Voices of PRENGO members
Voice from the founding members
<Background of establishment >
The goal at the time of establishing PRENGO was to improve the literacy rate in poor areas. As economic growth enriches the entire country, Not everything developed. Various problems were required to be solved. Therefore, we established PRENGO.
<Message>
As a student organization, opportunities are limited for us. There's not much that we can do.
From now on, I will do my best to help someone, just simple things, I want you to continue to be an organization that you pursue.
Representative Hibiki KAWAMURA
<Reason for belonging>
Desire to contribute to someone or something through volunteer work. Interest in development and support. Curious about a world I didn't know about. Interest in Southeast Asian countries.
<What did you do when you belonged to PRENGO>
Desire to contribute to someone or something through volunteer work. Interest in development and support. Curious about a world I didn't know about. Interest in Southeast Asian countries.
<What did you get?>
Desire to contribute to someone or something through volunteer work. Interest in development and support. Curious about a world I didn't know about. Interest in Southeast Asian countries.
<Other comments>
Desire to contribute to someone or something through volunteer work. Interest in development and support. Curious about a world I didn't know about. Interest in Southeast Asian countries.
Vice Representative Kenshrio ITAYA
<Reason for belonging>
The reason I joined PRENGO is because it is a mutual volunteer organization that actually goes there on its own feet and works in cooperation with local residents. I think it's the charm of PRENGO that you can hear the voices of local residents instead of ending it with self-satisfaction.
<What did you do when you belonged to PRENGO>
Last year, I visited Kogapu Village in the summer as a product development department. As the withdrawal from the village of Kogapu was decided, we had a withdrawal ceremony with the village mayor and community members at the end. After traveling in the summer, I changed from the product development department to the market development department, and now I am developing new products at a new support site.
<What did you get?>
I learned to be consistent in philosophy, goals, and activities. I believe that the process of setting goals for the department based on the philosophy of PRENGO and considering activities to achieve those goals is a necessary force in society.
<Other comments>
The trip has resumed, and the traditional PRENGO is being restored. There are a lot of difficulties, but we'll work together to do meaningful activities.
Vice Representative Rinka SUGIKI
<Reason for belonging>
I liked Thailand, and when I wanted to belong to some kind of volunteer club at university, I felt that it was the best match for me.
<What are you doing at PRENGO?>
As a product development department, I developed new products and opened stores at the kurukuru market. On the trip, we held a retreat ceremony in Ramduan County, where we have been indebted so far. Since the new system, I have been active as a vice president.
<What did you gain from the activity?>
It is price setting when selling products at the market, even if you make a plan carefully, it is rare that things go according to it, and by actually going there, you can respond on the spot and grasp the situation. I feel empowered.
<Other comments>
I will do my best to make PRENGO a better place!
Vice Representative Ninara UK
<Reason for belonging>
Since high school, I have always been interested in volunteer activities. When doing those activities, one does not only contribute to the societies and communities, but one also learns from the people one’s working with and the communities. And PRENGO is the place for both, learning and helping the communities.
<What did you do when you belonged to PRENGO>
Since my 1st year, I have been involving in as many activities of PRENGO as I could. Before March 2022, I was not able to come to Japan, so I did every activity from my home country. I was part of the Supporting department at the time, and we worked closely with People in Surin, Thailand. We usually have meetings with them to ask questions about their livelihood, and the problems that they are facing. In addition, I was also part of the Freshman camp and Classroom of Initiatives. In Classroom of Initiatives, I was involved in teaching children in Thailand about the Japanese language.
<What did you get?>
From every activity that I did in PRENGO, I learned something from it. As an international student at PRENGO, I learned the way of Japan. I learned the Japanese way of making an activity proposal, I learned the way of talking in Japanese, I learned the Japanese way of working as a group. I would be lying if I say everything went smoothly for me in PRENGO. There were many trials and errors, and miscommunications. But I’d also be lying if I say it is impossible to overcome them. Thanks to those trials and errors, I have become aware of PRENGO and Japanese culture more than ever before, which make my role of vice-representative easier for me. In addition, I also gained precious friendships which I know I will cherish for a long time to come. I say from the bottom of my heart when I say PRENGO is my second family.
<Other comments>
My message to those who are thinking about joining PRENGO, especially international students, is please do not get intimidated by PRENGO. You can take it from me when I say studying at APU is not complete if you do not experience PRENGO. To PRENGO members, I thank you all for the effort that you put in every activity in PRENGO. I really appreciate it. To partners and supporters, PRENGO would not exist without your help and your support, and I thank you very much for that.
Current Member
Asuka IMAMURA
（APM/20th )
Exchange Department
<Reason for belonging>
I had a vague interest in volunteer activities and the Asian region even before I entered APU, and decided to enter APU out of curiosity, wanting to take on the challenge of making the most of the APU environment.
<What do you do in your department?>
I've been working as a member of the new supporting department for about half a year. During my summer trip, I was mainly involved in the planning and execution of the market, and I feel that I was able to gain a variety of experiences as a first-year student. After the summer trip, I am working as the department leader of the newly established exchange department.
<What I learned from the activity>
Ability to think and make decisions
I feel that I have developed the ability to set goals, think about what needs to be done until then, and make choices.
<Other comments>
I like that PRENGO is full of wonderful members who can have a good balance between when they are having fun and when they are concentrating!
Gaku KANDA
( APS/20th )
Market Development Department
<Reason for belonging>
I was originally interested in volunteering, and learned about the existence of PRENGO at a multi-group information session. When I heard that they were actually active in Thailand, I decided to join the club because I definitely wanted to join this group.
<What do you do in your department?> ＞
Based on the survey I conducted when I traveled to Thailand in the summer of 2022, I have held many meetings with the local people and are developing products and new products using vegetable dyes.
<What I learned from the activity>
What I gained through my activities at PRENGO is objectivity. We have more opportunities to think about doing what the local people want, rather than doing what we want to do as volunteers, and trying to put ourselves in the other person's point of view.
<Other comments>
PRENGO is a place where you can meet the best friends who can experience the hardest and the most fun together!
Ikumi KOGA
( APS/20th )
Education Department
<Reason for belonging>
I had participated in several volunteer activities before, and when I was at university, I wanted to expand my activities even further, and when I found PRENGO, I decided to join. Above all, I was interested in educational support, so now I belong to the education department.
<What do you do in your department?> ＞
Now I mainly conduct research activities and exchange meetings at local schools. After the survey is over, we plan to start moving toward solving the issues we found through it.
<What I learned from the activity>
I had a hard time communicating in different languages, but when I went to the site, I was able to realize the importance of facial expressions and gestures. In addition, although I still have little experience, I feel that I have cultivated the ability to respond and plan. I will continue to work to acquire more skills in the future.
<Other comments>
I want to be aware of and responsible for being a member of PRENGO, and I want to cooperate with seniors, classmates, and juniors who will join us in the future, and achieve further development as an organization!
Yuzuki YAMADA
( APS/19th )
PR Department
<Reason for belonging>
Through my travels in Thailand as a PRENGO member, I wanted to interact with the local children and share my experiences both inside and outside of PRENGO!
<What do you do in your department?> ＞
I mainly update Instagram and Facebook!
<What I learned from the activity>
I was able to acquire the skills to PR with an objective point of view about what kind of ingenuity we can do to get more people interested in our activities!
<Other comments>
We will deliver the information in PRENGO as soon as possible!
OB & OG
Hide SAKAGAMI
(12th)
New Supporting Department (Agriculture/Tourism Department), Representitive
<Reason for joining>
Because it was an organization where we could decide our activities.
<What did you do during your affiliation>
We selected three regions in Thailand/Surin province and selected the area where PRENGO is active.
Decided to be in Kogapu Village, and decided to carry out activities centered on education, tourism, and agriculture after discussions with villagers.
Established and implemented a project by discovering issues and characteristics from a survey on the actual conditions of village education, tourism and agriculture.
<What you got>
I met a lot of seniors who gives me a lot of advices and motivations.
<Other comments>
It is a circle where you can decide everything from scratch. The heavy responsibility of the lives of the villagers and the future of the children will be weighed down by that much, but it is a place where you can realize the bold ideas of APU students.
Tomohiro USHIJIMA
(14th)
Foster Parents Evaluations, PR Department, Representitive
<Reason for joining>
When I was looking for an environment where I could seriously engage in activities, I met PRENGO, which had been working with APU's special organization from that time, and because of the large scale of the business content and the morale of the members, I decided to belong.
In the first year, I was interested in economic disparity, so I joined the foster parent club. After the foster parent withdrew, transferred to the public relations department to deepen the understanding of the entire PRENGO. When seniors retire, they are appointed as representatives in search of self-growth and organizational strength.
<What did you do during your affiliation>
In the foster parent department, management as a manager and completion of withdrawal flow from the former support area is completed.
The Public Relations Department operates SNS to disseminate information and holds photo exhibitions.
As a representative, organize all activities and improve the organizational structure.
<What you got from the activity>
The first is learning in development support. The activities input from the lectures led to deep learning. Also, since I am working in rural areas instead of cities, I was able to experience a different lifestyle from Japan, and it became an opportunity to think about how to live.
The second is learning in organizational behavior. Since PRENGO is composed of only students, we are able to work flexibly, but responsibilities are required for every actions. As a leader, sometimes as a follower, I have acquired the skills to work as an organization.
<Comment>
I joined PRENGO and met some great members. A senior who can be respected, a fellow who fights together, and a junior who grows every day. I think encountering people like this is the most valuable thing I got at PRENGO.
Nodoka Shibahara
(14th)
Education Department
<Reason for joining>
I was interested in educational volunteers and wanted to join PRENGO.
<What did you do during your affiliation>
Mainly donating books to elementary schools called library projects, we were involved in activities such as building a library and hand-washing projects to encourage children to learn the habit of hand-washing with soap. We also conducted activities to teach English and learn how to brush teeth properly.
<What you got from the activity>
I learned that to get things done, I need to communicate and work closely with a wide variety of people. Not only the PRENGO members but also the local people and those involved in the project, I realized that actively communicating and realizing better relationships will lead to the success of our activities.
<Comment>
I think PRENGO is an environment where you can broaden your horizon.
Mao MIKAJIRI
(15th)
Tourism Division,
PR Department,
Vice Representative
<Reason for joining>
I decided to join PRENGO because I wanted to have the opportunity to grow while making full use of the environment where APU can challenge something. At the same time as the tourism department, the public relations department is also a department. I chose the Tourism Department because I was interested in activities to expand the possibilities of the regions I am supporting and to make it a tourist destination. The reason for choosing the Public Relations Department is to better understand PRENGO and improve presentation and communication skills. For the last year, I acted as a deputy representative because I wanted to see my favorite activities from a different perspective and support the whole PRENGO.
<What did you do during your affiliation>
To make a tour including the support area, the Tourism Department has developed a product that utilizes the resources of the village and created a hands-on program to make a tour that includes support areas. In the Public Relations Department, the contents of PRENGO activities were disseminated using SNS and presentations, and as the deputy representative, the management of the entire circle and the care of members were carried out.
<What you got from the activity>
First, I was able to understand my role in the group. Having experienced not only the staff but also the manager and the vice-representative, I became able to understand my strengths and weaknesses and think about what I could do. The second is the ability to think. I was able to learn the thinking process of not only thinking about immediate activities but setting goals with goals in mind and thinking about activities in line with them.
<Comment>
Through the activities of PRENGO, I experienced various things. Activities in an environment different from usual are often tough, but for the past three years, I was able to grow myself, supported by the encounters with people in the support area and members of PRENGO. Do not forget to challenge and have fun!
Jumpei ONO
(16th)
Agriculture Divison,
Representative
<Reason for joining>
When I entered APU, I was looking for an environment where I could try new things and develop myself.
So I met PRENGO and felt that working in this group would be my challenge, so I joined the circle.
<What did you do during your affiliation>
Completed withdrawal of the Agriculture Department from the former support site.
Conducted a survey of Surin & Chiang Rai in Thailand and selected the active area as the Surin area.
Organize activities in PRENGO.
<What you got>
I was able to know how I can contribute to the organization, including my strengths and weaknesses.
Also, I was able to meet seniors, syncs, and juniors who can help each other.
<Other comments>
Through the activities so far, I felt that power of our students is really small.
There is also not much we can do for our student body.
However, I think there are things that we can do and things that only we can do.
"What can we do for the villagers?"
I will continue to do my utmost to keep this question in mind.
Daichi NAGAMOTO
(APS 3rd year / 17th)
PR Department
<Reason for joining>
I am Daichi Nagamoto, who belongs to the 17th term public relations department. The reason I joined PRENGO was that I wanted to join a volunteer club and I wanted to make friends. There are several volunteer circles in APU, but I thought it was very APU-like for me to go to Thailand and do activities, so I decided to join PRENGO.
<What did you do in your department?>
My main activities at my travel destination are photography and posting to SNS. On my last trip, I took about 6,000 photos. We will make a video with the photo and hold a photo exhibition. I will also use the picture to post about the activities of each department on that day. For activities in Japan, we give presentations to high school students and send announcements of PRENGO briefing sessions on SNS. Also, if there are other activities to be done in Japan, we will update the SNS as needed!
<What you got from the activity>
Also, after joining PRENGO, I was able to make many friends. When I joined PRENGO, my English improved.
I was an interpreter for an international student during a meeting of the Public Relations Department, so naturally, my English ability improved.
<Comment>
Friends made with PRENGO can be very good friends, so PRENGO is recommended for making friends.
Shino USHIJIMA
(APS 4th year / 17th)
Education Division,
New Supporting Department
<Reason for joining>
Since I like to get along with people, I decided to join PRENGO, specifically to the New support department where I could interact with a lot of people
<What did you do in your department?>
During the summer of 2019, the new support department conducted a questionnaire to local villagers to determine the next support location. Also, the education group taught elementary school children how to wash their hands and conducted morning reading activities.
<What you got from the activity>
During this trip, I had something to communicate with each other that I couldn't understand, but I couldn't understand each other's words, but I couldn't express them because I had been working together for two weeks. Also, since the new support department and the education team spend a lot of time interacting with people, I was able to feel the warmth of the people and motivate them to work hard together.
<Comment>
PRENGO is a good because the members spend a lot of time together. Also, not only the horizontal connection but also the vertical connection is strong, so you can learn various things from seniors. I haven't been to PRENGO for about a year now, but I feel it's very fulfilling.
Jihun KANG
(APM 3rd year / 17th)
Agriculture Division,
New Supporting Department, PR Department
〈Reason for belonging〉
I wasn't interested in agriculture from the start.
However, I decided to enter after hearing the explanation of my senior at the PRENGO Agricultural Department.
When I joined PRENGO, I was in a state where I couldn't speak Japanese at all.
I thought that I could contribute to club activities by joining the PRENGO and expressing my opinions.
〈What are you doing in your department〉
In Japan, we held meetings every week, and created manuals while exchanging opinions with senior and motivated members.
I also visited farmers in Oita Prefecture to learn about organic farming and to experience farming.
I went around the village and heard feedback from villagers and collaborators about the activities of the agricultural team, and participated in agricultural-related events.
The most memorable activity for me was to explain organic farming to the villagers.
I think it was a good activity that not only interested villagers but also helped them in practical ways.
Even if the meeting continues until late at night and the scorching sun over my head during the promotion is intense, it is a very precious memory for me because it was hard work.
〈What was gained through activities〉
With the help of kind seniors and motives, I was able to freely spread my opinions and improve my Japanese skills.
Not only the members of the agricultural department, but also the members of other departments helped me improve my Japanese.
〈Other Comments〉
When asked to choose the most memorable thing in my university life, I would choose PENGO without hesitation.
PRENGO gave us more memories than we can describe.
I hope that more students will participate in the PRENGO and gain experience like me.