Activities of the Volunteer Centers
Meiji Gakuin University Volunteer Center's establishment was prompted by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. A large number of Meiji Gakuin students voluntarily headed to the affected area to help with the relief efforts. The Centers became the first independent organizations within a university in the country. The Yokohama Volunteer Center was set up at the Yokohama Campus in 1998, and later, in 2001, the Shirokane Volunteer Center was established at the Shirokane Campus. The Centers have become a clearinghouse for a wide variety of information, ranging from that on the environment, welfare, children, psychology, international topics, and urban development. Their Volunteer Coordinators and faculty members help find volunteer work most suitable for each individual.
The Volunteer Center is run by a core group of volunteer students called Student Staff, in addition to the coordinators and faculty members. Many of the annual projects carried out by the Centers are led by Student Staff. They are in charge of the entire process of planning, preparation, implementation and operation, which are in many cases supported by close-knit team-based cooperation. Students openly and freely exercise their strengths as staff members at the Volunteer Center, creating proposals, negotiating with external organizations, and carrying out other activities while consulting with the coordinators.
The Volunteer Centers also engage in the following activities.
Volunteer Fund Student Challenge Award
The award is a scholarship aimed at supporting the volunteer spirit of Meiji Gakuin University students and nurturing personnel and activities that contribute to society. Ten percent of the proceeds from sales of university merchandise is collected and used toward scholarships for volunteer activities and funds to help develop student volunteer groups.
Educational Programs
The Centers offer many programs, such as volunteer experience programs that cultivate various skills through preliminary studies, overseas volunteer experience, and post-volunteer review; and a program that allows students to gain experience at international organizations in the Yokohama-Minato Mirai Area.
For further information about the Volunteer Centers, please see our
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