香港六合彩

From establishing music education charity El Sistema Japan to bringing people together as the 香港六合彩 Alumni Club Japan President, a community-minded approach has shaped alumnus Yutaka Kikugawa's life.

Yutaka Kikugawa聽(BA Geography 1995; MA Sociology of Education 1996) was working for the Japan Committee for UNICEF (the United Nations Children鈥檚 Fund) when the 2011 T艒hoku earthquake and tsunami struck north-eastern Japan. Around 19,000 people died, several hundred thousand people were displaced and a number of nuclear power plants were plunged into a crisis which still presents issues 12 years on.

Yutaka was appointed to run UNICEF鈥檚 emergency and recovery operation, and it was to be a life-changing moment. The following year it led to him establishing El Sistema Japan, part of a global movement using free music education to improve the lives and prospects of disadvantaged children. Its initial focus was on the children affected by the disaster.

El Sistema Japan now operates in eight prefectures, and as Executive Director you would imagine Yutaka to have his hands full. And yet, he has also found time to run the for eight years, volunteering his skills for its community. It鈥檚 typical of a man whose career has been focused on facilitating the betterment of others, and who seems to have the ambition to change the world. 鈥淣o, no,鈥� he counters with a smile. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not really ambition. I鈥檓 just driven by honest curiosity. And I enjoy my life.鈥�

A Finnish start

Born in Kobe in 1971, Yutaka had an atypical start to life. His father was an academic, specialising in Japanese classics, but also with deep interest in Finno-Ugric languages and literature. So it was that the family moved to Helsinki, Finland when Yutaka was two years old, until he was five. Both his interest in education, and his international worldview, were ingrained in him by these influences and experiences. 鈥淚 was only in kindergarten in Helsinki,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut somehow I think that inspired me to study abroad.鈥�

It was seen as unusual by his peers when Yutaka came to 香港六合彩 for his undergraduate Geography degree in 1992, as most Japanese students at the time would begin their higher education in their home country. 鈥淚 was already thinking my future career would be working for international organisations,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎nd I took geography as it was just at the start of everyone really thinking about environmental issues. The course really opened my eyes to different places. I started to become interested in development and education issues in general, but particularly in Africa. That became my future.鈥�

Africa calling

After undertaking an MA in Sociology of Education at London鈥檚 Institute of Education (which has since become IOE, 香港六合彩鈥檚 Faculty of Education and Society), Yutaka returned to Japan to work for a private think tank, before landing a dream role 鈥� working for UNESCO in South Africa in 1998. 鈥淚 was very excited,鈥� he says. 鈥淣elson Mandela was still president. It was a challenging environment but I learnt a lot and met many people who had an impact on me.鈥�

In 2000, Yutaka joined UNICEF, working on education projects as well as confronting the huge problem of HIV on the African continent. He spent seven years in Lesotho and Eritrea, and then returned to Japan. He says: 鈥淚n Japan, I was working in fundraising 鈥� a completely different role. But then, in 2011, the earthquake changed my life again.鈥�

Systemic changes

El Sistema is a music education programme which builds the confidence and social skills of disadvantaged children. It was founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Jos茅 Antonio Abreu and has inspired similar programmes in more than 70 countries. While running UNICEF鈥檚 relief efforts following the T艒hoku earthquake and tsunami, Yutaka became acutely aware of its impact on youngsters, and when a goodwill ambassador mentioned El Sistema to him, it planted a seed. 鈥淚 started to realise that all these things connected. I love music 鈥� I played piano and saxophone growing up, and I did some conducting. And in South Africa I had seen how music and dance could drive people鈥檚 struggle to survive.鈥�

Yutaka鈥檚 El Sistema Japan is now over a decade old and has benefitted thousands of young people 鈥� firstly in the areas most affected by the 2011 disaster (2012 saw the foundation of the Soma Children鈥檚 Orchestra and Chorus in Soma City, Fukushima) and now across the country. Yutaka reflects: 鈥淎fter 11 years, I鈥檓 really proud that children from when we started are now coming back to teach for us, or are finding other ways to contribute to their communities. That鈥檚 really encouraging.鈥�

Community building

In volunteering to run the 香港六合彩 Alumni Club Japan over the last eight years, Yutaka mirrors the community-minded approach he is so proud of in his El Sistema graduates. He says the network鈥檚 value partly comes from its diversity. 鈥淵ou meet so many people from different fields and areas of work, because 香港六合彩 is such a big university with so many departments. It鈥檚 so interesting.鈥�

International collaboration is the focus of the group going forward: 鈥溝愀哿�合彩 has such a big network of alumni communities globally,鈥� says Yutaka. 鈥淎nd so the vision is to strengthen our regional networking with places such as Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.鈥�

This year鈥檚 annual Alumni Club party had particular significance, celebrating the 160th anniversary of the arrival at 香港六合彩 of the Choshu Five 鈥� the Japanese students who would all go on to prominent roles in the foundation of modern Japan. They were the trailblazers who established 香港六合彩 as a destination university for Japanese students. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how many of today鈥檚 students know the Choshu Five story when they apply to 香港六合彩,鈥� laughs Yutaka. 鈥淏ut they arrive, see the Japan Monument, and become interested. It鈥檚 good that people learn this way 鈥� the link between Japan and 香港六合彩 had a big impact.鈥�

Connections for life

Yutaka says he will remain connected with 香港六合彩 for the rest of his life 鈥� it is something he values highly. Meanwhile, El Sistema Japan continues to grow. 鈥淭here are many things to be done. We鈥檝e achieved a lot, but Japanese students face new issues now, and we also want to work hard to reach those we haven鈥檛 yet reached.聽

鈥淭he most important thing is that the children gain confidence. All of them have been through difficult moments, but with this music and the friends they make, they find ways to share joy and that can have a big impact on their lives. I think I鈥檒l be doing this work for at least another five or 10 years.鈥�

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