Shaun Kwan
Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies
Hi everyone! I am Shaun from the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies or GSAPS! This semester marked the third time I have been a supporter at the English Chat Club (ECC) events. So I am here to share why I wanted to join as a supporter!
One of my motivations for signing up as a supporter was the desire to make new friends from other faculties. Not being proficient in Japanese means it was difficult to get to know more people from Japan. Besides this, I recently grew more interested in education and teaching.
I happened to follow the ICC (Intercultural Communication Center) Instagram last semester and saw a post calling for ECC supporters. I thought it was a good opportunity as the event would offer me a chance to connect with more people from Japan and – given I am a native English speaker keen on teaching – help others learn or improve their English.
My first time as a volunteer, managing a group can be tough due to the different vibes. Although I was afraid, I slowly grew more comfortable with being a leader or senpai with my own groups – especially this semester when supporters are individually assigned to groups not in pairs. After the first session, I realized it was a good opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and learnt to better manage the vibes of different groups. I also picked up three important skills from it: 1) learning to be patient when teaching, 2) working together as a team, and 3) yes, I consider myself introverted so this was a good chance for me to be more outgoing.
The activities of ECC are pretty simple. Besides an initial icebreaker or free talk, we might play card games or 20 questions. Personally, my favorite activities are 20 questions and the card games because as a supporter, I can adjust them to better suit the vibes of the group. For example, 20 questions might hilariously descend into someone describing themselves as an animal. Meanwhile, a card game about matching English words might turn into a game of Baba-nuki (I can confidently say that after ECC, I have become an expert in that thanks to the Japanese students lol).
One other reason I was really excited to be a supporter because I know every Thursday or Friday evening, I would get to meet this group of friends, do fun activities, and catch up with everyone’s daily life. If anything, it felt like a nice little escape from my graduate studies.
To sum up, this event is perfect for those who want to meet new people, are interested in education, or need a fun escape from the strenuous student life. While everyone’s English level might be different, always know the people you’re seated with are very understanding and welcoming – especially your senpais since we need more chaos and funny stories in our lives! Who knows, you might learn a new thing about the world or two!
