RESULTS: SL Photography & Video Contest in Summer 2020

The screening of the "SL Photography & Video Contest (*)", which was open until August 31, 2020, has been completed, and excellent works have been selected.

* We organized the Photography & Video contest for ICU students and faculty members. This summer, we assumed that many people would spend their time at home or in the local area due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we have decided to collect photos and videos with the theme of "Attractiveness of local communities."

[FIRST PRIZE] Volunteering at a Local Organic Farmer

*Click the image to enlarge.

NAME: Okei

EXPLANATIONS：I went to my hometown, an organic farmer in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, to support farming with my friends. Organic farming is laborious and extremely difficult because it does not use pesticides. We helped farmers from morning till evening with friends who agreed with farmers' idea that they want to deliver safe and secure vegetables to consumers and make people happier, even if it takes time. A farmer who usually cares for vast fields and rice fields almost alone, said, "You helped me a lot." At noon, we enjoyed a curry made from vegetables in the field and had a meaningful time talking about the future of Japanese agriculture. For future, I would like to increase more friends who would work with me for local agriculture, which supports the basis of our daily life.

REASONS WHY SELECTED：

・ It is great that we can see the sense of "unity" from the photos that she engaged in her local town. We can also find dirty boots which make us think she might have worked so hard on the tomato harvest, and her look of enthusiasm with the "agriculture fashion" seems very nice as well.

・ There is an attitude of trying to see daily life from a different perspective while spending time with local farmers and friends.

・ We can find her desire to promote local agriculture. The theme colors of each photo look unique and beautiful. It can be also part of SL activities, including interaction with farmers.

[OTHER WORKS] Time Travel

NAME：Ms. Yui Hirata

EXPLANATION：The city where I live is a mixture of the past and the future. While high-rise apartments and buildings have an urban atmosphere, old-fashioned shopping streets and alleys still remain. Here you can enjoy nostalgia and newness over time. In addition, the rich greenery and the brilliant night view heal people's minds and bodies. It is a cozy city that is easy to spend both as an office district and a living district.

[OTHER WORKS] Doing my best even in the hottest days of Summer!

※画像をクリックすると拡大します。

NAME：Shin

EXPLANATION：Continue to working hard during the summer hear, for me and for the civil society development as well. (Saitama Prefecture)

COMMENTS

Thank you to all the students who submitted your works! This year while various activities are restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we assumed that many people will spend their summer at parents' home or local area. This is why we have decided to collect photos and videos which show the attractiveness of local communities. As a result, it is a pleasure to share these unique works here with everyone, in which you can find interactions with farmers and PR photos of local agriculture, videos that show the local town from the perspective of mixing old and new, and local citizens who work hard under the scorching sun.

We hope that this will help more students to rediscover the attractiveness of the local community and get interested in local service activities. Moreover, we would like to continue to propose projects that will make everyone more interested in service-learning. Any requests or inquiries are always welcome. Thank you!