Service-Learning

Service-Learning: Experiential learning to critically think and act for others and world peace throughout one's life

Service-Learning means learning through service activities (or voluntary activities for spontaneous and social contribution). It is an experiential learning that has an intention to develop new ways of thinking, behaving, and being through reflection by finding a same goal with a community, engaging oneself with social issues as his/her own, and integrating academic knowledge and experiential knowledge. While becoming conscious of their own perspectives and positionality, students will obtain critical thinking, proactive behaviors, communication with profound understanding of diversity, reciprocity and tolerance, which will eventually lead to finding their own identity of global citizenship and meaning of social engagement. It is not by dividing academic knowledge and experiential knowledge but by integrating them that students will actively gain their own perspectives. Liberal arts education emphasizes integration of diverse knowledge and ways of knowing beyond specialized knowledge as well as nurturing citizenship by educating heart. ICU aims at preparing students through service-learning to become life-long learners who will continue to think critically and to act for others and world peace.

Service-Learning in 3 Steps

ICU offers a year-long curriculum for Service-Learning to ensure that students' service experiences will evolve into meaningful learning. "GE: Service-Learning (General Education)" in Japanese and English and "Preparation for Service-Learning Field Study (for ISL)" are courses offered to provide preparation for a 30-day service. "Reflection on Service Experiences" provides an opportunity to look back on the experience.

The central part of Service-Learning program is the actual service activities. Students enroll in one of the two categories: "Community Service-Learning" for domestic and "International Service-Learning" for overseas depending on the service site. Students can do service activities in Japan throughout the year and register for "Community Service-Learning" in Spring term or Autumn term. These two courses are also co-listed as some interdisciplinary major courses. These courses have a variety of student-led (i.e. Students will find their own partner organization.), institution-led (i.e. ICU has programs with partner institutions.), and faculty-led courses (i.e. Full-time faculty designs a course). Service-learning outcome rubric has been developed and visually shared with students and faculty.

Community Service-Learning

The Community Service-Learning course started in 1999. Students engage themselves in service activities at NPOs, public organizations, and local communities in Japan. Students have regularly worked at institutions that have a long relationship with ICU. Students are also encouraged to explore new service sites that meet their interests such as education, welfare, environmental problems, global issues and local communities by negotiating with host organizations on their own. Both custom-made and regularly-conducted Community Service-Learning offers excellent opportunities to gain deeper insight into Japanese society .

LEARN MORE

Host organizations in recent years

  • Dochavengers (Gojome Town, Akita)
  • Asian Rural Institute
  • Nagasaki University, Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition / Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace
  • The Asia Christian Education Fund
  • ARUN Seed
  • Glocal Mitaka
  • Menno Village Naganuma
List of past host organizations


Dochavengers (Gokome Town, Akita)

Dochavengers are a community development organization consisting of people from the town and immigrants. Their goal is to find solutions to various issues such as population decline, aging, shortage of workers, and migration & settlement, which are difficult for the government to solve as an organization and too heavy a burden for individuals. The main service activities are community building, community development, place building, vacant house utilization, coworking space management, closed school office management, business support, and creating a learning community.

VOICES
One of the big attractions of service-learning is that you can put the knowledge you have learned at university to practical use. Furthermore, I believe that my life will be enriched by interacting with people I cannot meet in daily and feeling the relaxed time and warmth of people in Gojome. One of the most memorable aspects of our activities is the importance of being part of the community. Initially, I concentrated on being aware of the issues and interviewing people about what was relevant to the problems and what I wanted to know. However, during the mid-term reflection, the person I was working with asked, "Is that what the people here truly wish for?" and "You may want to join the community." After hearing those words, I began to pursue the question of how an outsider should enter the community. I was also advised to disclose myself, but I did not know what parts of myself to uncover and what questions to ask in order to interact with others. I believe I learned that apparent concrete service is not essential service, but that unexpected behavior may be a service to the recipient.

doben01.jpg
doben02.jpg

Nagasaki Foundation for the promotion of peace (Nagasaki city, Nagasaki)

This program was newly added in the summer of 2019 through the partnership agreement with Nagasaki University. ICU students support activities of Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace, a local organization to realize the abolition of nuclear weapons and the world-wide peace. They mainly participate in the "Youth Peace Volunteer" and "Youth Peace Forum" as well as volunteering at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and training at Nagasaki University. Students can also participate in the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 9th as part of the activity.

Gojome02.jpeg

VOICES
It was a very good experience for me to face and think about peace, atomic bombs, war and power from various perspectives. Among them, I was especially impressed that I was able to participate in the Mt. Inasa Peace Music Festival through the activities of the Nagasaki Peace Promotion Association. I was able to think about peace from the aspect of music and made new discoveries.
When I first began my activities, I was only worried about whether I would be able to grow to a level where I could build positionality and engage in dialogue with others. However, as I listened to artists and media representatives at the Nagasaki University Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) sessions who were dealing with the A-bomb issue, I realized that we, who were born in this era and have not experienced war, are no different from those living in a world with nuclear weapons, and that we should do something about it because we feel threatened by the threat in our own lives. We are no different from those who live in a world with nuclear weapons, and we should do something about it because we feel threatened. With this realization, I feel that matters that I had previously considered somewhat distant and less relevant to me have become closer to me. I would like to propagate this change in myself to those who are not participating in the Service-Learning Program and look for others who can think about these issues together with me.

nagasaki02.jpg
nagasaki03.jpg

Menno Village Naganuma

A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Naganuma Town, Hokkaido. Led by volunteers from the nearby Mennonite Church, the farm practices a local production system for local consumption supported by the community. Students engage in caring for the crops and sheep.

meno01.jpg

VOICES
I woke up in the morning, helped take care of the livestock, ate breakfast, did farm work, resumed farm work after lunch, had dinner, went to bed, and the day went by in a cycle. Since agriculture, which had occupied most of my time, was an unknown field to me, the experience of learning by seeing and touching real things with my own eyes and hand was fresh and valuable, and I felt that my interest in this new field of agriculture was opening up. In addition, by talking with various people who visit Menno Village and having more in-depth conversations with Menno Village residents, I learned about new life options and came to believe that it is possible to live more freely as I wish. I really liked the way of life at Menno Village, which is to carefully weave a life in the here and now without being in too much of a hurry, and even now that I am back in Tokyo, I value this way of life and the way I perceive time. In addition, I felt that the people at Menno Village do not see farming itself as "work" but as something that enriches their lives, and this has changed my own view of work. I learned that although it is an occupation as a means of earning money, it can also be seen as something that is deeply related to our daily lives and enriches our lives and, by extension, our own lives.
I was very much impressed when a person from Menno Village said, "We are farmers with such a desire to keep the fire of human life burning for a long time," and I am grateful that I was able to stay for 30 days in a community that has such a desire.

meno02.jpg
meno03.jpg

Program Hosted by ICU

Japan Summer Service-Learning (JSSL) Program

ICU Service Learning Center runs this program jointly with Middlebury College (U.S.). Students from ICU, Middlebury College, and other Asian universities engage in services at a farm, elementary and junior high schools, facilities for older adults and child-support programs both in rural and Mitaka City. Orientation, team building activities, service and reflection with students from the various cultural background will give you opportunities to reflect on the Japanese society from the different point of view.

VOICES

 

Read more voices
International Service-Learning

Service activities through "International Service-Learning" embrace our commitment to the international community, one of the founding principles of ICU. Students take part in Service-Learning programs offered by an overseas partner institution or agency in our network and engage in activities at local NGOs or public agencies. ICU students have participated in educational, welfare-related, developmental and many other activities through the course. Service-Learning Center has built a network called Service-Learning Asian Network (SLAN) with universities and public institutions in Asia over the years. Moreover, Service-Learning Center has expanded the area to include Africa and South America in recent years. Some of the programs offer a chance to work with both local and exchange students from other countries.

LEARN MORE

List of international partner institutions (As of AY 2021)

Area Country University
Asia India Lady Doak College
Union Christian College
Indonesia Petra Christian University
DariK
Philippines Silliman University
China The Amity Foundation
Africa South Africa University of Cape Town
Ghana Ho Technical University

University of Cape Town (South Africa)

The main themes for the service activities will be Education for Susatainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Students are to provide services at primary schools both private one and public ones, NGO and botanical garden engaged in environment development. ICU students are also expected to assit Saturday school at UCT, for high school students from less priviledege area. Opporutnities to interact with UCT students, to participate in UCT classes, and home stays are being planned.

UCT_01.jpg

VOICES
It was very enriching to visit all types of educational institutions, kindergartens, elementary school, and high schools in the course of a month. In South Africa, it is elementary school up to grade 7 and high school from grade 8. I was also able to participate in informal education programs offered by NGOs and other organizations, as well as workshops to train teachers. For me, it was very satisfying to see the actual field of education rather than listening to lectures all the time at the university. One of the most memorable moments in my service activities was when children who could not write letters in the alphabet or numbers remembered my name. When I visited a kindergarten in a poor neighborhood called a township, there was a boy who could not write the letter "a" even though I kept teaching him how to write it. Other children were also writing their names over and over again, with the alphabet and numbers reversed, so that they seemed to be drawing pictures rather than writing letters. I was very shocked because I had never actually met anyone who could not read or write due to lack of education. But even more impressive was the fact that they repeatedly called my name and wanted me to grade it for them. I visited that kindergarten for three days, and I was happy that the children still remembered my name on the third day. Although they could not read or write, I felt as if my love for them had been understood, and it was a memory I will never forget.

UCT_02.jpg
UCT_03.jpg

Union Christian College (India)

The main activities include helping children at schools and schools for the blind or reflecting on peace with local citizens. Students in the past years had opportunities to take lectures at the Union Christian College and make presentations on Japanese history and systems. The region is characterized by its religious diversity different from elsewhere in India where Hindu is the dominant religion.

UCC_02.jpg

VOICES
One of the best parts of this activity was the activity on religious understanding. We learned in advance that in Kerala, other religions are tolerant of each other, and through fieldwork we were able to examine our own questions about why they are tolerant and what makes Kerala different from other states. We were mainly exposed to a lot of Christianity culture, specifically by a visit to clergy training school and attending Sunday worship services. Among them, the service activity through music called Musical Evening gave me many opportunities to communicate with many UCC students, clergy, and people who are excellent musicians, and I was able to think deeply about the power of music and the ideal form of religion, not only my own opinion but also how the local people perceive the music and religion. Also, by living in the dormitory, I was able to hear the true situation and real voices of India.
One thing that impressed me during the activities was that everyone had something they were confident about. At the local elementary schools and schools for the blind, children showed off their strengths in singing, drawing, Braille, etc. without a trace of embarrassment. When I asked the UCC students how so many people could do so many things with such confidence, they replied, "Even if it's not perfect, sharing what you love to do with others makes you and those who are watching happy. When I was told this, I realized that I myself was bound by the stereotype that I should not show others unless I am perfect to some extent. I was able to reaffirm that in order for people to live happily, not only economic development, national development, etc., but also the existence of a society that recognizes one's identity is indispensable.

UCC_03.jpg

Silliman University (Philippines)

Students who participate in this program will have opportunities to learn about various social problems because they visit multiple organizations with the different focus every week (e.g., orphanages for one week, DV victim assistance centers for one week, shelters for another, education support at elementary schools for the last week, etc.). Silliman University kindly assign local students to accompany ICU students. It is very reassuring, and helps build strong ties between the students.

SU_01.jpeg

VOICES
The best part of the program was that I got to experience so many things at the facilities. We visited three different facilities each week and stayed over on site at all except one, so we were able to spend time with the children from morning to night. Although it was hard to say goodbye three times, we had a very rich week each week. I enjoyed all of the facilities and I learned a lot from the connections between the facilities.
The most memorable part of the activity was the time spent talking with the children at the facility. Many of the children were very willing to tell me about their past and their families, even though they were not native English speakers, and although it was very heartbreaking at times, I was very happy that they were willing to tell me. Besides that, most of the children were very personable and friendly, so I was able to get to know them very quickly and enjoyed the time we spent talking and singing a lot.
Another activity that left a lasting impression on me was telling the story of Tanabata (Star Festival) and writing prayers for the children to decorate. We did activities to share a lot of Japanese culture and I was very happy to see that several children wrote that they want to study hard and work hard from now on in order to go to Japan someday.
The service-learning activities in the Philippines were really a good stimulus for me and an experience that changed my sense of values.

SU_02.jpeg
SU_03.jpeg

 

Read more voices

For inquiries on Service-Learning

ICU Service-Learning Center

Established in October 2002, ICU Service-Learning Center (SLC) has formed a network together with other higher education institutions in Asia since 2003 to promote student exchange through Service-Learning activities. In addition to program briefing sessions, orientations and course support, SLC offers a broad range of student support including negotiation with partner institutions, follow-up of overseas travel preparation, on-site inspection and implementation of safety measures to ensure that students can safely and securely engage in service activities. Furthermore, SLC attempts to update pedagogical approaches to Service-Learning that are evolving on day-to-day bases and to conduct empirical research by publishing a monograph series. Since 2020, SLC has established the online-modules of Service-Learning so that more students and faculty members will be able to learn about Service-Learning pedagogy and content, as well as expending its partnership with institutions beyond the Asian region.

Kiyoshi Togasaki Memorial Dialogue House 2F,
3-10-2, Osawa, Mitaka-shi,
Tokyo, Japan

Tel: +81-422-33-3687 Mail: slc@icu.ac.jp

Service-Learning Center Website

Page top