Reflecting on one’s identity in the minority through international relief volunteer work
When Rinka Saito, a 2nd year Social Sciences undergraduate, heard that an organization called The Volunteer Program for Ukraine was looking for university student volunteers to help provide aid to refugees with disabilities, she felt without a doubt that she had to go. Rinka was born with sensorineural hearing loss, and though she received a cochlea implant when she was one year old and received training to learn to listen and speak, she always felt part of the minority, and this was a strong motivation for her to assist others in similar circumstances. With that, Rinka made her way to Poland, visiting both Przemyśl and Medyka, a small town on the border between Poland and the Ukraine.
Here, she helped at an evacuation shelter where refugees with no place to go, or who were waiting for their visas to be issued, resided While Rinka provided aid such as distributing globally donated goods and ensuring Covid-19 infection preventative measures were taken, she realized that rather than doing something after being told, proactively finding ways to help was more important. During her volunteer work, Rinka met many people from different backgrounds and circumstances, including a university student her age that had to quit school to look after his mother who suffered serious injuries in the conflict. “He told me that it’s the war’s fault that he had to give up his education… The fact that he was not only the same age as me, but was also studying the same major was a huge shock for me, and it’s stayed with me.” After returning to Japan and continuing her studies on international relations and international conflict, Rinka hopes to envision more ways in which individuals, including minorities, can become more socially involved in international affairs.
Japanese article: https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/news/2022/11/29/103179/
Exploring the treasures and memories inside of student clubrooms
Did you know that Waseda University has roughly 500 different officially recognized student clubs? From sports to the academic, arts, volunteering, and music, there’s a club for almost any interest or hobby. Over on Toyama Campus, where Waseda’s Student Center is located, many of these clubs have their own rooms/spaces to use for their activities. Waseda Weekly student reporters visited five different clubrooms to see what kind of treasures could be found inside!
In article order, Weekly took a look inside the clubrooms of 1) Waseda Photo Society, 2) Waseda University Aikido Club, 3) Waseda Karuta, 4) Waseda University Latin America Association, and 5) Waseda Society of Geography. Members share details on their club’s activities, how they use their clubrooms, and show off a few of the precious materials and memorabilia stored inside. Take a look at the photos for yourself using the link below!
Japanese article: https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/feature/2022/11/28/102552/
Gender Studies through the lens of a study abroad experience in Sweden
“I chose Gothenburg, Sweden, as my study abroad destination because of the country’s high-level awareness towards gender equality and my own desire to study gender studies.” Chihiro Komeno, a 3rd year undergraduate at the School of Political Science and Economics, knew that Sweden was quite a liberal country, but they felt it first hand through their gender studies classes and volunteer work during pride week during their time there. “It doesn’t matter if you are part of the minority or majority, I really felt Sweden to be a place where anyone can live in a way that’s true to themselves.”
Through daily life in Gothenburg, Chihiro also gained a new awareness towards the notion of immigration and immigrants. Though Sweden has held a positive stance on immigration, anti-immigration sentiments of rightwing populist parties have recently been gaining traction. Even among Chihiro’s friends in Sweden there were differing opinions, and this polylithic Swedish society shocked Chihiro, presenting a different Sweden than the one they had idealized. That being said, Chihiro took these new experiences and discoveries from their time abroad back to Japan, where they hope to continue their comparative research between the two countries.
Japanese article: https://www.waseda.jp/inst/weekly/news/2022/12/02/100689/
