International Exchange Class at Namiki Elementary School
Nine people from seven countries visited Namiki Elementary School with AIRA members to join a special English class for about 70 fifth graders. This program is held once a year to give the children an opportunity to communicate in English with people from various countries and understand other cultures. AIRA has been helping this program since five years ago.
Non-profit foundation, International Understanding Support Association provides a cross-cultural understanding education program “Guest teachers are foreign students!” to junior high and elementary school students. AIRA has supported this program for a long time as volunteer work by taking them from railway station to each school and vice versa. (No.16-27)
Homestay Program of Taiwanese High School Students
Thirty three Taiwanese students of National Hualien Commercial Vocational High School visited Abiko City as part of their education program in Japan, in accordance with Chiba Prefectural Office’s request to Abiko City. Answering to the request, AIRA accepted 1 night-2days homestay program.
AIRA has been making a donation to the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology to support their activities to breed Short-Tailed Albatross (Aho-dori). AIRA sold “Aho-dori Manju” (aho-dori branded Japanese sweet bun) at the 25th Abiko International Festival on November 28, 2016 and the proceeds were donated to the Institute together with private contributions made by AIRA members.
Date & Time: Saturday, December 10 2 p.m.~4:00 p.m.
Venue: Grand Hall, Abiko Civic Plaza
Guest Panelists: Ms. Ena Sano (El Salvador), Ms. Maria Theresa Ozawa (Columbia), Ms. Wasana Kida(Thailand), Ms. Zhan Hua,(張華 China), Mr. Joerg Roth(Germany)
Participants: Mr. Hesaki, chief of AIRA Volunteer Activity Dep., volunteer teachers and students of AIRA Japanese Language Course and others. 42 people in total (including 8 foreigners).
AIRA has Japanese language classes on Tuesday morning, Friday evening and Saturday morning. Volunteer teachers teach foreigners from the basic to intermediate level of Japanese in those classes.
On this day teachers held “Panel Discussion for Better Japanese Teaching” to seek for more effective teaching ways that meet foreigners’ needs.