An update from Emilia, a student from Chipping Campden, currently on a gap year volunteering through the Project Trust. Emilia spent approximately 10 months volunteering in Toya, Japan, where they made significant contributions to Community and school activities before departing in late July 2026. Her work spanned multiple educational and community engagement roles, culminating in a month-long series of farewells and final events.

The Rotary Club made a small contribution to enable Emilia’s time in Japan so it is heart-warming to see how much she has given back to the children she works with and grown as a person. The Rotary continues to support local children from Chipping Campden, Mickleton, and the surrounding area to exploring more of the world, raise funds and donate their time, growing as individuals and giving back to their local community.

Educational Programs

Emilia’s primary school work included teaching an infant class (ages 2-5), which they identify as one of their favourite activities. Over the year, she watched the children develop, created lesson materials, and taught English fundamentals. Their final infant class involved having children make commemorative books summarising what they'd learned.

They also led an adult English conversation class, where they had creative freedom to design engaging lessons. For the final session, they organised a British-Japanese cultural tea party, introducing participants to proper English afternoon tea traditions (complete with homemade clotted cream and Yorkshire tea) alongside Japanese matcha preparation and traditional sweets. This cross-cultural exchange was particularly meaningful for both Emilia and the kids.

Community Events and Festivals

Emilia also participated actively in local community gatherings:

• Kids Time event in Abuta district, where they ran game stands
• Sangyou Matsuri (Industry Festival), where she helped sell local produce and participated in the Yasai Maki (vegetable throwing) ceremony—a traditional event symbolizing abundance and good harvests
• Toya Summer Festival, where she were invited to dance the Toya Ondo (traditional dance) dressed in yukata, engaging festival-goers and drawing children into the celebration
• English Dinner for the Toya study group, where Emilia and her friend prepared British dishes (tomato pasta bake, chicken soup, and sticky toffee pudding) for local schoolchildren. This event was very successful, with unprecedented demand for second helpings! Parents expressed interest in recreating the dishes at home.

Other Community Involvement

Outside of work Emilia attended weekly Wednesday study group meetings at the Sogou centre, participated in calligraphy classes and Iaido (martial arts) lessons, and assisted with local cleaning and recycling efforts.

Impact and Personal Growth

Throughout the time Emilia has spent in Japan she has emphasised her gratitude for the local community's support throughout the year, noting how her improved Japanese language skills enabled deeper connections with people. The recurring theme of 寂しい (samishii) —a word carrying both loneliness and the anticipation of missing something — reflects the emotional weight of leaving after forming genuine relationships with students, families, and community members.

Moving on, Emilia and her friend Charlotte worked across four schools, three after-school clubs, and four nurseries, delivering numerous Christmas-themed educational programs. They conducted presentations on English Christmas traditions at junior high and elementary schools, helped organize festive quizzes and craft activities, and taught vocabulary through interactive games. In the infant English class, they organized a scavenger hunt for Christmas items and distributed rewards. They also led an Adult English class on December 24th focused on English Christmas celebrations.

Continuing the Christmas 2025 theme…

The pair organized and facilitated two major Christmas parties, including handling music and games coordination, craft activities, and festive entertainment. They prepared over 100 homemade gingerbread cookies for community sharing and created promotional materials. They also integrated visiting volunteers into their Adult English class as a cultural exchange activity, teaching Christmas traditions and leading themed games and escape room activities.

Ongoing Commitments

Looking ahead, Emilia plans to continue her English conversation classes with innovative approaches, including virtual UK tours, and intends to expand community engagement through activities like the anticipated pancake day lesson and a returning hula class.

Emilia’s full blog can be found here: https://emiliainasia.wordpress.com/