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K.I. (TCA 1st Cohort)
2nd Year High School Student from Miyagi Prefecture

I was able to get the chance to participate in The Change Academy thanks to the Tobitate Japan Scholarship. Before that, I had been hesitating because to go would have been a financial hardship for me. Fortunately, Mr. Tsurumi introduced me to this scholarship system.  In my application, I wrote about my involvement in my hometown Nagasuka’s local beach, and I was awarded the scholarship, which is how I got to join the program.

During The Change Academy, there were four things in particular that left a deep impression on me.  The first was that from the very beginning, we were paired together with the students from Hawaiʻi. Our group made it to first place in the team-building exercises. We overcame our language barriers, and were all high-fiving the kids from Hawaiʻi to share our excitement. We really bonded with each other during this workshop.

The second memory was of the time we spent at Camp Erdman on the North Shore. From our first video production to the Odyssey (a High Ropes Course with Zipline that is 40 meters above ground), we truly learned how important it was to work together.

​The third was learning about Hawaiian culture when we visited the Kūkaniloko Birth Site. It was especially an important moment of change for me. Kūkaniloko is a sacred site for the birth of royalty in Hawaiʻi and is full of spiritual power.  This place was very large, and in the past it was often sought out for the development of hotel resorts or golf courses.  Although many times it came close to being buried, each time the local people did their absolute best to guard Kūkaniloko, and as a result, have managed to protect it to this day.  After listening to this story, I thought how similar the situation was to my own. In my hometown beach of Nagasuka, storm surge barriers are being set up for tsunami disaster prevention. Because of their construction, the natural sand beaches are increasingly disappearing.  With the visit to Kūkaniloko, I was given the opportunity to think seriously about what I myself had the power to do. I was actually able to speak to those who had devoted decades of their lives to protecting this land, and felt incredibly inspired. They gave me a new sense of courage to try to stop the construction projects happening at Nagasuka Beach.

The fourth is the wonderful encounters with those we met in Kauaʻi.  A woman let me feel her pregnant stomach, which I had never done before. As I did so, for some reason I started to tear up, and sincerely wished for the child to be born into this world healthy and happy. Even though we lost so many people in the earthquake disaster, here was a new life being delivered to parents, who eagerly await each moment for their arrival. It may seem so simple and obvious, but it made me feel so wistful and full of emotion--it’s so hard to put into words, but it was all so incredibly heartwarming.

The things that I must do will be the next challenge that I undertake for myself when I return to Japan. The lessons I learned in Hawaii will be a lifelong treasure of mine. I met an extraordinary group with whom I could really express my feelings. I’m truly glad that I could participate in The Change Academy! And it’s helped me to find my new path!  If that path leads me to The Change Academy again sometime in the future, I’ll be so happy.

一期生  K.I.   宮城県 高校2年

私のチェンジアカデミー参加は、トビタテ留学JAPANの奨学金を得ることから始まりました。金銭的に難しく参加を躊躇していたところ、鶴見さんにこの奨学金制度を紹介してもらい地元長須賀海水浴場での活動をアピールして無事に奨学金を受け取ることができ、参加が決まりました。

チェンジアカデミーの中で、最も心に残っていること4つ紹介します。まず１つ目は、初日からいきなりハワイの子達とグループワークをしたことです。私たちのグループは、チームビルディングで一位になることができました。言葉の壁を乗り越えハワイの子達とハイタッチをして喜びを分かち合いました。このワークショップでみんなの仲がぐっと縮まりました。

２つ目は、ノースショアのキャンプアードマンで過ごした日々です。初めての動画制作やオデッセイ（地上40mで行う綱渡りやシップライン）を通して、協力することの大切さを改めて実感した気がします。

3つ目はハワイの文化を学んだこと、クーカニロコを訪れたことです。わたしのチェンジに関わるとても重要なことです。クーカニロコとは、かつて王族の出産場所で強力な霊力が宿っているパワースポットです。その場所はとても広く、過去にリゾートやゴルフ場建設計画が挙がり、何度も埋められそうになったそうです。しかし、代々クーカニロコを守ってきた地元の方々が、自分たちに出来ることを精一杯やってきた結果、現在まで守ってくることができました。そんな話を聞いて私もいま同じ状況にあるなと思いました。私の地元の長須賀海水浴場も津波対策として進められている防潮堤の工事がどんどん進んで砂浜がどんどん無くなってきています。クーカニロコ訪問は、私にできることは何かと深く考えさせられる機会となりました。実際に何十年とこの土地を守ってきた方と話をすることができ、勇気をもらいました。私はここでもらった勇気を使って、長須賀海水浴場の工事を阻止してみせます。
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4つ目はカウアイ島でお世話をしてくださった方との出会いです。私は妊婦さんのお腹に初めて触れました。するとなぜか涙がでてきて、素直に元気で産まれてきなよってそう思いました。震災でたくさんの人が亡くなったけど、こうやってまた新しい生命が、今か今かと待つ、両親のもとへ届く、そんなあたりまえのことが私にとってはなんだか切ないような心が暖かくなるような言葉にするのは難しいけどすごく暖かい気持ちになりました。
本当に自分がやらなきゃいけないことは日本に戻ってからが勝負です。ハワイで学んだことは私の一生の宝物です。本音も言い合える最強の仲間に出会えてチェンジアカデミーに参加して本当によかったです！新しい進路も見えてきました！また、チェンジアカデミーに関わることができたらいいなと今は思っています。
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R.Y. (First-Time Participant)
Nagasaki Prefecture, High School 2nd Year Student

Many of the participants came from unique backgrounds and circumstances, and on top of that, they all seemed to carry a strong sense of self.  I was really in awe of that.  Each one had a dream for the future, and set clear goals for themselves.  There were people working to share their hometown cultures with the world, people who were like a local hero.  Some students were commuting to schools far away from home because they knew exactly what they wanted to do in the future.  I was so amazed.  Even though there are times when you’re feeling uncertain, this program valued your background and your dreams in many ways.  To me, those unique roots were like a secret weapon, and I was kind of envious.

​Before The Change Academy, I was dealing with the enormous workload that is typical of a preparatory school, and every day I was completely exhausted from classes.  I was studying so hard that I sacrificed time to sleep, and I didn’t even have time to think about the future.  I was so focused on getting through what was right in front of me, each and every single day.  But after my experiences in these two weeks, I feel like I’m starting to see a little bit more of my future.  Among the participants this time, there were also many people who had graduated from universities outside of Japan.  While speaking with them, I started to think of attending university abroad as an option.  However, at my high school, no one would think of saying that, and I have no idea what the teachers might say.  There is also the question of money, so there are so many things that I don’t know about yet.  Even so, I was inspired by those people I met this time, who are working so hard to achieve something.  At the last reflection (group-share time), Mr. Tsurumi told us, “Don’t live your lives depending on others.”  I’m going to try to live by those words when I face my teachers at school.  For the first time, I’m looking forward to what’s ahead, and also want to do my best with studying in high school.

I’m incredibly moved by the encounters from this program.  I’m also so grateful to the grown-ups in this program who made coming together possible for us.  When The Change Academy ended and we were all parting ways, I had a feeling that we would definitely be seeing each other again in the future, and so I didn’t feel sad.  I look forward to staying connected with everyone.

一期生 R.Y.  長崎県 高校2年

参加者の多くは、人とは違う生い立ちや境遇を持ち、しっかりとした自分というものを認識していることに、純粋に凄いなと思いました。将来の夢や、目標をそれぞれ持っていて、地元の文化を色んなところで広めている人がいたり、地元のためにヒーローやっている人がいたり、自分のやりたいことのために遠くの高校に通っている人がいて驚きました。そのことで悩むことがあるかもしれないけど、今回のプログラムでは、そういうバックグラウンドや夢が重視されるところが度々あって、俺からしたら大きな武器を持っているようで羨ましかったです。

チェンジアカデミー参加前の俺は、進学校特有の膨大な量の課題と毎日の授業でヘトヘトになりながら睡眠時間を削って勉強して、将来のことを考える余裕もなく、目の前のことを必死にこなす日々を送っていました。しかし、この２週間の経験で自分の将来が少し見えてきた気がします。今回の引率者の中には、日本国外の大学卒業者も多く、彼らと話をしている中で、海外の大学に入学するという選択肢が出てきました。しかし、俺の高校でそんなことを言い出す人はいないし先生達も何ていうか分からないし、お金の問題もあるし、よく分からないことが沢山あります。それでも今回出会えた、一生懸命何かのために頑張っているみんなから受けた刺激や最後のリフレクション（振り返りの時間）で鶴見さんの「他人に依存して生きるな」という言葉を受けて、この選択肢を先生達にぶつけてみたいと思います。やっとこれからの人生が楽しみになってきたので、高校の勉強も頑張ろうと思います。
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今回の出会いに凄く感動しています。この出会いを作ってくれた大人の人達にもめちゃくちゃ感謝しています。チェンジアカデミーが終わってみんなと別れるとき、また将来絶対会えるような気がして悲しい思いはありませんでした。これからもよろしくお願いします。
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M.O. (First-Time Participant)
Miyagi Prefecture, High School 1st Year Student

“These aren’t your average high school students!”  That first shock struck me hard, but I resolved to do my best to keep up with everyone.

We actually got to go visit Kūkaniloko and experience the cultures which generations of Hawaiians had protected and passed down.  We learned about Ainu cultures from The Change Academy participants, which really warmed my heart. And also, it was a little bittersweet.  I regret that I can’t express properly in words what this warm feeling is.  I thought, perhaps this is something like when people communicate through their hearts and not their words.

While we stayed in Kauaʻi, time passed in a totally different way than on Oahu.  Almost as if I was under a magic spell, all my uncertainties and insecurities disappeared.  I found that I could open my heart completely to others.  I danced my first Bon-Odori at Zenshu Temple, and remember how awestruck I was.  The people of Kauaʻi valued Japanese culture so much, to the point when I found myself thinking,  “This is... Hawai’i --- right?”  Maybe because everyone is “Ohana (Family)”, we could all enjoy sharing with each other and were full of smiles and laughter.  After meeting many Japanese Americans, I believed that it was because they were not living in Japan that, in fact, they identified so closely with Japan.

​For me, I have a lot of memories where I wish I had done things differently and had come to recognize something only after it is lost.  During 3/11, and after the tsunami, I was full of regrets, wishing I had done this or that.  Now that I am attending my school of choice, and faced with so many things I want to do, I only just noticed that up until now, I had not felt thankful for the opportunities that I have, nor had I acknowledged how precious these things are.

My goal is to become a nurse.  Even when I was at The Change Academy, I always tied myself to the concept of “caregiving.”  (For example, the Odyssey (a ropes and zip-line course 40m above ground), where we learned about cooperation, could be great for teamwork in medicine!, etc.)  When studying medicine, I was always thinking of gaining more specialized knowledge.  However, because I experienced so many different things at The Change Academy, I learned that the world is way, way bigger!  Now I want to keep learning about different things.  I feel like I grew so much out of this experience, and I’m very proud of that.

一期生 M.O.  宮城県 高校1年

「みんな、そんじょそこらの高校生じゃない！」初対面の驚きは大きかったが、頑張ってついていこうと覚悟を決めました。
実際にクーカニロコに訪れてハワイの人々が代々守ってきた文化に触れ、チェンジアカデミー参加者からアイヌ文化を学び、心が温かくなるのを感じました。あと、少し切ないような気持ちも。その温かさが、何なのか、言葉に上手く表すことができず悔しいです。心が通うってこういうことをいうのだな、と思いました。

カウアイ島での滞在は、オアフ島とはまた違った時間の流れの中で、いつの間にか魔法にかけられたように、自信の無さやモヤモヤが消えていて、みんなに心を開きまくっている自分がいました。禅宗寺で初めて盆踊りをして、感動を覚えました。「ここは、ハワイだよね？」と思うぐらい、カウアイ島の人達は日本の文化を大切にしていました。みんな「オハナ（家族）」だからと、共有し合うことを楽しみ、笑顔が溢れているのかなぁ、と思いました。多くの日系人達に出会う中で、日本に住んでいないからこそ日本を大切に思う強い気持ちを感じました。

私自身、何かを失ってから気づかされること、あの時ああしておけばよかったと思うことが沢山あります。3.11の時も、津波にあってから、ああしておけば、こうしておけばよかった、と反省をしました。今、志望校に通い、やりたいことが出来ている中、感謝の気持ちや当たり前ではないという気持ちが欠けていることに気づきました。
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私は看護師を目指しています。チェンジアカデミーでも、常に看護という観念に結びつけていました。（例えば、 協調性を学んだオデッセイ（地上40mで行う綱渡りやシップライン）は、医療のチームワークに活かせる！ 等）看護を学ぶ中で、より専門的な知識を得ようとしてきました。しかし、チェンジアカデミーで沢山のことを体験する中で、世界はもっと広いのだ！ということを知り、もっと沢山のことを吸収していきたい、と思うことができました。今回の体験で、成長出来た自分を誇りに思います。
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S.S. (First-Time Participant)
Iwate Prefecture, High School 3rd Year Student
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Even with the thought of college exams always in the back of my mind, the Challenge that I participated in this summer became something really great, even though it turned out differently from what I had expected.  These two weeks left a deep impression on me. What most struck a chord with me was the the idea that “the people of  Hawaiʻi continue to carry on the traditions that are only in  Hawaiʻi and can only be protected in  Hawaiʻi.”  It was important to understand why something can be meaningless unless it is carried out on Hawaiian land.  In learning, protecting, and passing this down, you find the love towards Hawaii is a truly local love.  I had resisted and turned down this program so many times, but despite that, Mr. Tsurumi and the others continued to invite me again and again. I want to thank them all, from the bottom of my heart, for persuading me to participate in this program.

​And to the ten high-school students who journeyed with me, to the Hawaiian students with whom we became instant friends, to the staff who provided constant support, and to all the local people who welcomed us so warmly, I’d like to express my deepest thanks.

"MAHALO for everything.
My sincerest gratitude for all you have done.
I will cherish what you have done for me forever.
玉響の夏に一縷の望みを託して"

一期生  S.S. 岩手県 高校3年

​受験勉強に後ろ髪を引かれつつも、参加したこの夏の私の大きなチャレンジは、予想とは違う形で、それでも良い形で私の元に返ってきました。大きな気付きを私に与えてくれたこの２週間で、私の琴線に触れたのは「ハワイの人は、ハワイでしか守れないこと、ハワイにしかない伝統を受け継ぎ続けている」ということです。ハワイの地でなくては意味を成さない事、それを学び、守り、伝えゆく、それこそがハワイへの愛であり、本物の郷土愛なのだということです。何度も渋ったり断ったりした私をしつこく誘い続けてくださった鶴見さん達には改めて感謝の意を表したいです。

そして共に旅した10人の高校生、一瞬で仲良くなれたハワイの学生、常に支え続けてくれた引率の方々、暖かく迎え入れてくれた現地の人々にもありがとうと伝えたいです。
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"MAHALO for everything.
My sincerest gratitude for all you have done.
I will cherish what you have done for me forever.
玉響の夏に一縷の望みを託して"
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N.T. (First-Time Participant)
Tokyo City, High School 3rd Year Student

In the first few days on the campground in my group, there were a lot of shy members, and it was tough to share ideas and build projects together. For myself, after each time I would wish that I had spoken up more to offer my ideas, and I was disappointed in my lack of courage. Nevertheless, a tiny voice inside of me kept shouting out, “This feeling is only going to last in the beginning. It’s going to be more fun in no time!”  So I was mixed up between battling these negative feelings and also trying to encourage myself. 

When we landed in Kauaʻi, I started to feel very calm. Nature was more lush than in Oahu, and time also seemed to slow down.  The air of the island itself seemed to fit me well. When I met my host family for the first time, it strangely felt like I had known them from somewhere before.  To solve this mystery, on the last day on Kauaʻi, our coordinator remarked that “Family does not mean that you have to be connected by blood.  Anyone can be Ohana (Family).”  Then it started to make sense to me.  I felt like I had been embraced warmly by the people of Kauaʻi and the nature of the island. 

Mid-way through The Change Academy, a lot of things, like Reflections (our group discussions each night) were left up to our responsibility. Our backgrounds, perspectives, languages were all different, and on top of that, all of us are high-schoolers at a very susceptible age. It was hard to wrap up discussions well, and there were a lot of frustrations.  We ran into walls often. Still, I felt like some part of me could always stay calm. Most likely this was because I was so nervous at the first campsite, but ever since then, maybe I was also starting to change little by little. It was actually around this time that we started to develop a strong group bond.

In these two weeks, so many people did so much for us.  I’m so glad that I could participate in The Change Academy in my last summer of high school.  I learned a great deal about my own ambitions, about the spirit of challenge, and about group identity.  And I also became part of an amazing circle of friends through this program. 

一期生  N.T.  東京都 高校3年

​最初の数日を過ごしたキャンプ場での私のグループは、控えめなメンバーが多く、アイディアの出し合いや作品づくりには苦労をしました。私自身、毎回終わった後に自分の意見をもっと言えば良かったと後悔し、自身の不甲斐なさに落ち込みました。それでも、心のどこかでは「こんな思いをするのはきっと最初の方だけ。すぐに楽しくなるさ！」と叫んでいる自分もいて、暗い気持ちと自分自身を励まそうとする気持ちが入り乱れていました。

カウアイ島に到着したとき、なんだかとても落ち着きました。オアフ島より自然が豊かで、時間もゆっくりと流れており、カウアイ島の空気が自分に合っていると感じました。初めて会ったホストファミリーにも、不思議と前から知っていた方のように思えました。その謎はカウアイ島最終日に聞いたお世話になったコーディネイタ―さんの「家族というのは血が繋がってなくてはいけないものではない。誰しもがオハナ（家族）だ。」の言葉で納得しました。カウアイ島の人々と自然に暖かく包み込まれたような気がしました。

チェンジアカデミー中盤からは、リフレクション（毎晩の振り返りの時間）等、多くのことが私たち参加者に任されました。出身、価値観や、言語、何もかもが違う多感な時期の高校生で、そう簡単に意見をまとめることはできず、疲労もあり、何度も壁にぶつかりました。でも、私は少し落ち着いていられた気がします。恐らく最初のキャンプ場での心の葛藤があったからか、私自身少しずつチェンジしていたからなのかもしれません。この辺から私たちの仲間意識は強くなっていきました。
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この2週間で沢山の人にお世話になりました。高校三年生の夏にチェンジアカデミーに参加できて良かったと思います。自分に欠けていた貪欲さ、チャレンジ精神、グループ意識を強く学ばせてもらいました！ そしてかけがえのない仲間に出会えました。