Hands On Tokyo Youth Impact Project

These days Japan is dealing with the new norm of "with Covid" society. It is not an easy concept for many people who are living here, however, it is even much harder for our partner organizations to open their doors and accept people (physically) from outide of their circles. Not too many people have foreseen that this COVID-19 pandemic situation would drag on until 2022 a couple of years ago, however, it seems the community is finally opening up but very slowly. 

We are grateful for your continuous support to help us keep addressing the needs of our community. None of our services would have been possible without your commitment and trust towards our organization. We are extremely grateful to have your support through this platform to innovate different types of services to meet the needs of our community. 

Youth Impact Group has been active but flexible to find the right way to interact with different partner organizations. We have weekly discussions with high school students to explore innovative ideas to promote volunteerism and encourage our youth leaders to continue serving for the community in the way that makes people feel more included. 

Among many of our Youth led activities, we would like to highlight this project that was supported by the members of our Youth Impact Program.

As one of our partner organizations, Futaba no Kai provides support for people with down syndrome and their families. Hands on Tokyo has built a close relationship with this organization over the past several years, however, COVID-19 had made our interaction extremely difficult. When the Japanese society slowly started to open to face to face activities this summer, Futaba no Kai has decided to hold a bowling tournament for the members and their families. It was one of the first events which was held indoors for our Youth Impact members to participate and we were a little nervous because we couldn't foresee whether the event was actually going to happen or not. There was still a tremendous amount of uncertainty back then.  

Despite to our concern, over 20 people from Futaba no Kai and five from Hands on Tokyo Youth Impact members got together and we just had a blast! First, we met at the Kyodo station near the bowling alley. Once all participants arrived, we all got devided into five groups. Each group had one member from Hands on Tokyo and three members from Futaba no Kai. Then we walked to the bowling place in our new assigned group. Yes, everyone was slighty tensed up in the beginning, however, when we got to the bowling allley, we were all starting to get excited. 

As the game goes, people were opening up to each other, cheering for the others, caring for the teammate's scores. Sometimes it was hard to communicate with words so we used our bodies to express our feelings often by clapping, fist bumping and high-fiving each other. Couple hours have flown by quickly, and by the end of the tournament, we felt much closer to each other. We were almost sad to say good-bye. 

Below is the report from one of the Youth Impact members about her visit to the bowling alley. 

"I joined in a bowling tournament with people with Down syndrome on July 17 near Kyodo Station. We played the game with five teams, one from Hands On Tokyo and three from Futaba no Kai. I was nervous about bowling and meeting new people for the first time, but it was a lot of fun. What was especially impressive was how everyone welcomed others and cheered for them. I felt their outpouring of kindness, even in the obvious scene of an experienced bowler teaching someone who was bowling for the first time. At first I was at a loss as to what to do, but I even felt as if I had learned how to interact with people from them. Although I was only involved with them for a few hours, they gave me a lot, and I would like to make use of it in my own life from now on."

-- H.N. Youth Impact High School Member

Hands on Tokyo Youth Impact Program guides young leaders to design, plan and execute their own projects. To make these projects practical enough for them to carry out, youth members need to see and learn what is going on in the society. In order for youth to actually learn and grasp the reality, it is extremely important that they go out and dive into the communities themselves. This bowling event was one of the best chances for youth members to get in touch with the community of people with special needs in a real way. 

All of the work we do would not be possible without the support from you, our donors. Through your generosity we will empower more youth, and together, continue to make a difference in our community!

Thank you for your continued support and trusting our organization.