The Personal Project is where MYP students produce their own projects that is completed over a prolonged period of time, aimed to build their Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills. The CAS Project is similar to the PP because it requires students to create their own project but the CAS project stresses collaboration and cooperation with a group of people. It is for the IBDP students and allows the students to engage with one or more CAS strand (creative, activity, and service). 

Students have the opportunity to continue what they had previously done in their PP and to continue it as a CAS project. Which is what one student, Erika Hatsuda from the class of 2022, had done with her project from the previous years. I decided to interview her to learn more about her efforts and what she had done in her project. I had asked her a series of questions in which she discussed more about her project and what she had done.

What was your personal project?

“My personal project was primarily to raise awareness about poverty in Japan. To achieve that, I went around Nishinari (a slum in Japan), gave out food and drinks to the homeless living around the area, and took pictures of the site and the people that I could upload on a website.”

Why did you decide to make your personal project on the topic of homeless in japan?

“Growing up and living in the Philippines for eight years and Indonesia for three, I saw poverty daily. Whether that was going to school or a nearby mall, I always saw people on the street asking for money. However, coming to Japan, I never saw that; thus, my curiosity regarding the topic increased, which was why when I brought up the issue during a personal project class/session, Mr. Nicholl (the personal project adviser/teacher at the time) suggested a previous student's CAS project, where (if I can recall) they went to the same slum to raise awareness in regards to poverty.”

Why pursue homelessness in Japan as your CAS project?

“Knowing that Japan prefers to keep the issue of poverty and homelessness hidden grew my curiosity and urged me to pursue it as my CAS project. The aim was to provide both myself and people a better understanding of poverty/homelessness in Japan (specifically Osaka) due to the lack of media attention the topic receives.”

Did you continue doing what you did in your PP for your CAS (like your methods)?

“I wish I could say yes, but due to the pandemic, I could not go to the slum and give out food to the homeless living there. Therefore I had to change plans. Rather than giving out food, I decided to start a completely new website with new and more detailed information, including facts and details about an organization that supports those living in Nishinari. Essentially, I was able to donate roughly ¥15,000, which allowed someone in Nishinari a temporary place to stay.”

What were your initial thoughts and goals to tackle this “issue”?

“My initial thought was to create a much bigger project in which I gathered people to help. However, with the pandemic, the constant state of emergency, and procrastination/lack of time management skills, that didn’t happen. I wanted/aimed to go to Nishinari multiple times to gather many images and experiences of people living there, allowing us to better understand and appreciate what we have since that is something we tend not to do. Therefore, hopefully, this article interests someone in pursuing a CAS/Personal Project regarding the lack of attention poverty in Japan/Osaka receives.”

The few years have been complicated due to Covid-19 and the restrictions placed. This made it more difficult for many students to properly follow through with their projects. At first, Erika had visited the areas frequented with people in poverty, offering them food and interacting with them to spread awareness on poverty in Japan as it is rarely talked about in Japanese media and seen in public areas. However, because of the rise in Covid cases, this made it difficult for Erika to go back to the slums which resulted in her editing and adding to her website, as she mentioned in the interview. Her website provides more information on poverty in Japan, her experience with the people in the slums through blogs, and it provides ways that to help the people facing financial difficulties.

Having gone to Nishinari, Erika had been able to take pictures and get a hands on experience on what the conditions were in these areas and emotional state of some of the people there.

Erika’s Website: https://hatsudaerika.wixsite.com/my-site 

I strongly advise to read through her website and see her experience with some of the people, and the reactions of those she had helped. Also look at the information on poverty in Japan as it provides statistical information on population and poverty rates.

Erika had seen the effects of poverty and how common slum areas were, having grown up in the Philippines and living in Indonesia. This had allowed her to investigate into looking at the ways in which poverty is present in Japan. She had compared her experience in the Philippines and Indonesia and had noticed how uncommon it was to see people living in the streets during her years in Japan. Which is why she decided to help in more ways than one through her Personal Project and her CAS project.