GSE Autumn Retreat 2023

 

　　　　　　　　　　

 

　Overview

　In November 2023, 20 Kyoritsu Women’s University students on the Global Studies in English (GSE) program took part in a two-day retreat to the university’s learning facility near lake Kawaguchi. The retreat was planned and directed by Professor Sarah Asada with the aim of fostering English-language, global leadership, and communication skills in the spirit of international cooperation.

 

　Kyoritsu students were joined by 5 international students from Waseda university who served as learning facilitators during workshops delivered by a guest speaker and gave Kyoritsu students the opportunity to socialise in English.

 

　The retreat was a great success. Kyoritsu students benefited immensely from the opportunity to study and socialise in an

English-language environment. It also provided GSE students with an excellent opportunity to meet and socialise with fellow GSE students from different year groups. Moreover, thanks to the Faculty of International studies assistants’ fastidious planning and organising, all logistics surrounding transportation, catering and accommodation went very smoothly and students felt safe and well-looked after. Finally, the retreat would not have been possible without the President’s discretionary fund which enabled Kyoritsu Women's University students to take part in this invaluable opportunity at no personal cost.

 

 

　The GSE Autumn retreat embodied the goals of the GSE program: to foster independent-thinking citizens who can communicate their thoughts in English and demonstrate leadership in a global society. It was, therefore, a fantastic opportunity for Kyoritsu students to apply the knowledge and skills they have been building in the GSE program in a non-academic, real-world environment.   

 

 

　Guest Speaker Profile

　-Alisa Sanada

　Alisa is COO of Nagomi Visit (https://www.nagomivisit.com; https://nagomivisit.jp/about/) and has about 20 years of working in the tourism industry in Japan. Nagomi Visit is an NPO that arranges home visits for international tourists in Japan. In 2017, Nagomi Visit won the "The Japan Foundation Prizes for Global Citizenship" (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/about/citizen/winner/2017/chiiki17.html). Alisa and Nagomi Visit have been featured in Japanese and international media.

 

　Events

　▻ Day One

 

　 The first workshop began at 14:00. The theme was diversity and inclusion. Alisa, ran a very interactive study session in which students could discuss and interact with each other about their own sense of identity before moving onto considering issues surrounding diversity and inclusivity in Japanese society.

                                                     

After the workshop, the student leaders ran fun team-working exercises, games, and quizzes before dinner at 18:00.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　

 

　　　　　　　　　　　 

 

 

　▻ Day Two

 

 　　　　　　　　　

 

　　　　  　　　　　　

 

 

 

　Student Feedback

　Chiaki Shimizu, 1^st year

　“I was so excited about this event. I am not very good at speaking English, but I felt that communication was not difficult, and it was very fun. In addition, I learned that everyone has their own perspectives on world problems and identity. Therefore, the retreat made me want to discuss more in English about world issues.”

 

　Otoha Souma, 2^nd year

　“In the retreat, it was challenging for me to talk in English with the international and senior students. I had never done any team activities or assignments with seniors before and the international students spoke very fast, so the workshop was intense, and because of my low vocabulary I understood only about 50%. Even so, it was fun to play UNO and talk about our personal lives in the evening. I don’t usually have the chance to talk with international students about life and culture in their own countries, and with seniors about classes and job hunting so the night was great and very valuable for me. If there's a retreat next year, I'd like to join it again.”

　Izumi Yuge, 4^th year student leader

　“I really enjoyed this retreat and it was a great experience for me to spend time with other GSE members and international students. We spent so much time on discussing and sharing ideas or experiences. It was a good opportunity to think about what international exchange really is. And more, having free time other than classes and chatting with friends in English was precious for me. I think it’s different from taking classes but a good chance to use English.”