Campus Life - Letters from MIT College and community By Shin Kuwaki	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
大学生の課外活動 大学の授業以外に、専門知識を深めたり見聞を広める上で役立つものに課外活動があります。マサチューセッツ工科大学でもさまざまな課外活動プログラムが用意されており、多くの学生が参加しています。今まで病院でのボランティア活動などに取り組んできた桑木さんは最近、知的障害を持つ子供たちと運動競技会へ参加しました。

"Jam'nastics" プログラムにボランティアとして関わっている筆者（左から2番目）は、ほかのメンバーとともに State Games に参加した

During my first year in college, I participated in several volunteer activities. Through the MIT ReachOut Program, I visited a local public school to teach reading and writing to elementary school students on a biweekly basis.

I also taught a course in experimental biology to a group of high-school students through the High School Studies Program (HSSP), which gives university students the opportunity to design and teach a course in their topic of interest. These topics can be anything from the basic sciences, such as math and physics, to writing science fiction and creating computer games.

These highly interactive volunteer programs have established a close connection between the school and its neighboring communities.

In my second year, I participated in a volunteer program at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where I helped discharged patients around on their wheelchairs and kept them company while waiting for their families to arrive.

This was an especially meaningful experience for me, since it has influenced my decisions regarding a possible future career in medicine. Many students who want to study medicine in the future choose to volunteer at one of the several hospitals in the Boston and Cambridge area, where they can participate in assisting clinical research or doing volunteer work.

Currently, I am participating in a gymnastics class that is part of a special weekend program called "Jam'nastics." Through this program, children with disabilities are taught gymnastics so that they can compete at the Special Olympics, an athletics event for the mentally challenged. Every Saturday morning, at the MIT gymnasium, I and five other volunteers work with the class's nine students on their gymnastics routines.

We practice routines according to the students' age and experience, while always keeping their disabilities in mind. For example, care must be taken when working with children who have difficulty communicating, controlling their emotions, or paying attention to certain things. Other children lack judgmental skills, which can put them in great danger of injuring themselves.

At first I was nervous because I had no experience or expertise in working with children with disabilities. However, I later discovered that the volunteer work only required one mandatory training session in how to coach for the Special Olympics.

After completing this training session, I realized that it was only the beginning. The truly difficult part was to learn how to interact with the students in a respectful and mature manner, yet to simultaneously fulfill my role as an instructor. Considering their disabilities, I could not be too strict about correcting the mistakes in their routines, but at the same time I could not be too lenient with them either. This delicate balance is something that I am still struggling to perfect.

Recently, we attended the State Games, which is another competition for the mentally challenged that is held during the summer. In addition to the actual gymnastics competitions, we also enjoyed meeting other participants from the East Coast, and attending events like the opening ceremony with nationally acclaimed musical/theatrical troupe Blue Man Group, as well as the dance party held at the conclusion of the State Games.

It has been a memorable summer experience for all of us, and it is one of the reasons why I think students continue to participate in such volunteer activities even after graduating from school.

Shukan ST: June 27, 2003

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