Latest News

Civic Force is currently supporting temporary housing residents, and on July 13, they held their first "Ochacco" (tea party) salon in the Tagonoura district. This event was a collaboration with the Kesen Area Wide Student Service Group and the Sanriku Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Research Institute.

Local high school students helped with shopping for the tea party and setting up the venue. They also planted flowers with the local residents.

Among the participants, there was a resident whose flowers had survived and were now replanted and growing at the entrance of their temporary home.

Once the flower planting was done, everyone gathered for tea. This time, the salon welcomed participants from the Ayasato district who are living away from their hometowns after the fires. This made for a valuable opportunity to discuss their lives since the disaster, their temporary housing situations, and to catch up on each other's recent news. 

After the event, the high school students from the Service Group also visited the fire site. They then held a debriefing session to discuss their reflections and plan future activities. One first time participant remarked, "It was fun, and I want to participate again. It was a valuable opportunity to learn things I didn't know, even though I live locally, and to see the situation on the ground firsthand." 

The next "Aozora Ochacco" will be postponed in August due to the intense heat and is planned to be held in both Tagonoura and Ayasato temporary housing areas once conditions are suitable. Civic Force will continue to support the activities of local young people and the creation of places for people to connect in temporary housing.