HelloWorld Selected for City of Yokohama’s Educational Project

On Sunday, September 16, 2023 HelloWorld held in Yokohama the first “Yokohama English Quest” International Exchange project, as the recipient of the City of Yokohama‘s 2023 “Hamakko” Exchange Project Outsourcing Agreement.

The project was aimed towards junior high students attending public institutions in Yokohama and saw the participation of 82 pupils, who formed teams with 27 English speakers from 17 different countries. Together, they explored the City to complete missions using the English language, learning about each other’s culture while discovering the beauty of Yokohama as an international hub.

About the Project

On September 16, 82 junior high students took part in the “Yokohama English Quest” project and teamed up with 27 English-speaking international individuals, currently living in Japan with roots in 17 different countries, including Jamaica, France, Ukraine, Nepal, Canada.

After an ice-breaking session, each team worked independently to come up with strategies and solve missions (English quests). For every mission cleared the teams received points: towards the end of the 3.5 hours-long game, scores were calculated and during a Closing Ceremony the team with the highest score was awarded.

In order to solve their missions, which varied in complexity, participants explored the area around Zou-no-Hana Park and the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, while also learning about the City’s history and attractions.

Among the missions, the teams were faced with quests that required them to take pictures of different locations in Yokohama and encouraged the students to share the beauty of the place they live in with the English speakers: this process not only allowed them to practice their English skills to talk about their surroundings, but also offered the chance to discover new aspects about Yokohama.

Comments from the English speakers

Although some of the students were nervous at first, they did their best to complete the missions and communicate.

I loved talking to the students and we had so much fun together. We almost forgot about the time because we were so deeply ambitious in our missions.

Beside the history of Yokohama, I really enjoyed the beauty of Yokohama and how it welcomes many foreigners everyday. I’m also amazed to see the effort of Yokohama city towards English for kids.

External Links

Event Report with videos (from the City of Yokohama’s Official Website)▼

https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/kosodate-kyoiku/kyoiku/sesaku/school/230905yeqj.html

Video Reportage (Youtube)▼