B3 Kakeru KIKUCHI
This February, I started my internship at Save the Children Japan, and I would like to share some of my activities with you. I was hired as an intern at Save the Children Japan's emergency and recovery support team for children and caregivers in domestic disasters. These team activities primarily address the unique needs of children when disasters occur in the country and aid is needed. I am working with one of the other interns in this team to translate a training kid called "I Support My Friend".
“I Support My Friends” builds on the principles of Psychological First Aid to equip older children and adolescents with the skills and knowledge to support their friends in distress under the mentorship and guidance of trusted adults. This resource kit consists of four parts and has been jointly developed by UNICEF, Save the Children, the MHPSS Collaborative, and WHO. In times of disaster and other emergencies, in addition to essential support such as clothing, food, housing, and medical care, there are child-specific needs that must be met in order to restore children's mental health, such as providing opportunities for playing and learning. By working on the translation, I can learn about the support and mental care that the children need. Mental health care in emergencies is a field that has only recently received attention and is still in its infancy. Therefore, it is very rewarding and gratifying to work in such a field.
Photo by Save the Children
In addition to translating "I Support My Friend," I also had the opportunity to participate in meetings with the team and all staff. Participating in these meetings can get a complete picture of how our team or organization is activity and what issues they are addressing. Furthermore, I also participated in a study session held within Save the Children Japan the other day. If there are opportunities like this in the future, I would like to active participation in them as an internship.
I just started my internship a month ago, and there are still many things I don't know and can't do. Despite this, I am very grateful for the environment in which I can do my internship and the people who guide me, as I can learn many things every day. I will be a fourth-year undergraduate student next spring, and I hope to have the motivation to learn new things and challenge myself to do many things.