This past summer, VIA resumed our in-person programming with the Rikuzen Takata Project. In partnership with Rikkyo University, students from the US, Japan, and Hong Kong were invited to participate in a seven-day joint program dedicated to understanding disaster recovery and working with the community in Rikuzen Takata, a city that was devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. This special program, which began its collaboration in 2015, was led by VIA Program Director Yuki Ueda and Rikkyo University Professor Akiko Takai, who also serves as the Deputy General of Save the Children Japan. With a shared agenda on the United Nations’ Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs), the participants connected with the Rikuzen Takata community through immersive team activities, workshops with guest speakers, and site visits to areas that were still affected by the 2011 events.
VIAlogue Fall 2022 Issue
