Volunteering for TOKYO2020 - Field Cast Training Commenced, VEM and VCC Training (TOKYO2020ボランティア - フィールドキャスト研修開始、VEM・VCC研修開始)

After receiving the acceptance notification from TOKYO2020 Organizers that I got selected as part of its volunteer organization for TOKYO2020 Olympics, they sent their notification about the Field Cast General Training - Elearning course materials. All the training materials were written both in English and Japanese.  On May 13, 2020, they announced the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With regard to the schedule for Role Specific Training and the timing of Uniform /Accreditation card pick up, which was originally scheduled to begin in April of 2020, they shared another schedule, I believe this decision was made due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

On December 12, 2020, after a whole year of e-learning courses, I was informed with the roles and venues from which I will be participating. I was assigned as a Team Leader for two departments: Event Services (EVS) Team and Venue Management (VEM)/Venue Communication Center (VCC). Under the EVS training, the topics they tackled were about the mission of EVS, EVS Specific activities, EVS Field Rules, What kinds of job responsibilities EVS entails, counter measures against COVID-19, The History and Significance of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and also Diversity and Inclusion. Under the VEM/VCC training, the main goals are to learn the basic information about the competition venues such as the traffic perimeter, vehicle screening area, vehicle access and/or parking permits pedestrian screening area, etc., to understand the role of VEM which is categorized under client service, venue and infrastructure, commerce, governance, tournament service, convention products and service. 

Volunteering for SIGGRAPH Los Angeles 2019 Conference (SIGGRAPH ロサンゼルス 2021 カンファレンスへのボランティア)

Having the chance to be part of the world's renowned conference in CG, the ACM SIGGRAPH conferences, it was thrilling to learn new techniques in computer graphics and animation. I had a chance to be part of the Student Volunteers group as a Team Leader. The conference was held from Jul 28, 2019 – Aug 1, 2019 but our team arrived in Los Angeles few days before the conference proper to discuss thoroughly the whole plan for the entire week. 

As part of being a volunteer for SIGGRAPH conferences, we volunteers are entitled to have Full Conference access (equivalent to 1100 USD or approximately equal to 164050.70 Yen) to any venues, exhibits, technical papers, and many more. Also, we were given the chance to showcase our research theme to other researchers and professors across the globe. The conference also offered free meals to the volunteers plus accommodation too! Being able to take part and manage huge numbers of volunteers from different parts of the world was a great responsibility which gave me some insights to broaden my understanding and open-mindedness in terms of diversity, inclusivity, and the like. 

And guess what!? I saw, met and had a chance to speak with Prof. Greg Turk, one of the famous contributors and researchers in the field of computer graphics. He is globally known for his significant contributions to computer graphics research and education. My master's thesis is also related to his research so it was a great pleasure to meet him in person in LA! 

We also had a chance to visit the headquarters of Walt Disney in LA! We had a grand tour inside the Walt Disney Animation Studios as well! 

Volunteering for TOKYO2020 - Registration and Orientation (TOKYO2020ボランティア - 登録)

When I was still a graduate student in Ritsumeikan, I chose to be a representative of my university and decided to apply on December 20, 2018 for the much awaited olympics in 2020 here in Japan. 

After registering my information to the official webpage of TOKYO2020 Olympics, I received their notification that I was selected for the volunteer role on May 29, 2019 and informed me about the details of the orientation and the location. Since my address is based in Kansai, the orientation was held in Osaka Social Welfare Guidance Center. The orientation was well organized with the respective schedules dedicated for volunteers who need sign language interpretation. 

The day before the orientation I received an email regarding the procedure and items to bring on the day of the Tokyo 2020 orientation session. The orientation was held on July 12, 2019 and agenda was organized in the following order:

1) Registration: At reception desk from 30 minutes before the start of the orientation session 

2) Information session and group activities (45 min): Explanations on the procedure for the orientation session (interviews and proof of identity) and future schedules will be held. Group activities aimed at allowing volunteers to get to know each other better will also be conducted. 

3) Interview (10 min): The interview will consist of two volunteers being interviewed at the same time by two interviewers. The volunteers will be asked about their thoughts on how to ensure the success of the Games. 

4) Proof of identity (5-10 min): A check will be conducted to ensure there are no discrepancies between the personal identification (original copy) used on your original application and the Orientation(Osaka-shi) for the day of the orientation session (details included on the document and validity of the document for the day of the interview will be checked).

English Christmas Activity 2018 with International Students and Neighbors at Ritsumeikan!

Spearheading events with your international friends in your university is a great opportunity for brainstorming and sharing bright ideas to bring happiness to others! We started off the event with a game called "Blow the Balloons" wherein the participants have to find their strategies for their balloons to be blown off or to be blown away as higher as possible without using their hands (only mouth). The following game was done by asking the participants to pronounce the words of saying "Hello" in other country's languages as this is counted for the team's scores. They also need to answer few questions from these respective countries to gain points. The last game was intended to let the participants transfer the candies/snacks from one box to their team's respective boxes and whoever team got the most number of goodies would gain the highest score.

 We also had an interesting activity which what we called "Thanksgiving Plate", and we asked each and every participant to pick from the pre-cut photos/images which they're thankful for. We were all amazed and mesmerized with each and everyone's response which yielded from sharing our diversified perspectives to sharing friendly moments, happiness, and joy.

Finally, after tallying all the scores from the previous games, we announced all the winners and gather together for the final picture taking moment. :)

Volunteering For SIGGRAPH 2018 Tokyo Conference

Getting involved to something related to your research is a fun-filled experience mixed with meeting new folks across the globe sharing the passion for computer graphics and animation! Volunteering paved the way for us SIGGRAPH volunteers to help out the conference operate smoothly for attendees, presenters, contributors, visitors, and many more. Student volunteers from all parts of the world were also invited to showcase their research studies to the conference (including mine) to receive feedback and also share our respective research focuses to a wide audience.

At the end of the workweek, we had a grand celebration for a successful conference and all of us volunteers got the chance to receive amazing prizes and rewards! So what are you waiting for? If you're a student with a passion and drive for computer graphics/animation, this is something you'd give a try! Come and join the future SIGGRAPH Volunteer Programs!

English Christmas Camp with Ritsumeikan SYB Volunteers

It's really exciting to participate in a Christmas Camp especially with the help of our university friends from Ritsumeikan University. Lots of activities were held in the English Camp - Christmas Edition. We exchanged gifts with the kids including the Japanese volunteer organizers and our co-volunteers from different universities such as Osaka University, Kobe University, Kansai University, Kyoto University, and many more. We also got the chance to wear Santa Claus costumes as part of the relay games wherein the kids have to take their presents from the Santa Claus's bags and transfer to their respective team's collection boxes.  We also did some Christmas cards to our parents as a form of our love and appreciation which will be sent to the parents afterwards. We also had the opportunity to dance together with the staff and kids which obviously added to the success of the whole camp. 

Special thanks to Ms. Shizuka, Mr. Fikri, Ms. Kat, Mr. Yuuki, and Mr. Haruki...

English Water Camp With Tohoku Kids (東北キッズと英語ウォーターキャンプ)

This is one of our very remarkable moments sharing the happiness, love and care with the kids from Tohoku area. We participated in one of the camps spearheaded by a Japanese organization which aims to provide happiness, smile and hope to the kids who were affected and are still traumatized by Tohoku disaster happened way back year 2011. At first, the kids were totally silent and shy, but the activities we have incorporated in the camp helped them overcome their fear of water. We did play water gun activities from which kids had to hit the paper target. We also enjoyed playing water balloons with them which boosted their self-confidence and self-esteem. As a result, the kids turned into cheerful and active individuals after the camp.

この活動は、東北地方の子供達に幸せと愛、援助を提供した記憶に残る活動の一つです。 私たちは、2011年東北の震災で影響を受けた子どもたちに幸せと笑顔、希望を提供することを目的としたキャンプに参加しました。最初は子供たちあまり話そうとしませんでしたが、私たちが企画したゲームのおかげで水への恐怖を克服してくれたようでした。内容としては、紙で作られた的に水鉄砲で水をとばすというものです。また、他の活動を通して子供たちの自信と自尊心を高め、そして、私たちは子供たちに元気を与えることができたのではないかと考えています。