Kizuna - Recovery & Rebirth
23 CPS students had the honor of participating in the 2013 Kizuna program. These students spent 13 days in Japan learning about the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. We spent time in the affected areas in Miyagi Prefecture. To the left you will a link to our blog that. Kelt while in Japan. Below you will find our stories.
Augustine
GEJE : survivor stories
I am going to have a website/blog with various survivor stories. It will be a place to read about firsthand accounts of the disaster, as well as their thoughts on the situation and how it was handled.
Jake: Japanese safety
I am going to give a presentation on tsunami safety and the procedure used when facing a tsunami. I chose this because in (America) the Midwest, we don't have tsunamis. We travel all the time, what happens if we are traveling to a foreign country and there is a tsunami. We need to be prepared and ready for anything.
Matt
I'll make a blog that explains the damages caused by the tsunami and tells survivors' stories. This will help people better understand what the Japanese people went through and are still going through today as a result of the tsunami.
Macaulay
The presentations premises consists mainly of how Japan's beliefs, and way of thinking affects how they go about the physical as well as overbearing mental issues, that have oppressed them. Basically the way they act, and how they handle issue that approach them.
Alex
My presentation is going to show how the tsunami effected Japan as a whole country and will describe the after effect of the earthquake. I will mention how the on going recovery effort is going and how they plan to rebuild. Also will show what we can do to make cities safer from tsunamis. My presentation will include a video of the tsunami, also photos that I took.
My website about my experience.
Britta
My presentation will be titled The Great Japan Earthquake: The Before and After. My presentation will be about the different areas we have visited that have been effected by the earthquake and Tsunami, showing how the areas have been destroyed and the processes they are taking toward recovery. I will also talk about efforts Japan has been making as a whole to recovering from this disaster, and showing a few of the numbers we were given.
Cole
My presentation will be called "Memories: Past, Present, & Future." I want to write a collection of poems to show not only the destruction of the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the resiliency of the affected people and the current reconstruction efforts. I plan on submitting the poems to my school and my city's newspapers. I hope that my poems will aptly convey my feelings and touch the hearts of those who read them.
Molly
I will be doing three presentations:
1)"Do not forget us"- this will be a presentation talking about how we must not forget about what happened in Japan and also there is much to be learned from Japan. I will tell the stories to help enforce my point and I will also include unique Japanese culture to help my classmates better understand the Japanese and where they are coming from.
2)"Kindness and Happiness in Japan"- this will be a presentation of 5 pictures that portray what I find, or the Japanese find, to be kind or happy. ( What stirs up happy feelings)
3)"Rescue Efforts for the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE)"- Presentation on the rescue efforts in Japan for both the earthquake and the tsunami. Including the discussion of PTSD and the mental issues that accompany such a tragedy. Then I will also discuss the efforts taken to provide care for the survivors.
Grant
My presentation will be called "Never to Forget". I want to make a PowerPoint presentation on the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake on the surrounding area and the people of Japan. I will be putting together a presentation including pictures from my trip and online sources. I would like to show the effects of the GEJE through the use of pictures and quotes so that no one forgets the tragedy that destroyed the lives of so many people. I will use pictures of the after effects of the earthquake and tsunami showing the effects on the land such as making in barren and destroying so much of it, and the effects on the people such as the loss of homes and the suicide of survivors due to the loss of the will to live without their families, friends, and community.
Nellie
My power-point presentation will be called "3月11日2011年: Japan in a Time of Great Crisis". I will present this project in my classes for schoolmates and administrators, as well as guest-speaking and story-telling (with the aid of pictures, whenever possible) for friends, family, coworkers, and others I meet throughout my life. This presentation will include the actual events around, after, and during the 2011 Great North-Eastern Tsunami of Japan; including survivor stories, memories of those who were taken by the tsunami, current status of the affected areas and people, and the steps which need to be taken next.
Aaron: Raising Awareness of the 3-11-11 Crisis
I will be making a photo video presentation that will attempt to raise awareness about the reality of the tsunami and earthquake that affected the northeastern coast of Japan leaving catastrophic damage. I will present the damage assessment photos to show the reality of the damage left behind, show first hand accounts of experiences during the 3-11-11 crisis. I will also how the reconstruction is doing currently and the expected completion of the project. I will also answer any questions that the community has to ask about the presentations. I will not answer any personal questions.
Halim
I will make a video showing the effects that was caused by all the tsunami and/or earthquake and showing the aftermath it left behind and show what was left behind. Later i will show the progression that the Japanese people have gone through to get to we're they got to now and show how they are trying to rebuild there city's and country as a whole.
Jace
I shall write a graphic novel entitled "10 Minutes". The story is based upon the stories of survivors of the Tsunami that wiped out entire towns, and follows fictional character Yuuki Raion. The story aims to convey the emotions and experiences of these survivors to the American people.
Amanda: the effects of religion and personal beliefs on the reactions and recovery to the tsunami in Japan.
I will creat a picture video with a narration about the story's and effect of the tsunami on the people of Japan. Then I will go into the progress made by the Japanese people and what still needs to be done. I will also go into how the Japanese people react to the tsunami and how their religion and /or personal beliefs help in effecting their reactions.
Erin
Japan v.s America: This persuasive speech will show how the cultural differences of Japan creates a over all more secure philosophy to deal with and evaluate catastrophe. Also manages to grow around and adapt to these obstacles quickly.
Water mark: this will be a water color collection of land scrapes and other photos take wile visiting the effected arias. ( may come with poetry) I hope that as the sight of the damaged arias effected me they will also leave a mark on the minds of those who see this. In this way it will stain their memory's and hold in their minds in retrospect.
Discussion: spirituality and disaster:a church discussion that will follow up of a recap of the entire church in full view ( is open to all with willing ears) will over look in greater understanding of all the above.
Brittany:
While I plan to do a presentation in my German class, that will not be the main vehicle of my project. I have a blog with a relatively high readership, and I'd like to make a series of posts, one that can be followed for at least a week or so. And, along with that, I'd like to make a conclusion video that I could post on YouTube, giving my audience a look at my personal feelings on the Kizuna trip and the Japanese disaster. The main focus of my projects will be the lasting mental damage that the Japanese people sustained, and the consistent and contemporary need for support, in not only the monetary and physical sense, but also the mental.
Evan: the road to recovery
I was planning on blogging the days accounts and events, but now I wish to write about the recovery and reconstruction processes, and show how far things have improved. I plan on discussing the aftermath effects of the tsunami, both metal and physical, such as saltation of land, trash piles, cities relocating, and how social media covers up the recovery process. I will use my days findings to back up my point of view. I am also working with my school newspaper as the international correspondent, and am sending them daily findings about the recovery processes.
Cate: recover from disaster: east Japan.
I am planning on doing a power point presentation on Japan before it was hit by the tsunami and how peaceful it was before hand. Then the next part of the power point was going to be when the tsunami hit Japan and what people did to survive. I'm going to show pictures of what I took and saw and describe my feelings and how the people living in that area felt as well. I will uses the stories that the people told us as an example of how they recovered from the tsunami. These things are what I'm going put on the power point and I hope that people are going to understand what I'm saying in this power point.
Mary Arnold: through an American's eyes.
My plan for the presentation is to make a movie that combines photos, statistics and a speech that all represent the dichotomy of Americas media covering of the tsunami and great east Japan earthquake vs. the on going struggle to get facts more full roundedly represented. The main points if my movie will be;
1- Fukushima and radiation truths
2-the on going need to support other than physical.
3-American medias false advertising of the. Great east Japanese earthquake.
Jack Langen and Gabrielle Collette: The Ongoing Effects of the Great Eastern Earthquake
Our joint presentation will be a power point about the ongoing effects of the Great Eastern Earthquake and the tsunami that followed. The presentation will be an introduction to the events themselves followed by information on the ongoing repercussions endured by the Japanese people to this day. The presentation will lead to a blog that goes further into the depth of the aftermath with things such as personal stories of survivors.
Megan: Aftershocks
The project will be a piece of writing focusing about the psychological effects of the tsunami. It will show how losing important things can change someone in different ways. Also it will show how it affects different sorts of age groups. I would either submit it to a magazine or put it on a blog.
Tsuru no hito Koe (Voices of the Cranes)
This is a project that was spearheaded by a college student now graduated to show people in the Tohoko area that people where thinking of them and they hadn't been forgotten. His group also wanted to thank all of the countries that sent aid to Japan. When I met him when were were in Sendai. He was working on a video to using flags made of paper cranes of all the countries that helped Japan. Once it is done, a link will be posted here. Until then, you can see what this young man is doing.
This is a project headed up by Google to share photos and videos of before and after the tragedy on March 11, 2011.
Kizuna 2013 Links
Here you can learn all about our the recovery efforts in Japan from the March 11, 2011 Great East Earthquake
Student reflections of our tour of earthquake and tsunami affected areas of Miyagi prefecture