【Activity Report】Origami Workshop at NYC Recreation Center – Crossing Language Barriers with a Single Sheet of Origami Paper

NYdV Teamleader
9月22日
読了時間: 2分

Hello everyone! We’re NY de Volunteer!

On Wednesday, May 21, we held an origami workshop at the New York City Recreation Center in Midtown East.

<What is a Recreation Center?>

Operated by NYC Parks, Recreation Centers are public facilities that provide spaces for interaction across generations, nationalities, and languages through diverse workshops and activities, either free of charge or at low cost.

NY de Volunteer has been collaborating with this Recreation Center for over 10 years, regularly introducing Japanese culture and engaging in volunteer activities.

<Event Highlights>

About 20 New Yorkers, ranging from children to seniors, joined the workshop! Two NYdV staff members and four volunteers managed the event on-site.

We started with simple origami figures such as dogs and cherry blossoms. Later, when participants requested “more challenging origami,” everyone tried their hand at folding shuriken (throwing stars) and other advanced pieces.

Origami naturally sparks smiles and conversation simply by moving your hands, even without speaking the same language. It is a simple yet warm tool for communication.

At the Recreation Center, where many immigrants and non-native English speakers gather, origami proved to be the perfect way to bridge language barriers.

<Reflections: A Place Where “Maybe I Can Do It Too” Spreads>

This workshop, where a single sheet of origami paper connected people across countries and languages and created smiles, was a reminder that intercultural exchange doesn’t have to be something extraordinary.

NY de Volunteer aims to provide “a place where anyone can take a small step forward,” creating volunteer opportunities that don’t require special skills or perfect English.

In this multicultural city, we continue to explore “what we, as Japanese, can uniquely contribute” while engaging with and supporting the local community.