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An international student who is currently working at the Intercultural Communication Center as a Student Staff Leader shares her experiences

The Intercultural Communication Center (ICC) is one of the three offices for students at Waseda University within the Student Diversity Center (SDC). Together with the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) and the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC), the three offices work to ensure that students have a fulfilling campus life.

As a new recruit at the ICC since Autumn 2023, I am here to walk you through a detailed explanation of our main activities with some insight from my perspective as an insider.

What is the ICC?

As its name suggests, the ICC is the home of events that are organised to promote diversity and interconnection through the exchange of cultures and experiences between students of different backgrounds. For that reason, the open-mindedness for embracing and advocating for diverse perspectives takes precedence. The ICC was originally founded to create a space for both international and Japanese students to meet and interact with each other, as well as faculty, staff and the general public.

How the red string of fate drew me closer to the ICC

According to Asian popular belief, human relationships are said to be connected by the mythical red string of fate. I feel like it drew me to the ICC too. My first memory with the ICC was a funny one. I remember walking into Building 3 in my first semester at Waseda University not knowing how to reach the 9th floor as all the elevators I could find were user-restricted. In my dire need to ascend to the 9th floor within the five minutes before class started, the light shining from the ICC office on the ground floor was like an oasis in the middle of a desert. The person who helped guide me to the elevator was in charge of the ICC office counter. Many of the employees who deal with frequent questions from students and visitors, as well as those who work at the reception desk, are students of Waseda University working at the ICC as their part-time job. At the time I could not have predicted that one month after that first encounter I, too, would join them.

What we do as Student Staff Leaders

As a Student Staff Leader (SSL), our daily tasks include proposing, organising, and managing events, from Lunch Talks to annual Bamboo Shoot Hunts and Cherry Blossom Viewing (ohanami) trips. The diversity of events at ICC is also assured, given that each SSL has their own distinct vision, strengths, and preferences. We have a broad scope in our programs to accommodate a large portion of the student body with a variety of activities from exciting soccer matches to exchanging books in the book club. The ICC arranges around 200 events every year.

To plan an ICC event, first, every SSL proposes their personal idea based on lots of background research and listening to the wants of the students. After receiving evaluations and feedback from our supervisors and peers to get the green light, we will proceed step by step to actualise the event by creating posters, compiling information for the event description and advertising texts, delegating tasks among the SSL members, arranging meetings with external organizations, making purchases for props and materials if needed, and so on. This is why I can proudly say that all ICC events are thoughtfully designed and arranged with the ultimate objective of bringing a smile to the faces of all participants.

ICC Event Highlights

As the new spring semester of 2024 has just begun, the traditional ICC Welcome Festa will continue until May 1^st. We welcome new students with a variety of events including the Welcome Cafe hosted at the ICC Lounge on the ground floor of Building 3 where students are put into groups of mixed nationalities and schools to get to know each other. The weeks following include Language Lunches where non-native speakers can have a chance to practise a language with native speakers and other learners, at the same time learning more about the culture and customs of that country. For example, at the French Lunch, SSLs facilitate not only native speakers but also other students who are learning French. In April, we will hold ICC Language Lunches in the following languages: English, Chinese, Japanese and French, so if you are interested, please visit our website for more information and save the dates for the sessions that you wish to attend!

From an SSL’s POV, my favourite event so far is the Human Library which was hosted last year through the cooperation of all three offices of the SDC. It is called the “Human Library” because instead of books, people come to “borrow” real humans and listen to their stories. This event has been my all-time favourite since I started working as an SSL because it facilitated cultural exchange and individuality through the personal stories of people from different backgrounds. The storytellers shared their hardships including, but not exclusive to, prejudice, conflicts, conformity to social norms, and more. This event opened my eyes to the complexity and variety of obstacles that people have been battling throughout their lives and helped me realise how different each of us can be under the influence of cultures, traditions and religions.

What is there to look forward to

2024 is a year of promising events, from new ones that have never been attempted in ICC history, to the continuation of our yearly favourites such as the English Chat Club, Japanese Chat Club, Country Festivals, and so many more. All of the latest news for coming events is available on our website and social media. However, a shortcut to receiving first-hand information about events is by subscribing to our ICC News email newsletter. You can find it by accessing “ICC News” on the ICC homepage.

Interested in joining the crew?

As the new recruitment period is happening this April, it is perfect timing to share the application requirements and how to apply!

ICC SSLs are all passionate individuals who are keen to make a positive change in student life and bring students of different nationalities together to celebrate and value cultural differences. The five core qualities that will help seal the deal are: commitment, hospitality, leadership, open-mindedness and flexibility. It would also be a big advantage if you are capable of communicating in both English and Japanese.

Are you innovative and committed to actualising your vision?

Are you prepared to meet new people and expand your knowledge?

Would you like to experience working in a professional Japanese office?

Then what are you waiting for? We have been looking everywhere for you! To prepare for the application, come up with the best ideas for an event(s) that you would hold if you were to become an SSL.

As the recruitment period begins, an announcement will go up on the website around April 12^th and a notification will be sent to ICC News subscribers. For more information regarding schedules for upcoming events or the job description for SSLs, please visit our homepage.

As a 2023 newbie who is about to have her first wave of kouhais, I will be waiting for you at the ICC. I am looking forward to meeting and working with you!

*This article was written by the following Student Contributor:
LE Vi Trang
School of Political Science and Economics