University of Tsukuba is working on the promotion of Olympic education and volunteers training. The recruitment of Tokyo 2020 Games volunteers started from September 2018, so we regarded year 2018 as an important time to cultivate volunteers who will get involved in coming international sports festivals such as the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Games. Therefore, we held volunteer training seminars for 7 times whose purpose is to make people obtain the cultural knowledge and skills necessary to become a volunteer by making full use of the achievements of Olympic and Paralympic education that conducted by University of Tsukuba so far.

 

We were targeting on high school students, university students, and general people as our seminar participants. In order to nurture volunteers focusing on interpreting we co-organized the seminar with Kanda University of Foreign Studies for twice out of seven times. For the other 5 times, we co-sponsored with Bunkyo City where the Tokyo campus of University of Tsukuba is located, and broadly appealed to high school students and university students those mainly located in Bunkyo City, and general people living and working in Tokyo.

 

Each program consisted of 2-days. On the first day the following lectures were held at Tokyo campus.

• “History and education of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”
• “The Things Required for Volunteers” by A Member of Volunteer Advisory for Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee
• “Communication between Athletes and Volunteers” by Olympians (Ms. Ayumi Tanimoto, Ms. Kaori Yamaguchi, and Mr. Kenta Chida.)
• “Panel Discussion of students who experienced volunteers at Pyeongchang Winter Games”
• “Counterterrorism and How to Respond Natural Disasters During International Sports Event” by the Otsuka Police Station in Bunkyo Ward.
• “Mind of hospitality as a volunteer, global manners, and cross cultural communication”

 

On the second day, the following practical skills were held at Toin Kaikan, which is the facility attached to Junior High School and Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba.

• “Communicating with Foreign Tourist” with International Students at University of Tsukuba
• “How to Support Visually Impaired”
• “How to Support Wheelchair Users”
• “Para-sports Experience” (such as Boccia, Sitting Volleyball, and Blind Football)

 

We held seminars for 7 times in total with the contents shown above, and a total of 424 people attended the seminar. According to the questionnaire, participants fully satisfied and highly evaluated the seminar.

 

Those who took all the lectures for 2 days got a certification of completion issued by University of Tsukuba. They could use the certification not only when they apply for volunteers of various international sporting events in the future, but also as a training career. In addition, we think the contents of our seminar can be applied to volunteer training seminars for international sports events such as general training for Tokyo 2020 Games Volunteers.

 

We will introduce the state of the first to the seventh programmes in this page.

“International Sports Volunteer Training Programme”
The 1st Programme / The 2nd Programme / The 3rd Programme / The 4th Programme

 

“Volunteer Training Seminar”

Coming Soon…

 

 

The First Programme

The first programme was held on June 10th and 17th, and about 70 students including University of Tsukuba, Kanda University of International Studies, the University of Tokyo, Juntendo University, Ochanomizu University attended. All the classes such as lectures by lecturers from both inside and outside of the University of Tsukuba, or Boccia experience, gained popularity as a very meaningful seminar from students participated.

 

 

The Second Programme

 

On 4-5 August, “The 2nd Programme for International Sports Volunteer” was held at Bunkyo School Building, Tokyo Campus and Junior High / Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, jointly with Bunkyo city. 62 people joined the programme, including the university students of University of Tsukuba, high school students of laboratory schools of University of Tsukuba, and general citizens.

 

The Day 1

On the first day, lectures were given on the history of the Olympics and Paralympic Games, the outline of the Tokyo 2020 Games and attitude required to their volunteers, volunteer experiences stories, and hospitality and manner as a host country.

 

The Day 2

On the second day, participants operated both daily use wheelchairs and wheelchairs for sports, and learned how to support them. Furthermore, people experienced para-sports such as sitting volleyball, blind football, and boccia. We invited two athletes, Mr. Tomoyuki Iwata and Ms. Yoko Karin Zetterlund to talk about the things they got through sports, such as friendship, global awareness, and courage to challenge. Mr. Tomoyuki Iwata was active as captain of Japan national team of low vision futsal for visual impairment, and Ms. Yoko Karin Zetterlund won a bronze medal as a member of USA volleyball team in Barcelona 1992 Games.

 

We would like to share some of the comments from participants shown below;

• It was meaningful to deepen understanding and understanding of the Olympics and the Paralympic Games from various perspectives.
• I began to think more strongly about engaging in future sports competitions as a volunteer.
• I thought that having a heart of hospitality is important in work.
• I am more and more interested in Paralympic Games and Sports for the Disabled by experiencing Para Sports.

 

 

The Third Programme

 

On 26 August and 2 September 2018, “The 3rd Programme for International Sports Volunteer” was held at Elementary School, University of Tsukuba. 108 people joined the programme (31 high school students, 15 university students, and 62 general citizens), and they all learned aimed to be a volunteer. Some of them came from Miyagi prefecture or Osaka prefecture.

 

The volunteer programme which has both matured practical trainings and lectures are very rare opportunity in Japan, and there are a lot of satisfied comment from the participants such as “I could strength the feeling to be get involved in sports events as a volunteer with the things I experienced through this course, such as detailed way of supporting and communicating with people with handicapped”.

 

The Day 1

The first day was mainly for practical training and participants learned how to play para-sports such as boccia, sitting volleyball, and blind-football. They also learned how to support people with a disability, especially wheelchair or visually impaired people. Furthermore, there was a role play session to show the way to tourists from overseas with the international students of University of Tsukuba. They also learned the latest information about Volunteering of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

 

Guiding Visually Impaired People

Supporting Wheelchair

 

Sitting Volleyball

Boocia

Blind Football

 

The Day 2

On the second day, there were lectures about histories of Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the things we can learn from athletes, and global manners and hospitality / consideration. The participants also had a chance to listen to the stories of students who got involved in the Pyeongchang 2018 Games as volunteers.

Global Manners and Hospitality / Consideration

Students Volunteering at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games

 

At the last of the programme, Kyosuke NAGATA, President of University of Tsukuba, gave the certification to the participants one by one, and he encouraged the participants with giving the speech that volunteer is not only for just helping others, but also the opportunity to broaden one’s ability and possibility, and he hopes all of the participant try for volunteer with confidence.

 

 

The Fourth Programme

 

 

On 23 and 30 September 2018, “The 4th Programme for International Sports Volunteer” was held, and 65 university students joined the programme. The day 1 was mainly organised with lectures (held at the hall of Kanda University of International Studies) and the day 2 was mainly organised with practical lessons, such as para-sports experiences or how to support people with a disability (held at Junior High / Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba).

Students were highly motivated to be a volunteer with hospitality at the 2020 Tokyo Games.