learning at YIS. Whether it’s Chiku, Roots & Shoots, Sukui No Te or any other service group – service helps us step outside the classroom, engage with real issues, and understand how our actions can make a difference.
As I reflect on the journey of the past two years, I feel grateful. For the students who dedicate their mornings, the teachers who guide us, and the community that allows us to contribute. What began with simple acts in the kitchen has grown into a powerful reminder: at YIS, service is not only about giving – it is about becoming.