NICE/18  Minamata  (Kumamoto)  17/03-30/03  ENVI, AGRI  14 vols. (8 int.)

Organized together with Minamata International Friendship Association (MIFA) since 92. Though there was a big tragedy of public pollution 40 years ago, it’s completely safe now and Minamata is pioneering to be ecological town by distinguishing garbage into 21 categories, etc.  The workcamps have been creating a forest on the reclaimed land to bear new lives as a symbol of revival, with strong wish of the patients as well as doing various community works to activate local communities.

W: We will activate the community by helping farming such as harvest of onions and oranges. We will also maintain the workcamp forest by transplanting the seedlings and collecting fallen leaves to fertilize the soil for a few days and clean the beach/ sea.  Part of Greening Asia.

S: Future plan of Minamata and Greening Asia.  Bring some info.!

A: Public hall (we will barrow the bathrooms of neighbors that creates nice exchange.  SB!  CV.

L: South west in Kyushu island.  People are cheerful and many of man like to drink sake!! If lucky, you could enjoy parties under cherry flowers!

T: Fukuoka (3 hours by train).  From Osaka, 6 hours by bullet train or 12 hours by midnight bus.

LA: Home stay, exchange parties and visit to the junior high school

SR: Interest to protect nature and to exchange with people.

NICE/19  Haki  (Fukuoka)  21/03-31/03  FEST, ARTS, KIDS  10 vols. (5 int.)

Organized together since 2004 with “Kodomo-Art” (Society of Children's Theater Works and Community Development) established in 1972. They have held the international child art festival for several years. They want to activate this area through art and cultural promotion in the future for kids and build the fruitful network of a child and a cultural art organization. We aim to involve local people to promote global understanding, friendship and solidarity through this festival.

W: We will help to prepare the festival, such as site management and decoration. We will promote this festival to local kids through the visiting the kindergarten and the nursery school. We do the activity for children to spend the festival with a lot of fun.

S: Unique art festival. Bring some info.!

A: Local house. SB! CV

L: Small town in the mountains, 60 km south of Fukuoka.  Good access by highway bus from Fukuoka.

T: Fukuoka (1.5 hours by bus). From Osaka, 5 hours by bullet train or 12 hours by midnight bus.

LA: Exchange parties, excursion, etc.

SR: Interest in art and Kids!!

NICE-MCE/20  Greening Mongolia  (* Mongolia)  25/04-08/05  ENVI  20 vols. (5-10 int.)

Organized together with MCE (Mongolian workCamps Exchange) and supported by Greening Asia Fund of NICE since 2002.  The forests problem is serious also in Mongolia.  Before 1990, the forests were covered with 10% of land, but 7% today, caused by cutting trees without any controls and forest fire.  It takes a long time here to grow trees and the current and water level of river has been decreased. Summer workcamps of MCE keep watering the plants, so the forests have been grown quite well.

W: We will plant trees in MCE project site and some other places. There are increasing activities by some organizations to plant trees but it takes a hundred or more years to be grown, so we should also join this movement by global power!   May is the best season to plant trees. Part of Greening Asia.

S: The future plan of international workcamps in Mongolia and Greening Asia.  Bring some info.!

A: GER (Mongolian traditional tent) and Youth hostel.  Very warm sleeping bag is needed!  CV

L: Buhug river, located 45km far from Ulaanbaatar.  The temperature will be about 10-20 C, but be careful sometimes wheather will be changed lot.  Sunny, sometimes rainy and windy.

T: Ulaanbaatar (MCE will kindly pick volunteers up at the airport!)

LA: Cultural exchange program, excursions, etc.

SR: To like planting work and simple nomadic life. Mongolian speakers are welcome! For more info. and applications, please contact with MCE: mce-mn@magicnet.mn

PF: 140 Euro to be paid on your arrivals

MTV

NICE/LM01  Shintoku (Hokkaido) CONS, AGRI, DISA 3 months from Mar/Jun/Sep. 2 vols.

Host organization is Kyodo Gakusha shintoku farm, a cooperative community where people with various backgrounds such as mentally disadvantaged, people who are tired of city life, who wants to learn farming, etc.  They have five communities in Tokyo, Nagano and Hokkaido and grow animals and vegetables in ecological, organic way with utilizing Bacterium.  Their cheese got the 1st prize in the national contest! They are hoping to build new houses for residents this year.

W: Constructing houses (making basement, constructing frameworks, etc.), various agricultural works (planting, weeding, cultivating, harvesting, to make organic vegetables taking care of animals), etc.

S: Similar types of communities in each country and future networking.  Bring some info.!

A: Share room of Kyodo Gakusha, cooking as a group by turn (vegetarian is possible!)

L: Agricultural country side, 120 km east of Sapporo.  -20 degree in winter and 20 in summer.

T: Sapporo (2 hours by express train).  From Tokyo, 13 hours by bullet train or 32 hours by ship.

Q: Speaking some Japanese, strong motivation for the host.  Skills of agriculture or construction can be useful!

NICE/LM02  Monyongoro Mura (Tochigi)  ENVI, AGRI, DISA 

3 months from Jan./ Apr./ Jul./ Oct.  2 vols.

Host organization is a local NPO Monyongoro village, where 4 mentally disadvantaged people live and work together.  This group is not only working for social works but also community development, promoting organic farming and environment conservation.  Through these activities they aim to develop and maintain the kindest village in world.  We NICE organize a governmental youth support program, Wakamono-Jiritsujuku, which support youth at difficulties so called NEET.

W: Organic farming (planting, weeding, cultivating, harvesting, to make organic vegetables blue-berry, reviving abandoned rice fields).  Forest works (Making fire woods, cutting grasses), Empowering NEET youth (Communication with them, they can get confidence by the experiences of communicating foreign people, organize language class) for 2 or 3 days a week.

A: A building of the village.  You’ll have your own room.  There is NO pocket money.

S: About Youth Empowerment, organic farming, group home.  Bring some info.

L: Agricultural countryside, about 100 km north of Tokyo.  The population is about 12,000.

T: From Tokyo, about 3 hours by train and bus

Q: Speaking some Japanese, interested in social works (especially youth issue), cooperative, kind and open mind. This is very difficult program, so we need your strong cooperation !

*** About Wakamono-Jiritsujuku ***

Wakamono-Jiritsujuku is a governmental project for young people who are so called N.E.E.T(Not in Employment, Education or Training)  This is a big social problem in Japan that the number of youth who do not want to work or who cannot work has been increasing rapidly.  They have different reasons to become N.E.E.T situation, like no motivation to work, mental problem, spoiled, hardship of communication with others, bad social situation of employment, change of employment system… etc.  We empower them for their better life through this 3 months program.  About 10 Japanese youth will be involved in this program every term.