【ボランティア活動】　アマゾンジャパンの公式ボランティア団体「SPS Gives」と河川清掃活動

　先週末、生徒たちは、アマゾンジャパンの公式ボランティア団体「SPS Gives」が主催する今年最初の月例河川清掃活動に参加しました。当日は肌寒く、やや曇り空ではありましたが、川辺を歩きながら会話を楽しみつつ、ごみを拾う作業には最適の気候でした。

　当日の清掃活動では、Amazonの社員1〜2名とクラークの生徒3〜5名が1チームとなり、協力して作業を行いました。Amazonのスタッフにはアジア出身の方もいて、生徒たちにとっては、英語が世界のビジネス共通語であることや、日本国内の企業でも英語力や異文化理解の重要性が高まっていることを、実際の対話を通して実感する貴重な機会となりました。

　作業中は、学校生活や将来の働き方、また、好きな食べ物や音楽といった身近な話題まで、さまざまな話で盛り上がりました。Amazonの皆さんは、生徒たちの質問に対して、丁寧かつ親しみやすい態度で応えてくださいました。

　次回の活動は5月。生徒たちは、「また参加したい」と楽しみにしています。

Last weekend Clark joined SPS Gives, the official volunteer organization of Amazon Japan, for their first monthly river cleaning activity of the year. The weather was chilly and a little cloudy, perfect for the hard work of picking up trash while walking along the river side and chatting.

The cleaning teams were split into groups with one or two Amazon members and three to five Clark students. A numbers of the Amazon staff were from foreign countries in Asia, and it was a great chance for the Clark students to directly see how English is the main language of business in the world, and how even at companies located in Japan, English and cultural understanding is becoming more and more important.

As they cleaned, Clark students and volunteers talked about school life in Japan, what it is like to work for a large company like Amazon, and casual subjects such as their favorite food and bands. The Amazon volunteers answered all of the students’ questions in detail and with both kindness and a lot of smiles.

A number of the Amazon staff were from foreign countries in Asia, and it was a great chance for the students to directly see how English is the main language of business in the world, and how even at companies located in Japan, English and cultural understanding is becoming more and more important.

At the end of the volunteering, the Amazon staff and Clark students were chatting as if they had known each other for months. When asked, most of the students said that they were looking forward to volunteering again in May.