A School Moving Forward in Japan

It seems almost impossible that journey we have been since the earthquake and tsunami is only 2 and half weeks long. So much has happened and continues to happen that for many it may feel like a lot longer story.

Following the earthquake, the loss of electricity, the stopped train lines, the traffic jams, and the fury of the tsunami, the community at Yokohama International School (YIS) pulled together in unprecedented ways with detailed communication confirming that our students and faculty were unharmed, that students would be looked after, and that home stays would be provided for those that needed them.

The Door's Open - Welcome Back

In the wake of that solidarity but with tragic losses in Miyagi and the impact of the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant a complete unknown, the school closed as embassies and companies recommended that people enact extreme caution regarding their personal safety. Members of the YIS community responded as they needed to and in the majority of cases traveled overseas or to the southern portions of Japan to make sure they remained out of harm’s way.

At this stage a number of companies have lifted the temporary travel bans they issued for Japan and Japanese and foreign government representatives continue to release statements confirming that radiation levels do not currently pose health threats outside of the nuclear evacuations zones. In spite of this reassurance, it is known that the concerns at the Fukushima plant are not resolved and that the situation is still critical. After spending three weeks scattered all over the globe, the YIS community comes back together next week to resume our mission as a school.

As the country of Japan begins to put the pieces back together, we have the opportunity to reflect deeply on our experiences over the past several weeks, recognize the various ways we have managed to cope while separated, and come together having learned more about the resiliency of our community, the Japanese people, and ourselves as individuals.

While there are opportunities for growth from these tragic events, there are a number of factors that as a counseling team we will be working to make sure are attended to. A few that stand out as important to me are to:

• Acknowledge the process we have been through and the strength we exhibited on Friday, March 11th.
• Appreciate those of us who are back together but accept that there will be some that will not return. Plan how to contact those who have left the community to say goodbye.
• Share how to identify children and youth who are at greater risk for stress related issues and clarify how they will be supported.
• Support teachers and other school staff by providing information about stress reactions and guidance on how to best attend to their own needs, as well as, the needs of students.
• Engage in follow-up activities that promote healing including ample time to reconnect with each other and talk.
• Acknowledge the ways in which people have made progress over the past several weeks and share those with each other.
• Promote the availability of mental health staff within the school and the mental health support available in the greater community.
• Continue to point people toward resources that provide factual information. Everyone’s information needs are different but having access to the right information at the right time can make a huge difference.

Among others, two resources I found particularly helpful in putting these ideas together included:

Lazarus, P.J., Jimerson, S.R., & Brock, S.E. (2003). Responding to natural disasters: helping children and families. Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/naturaldisaster_teams_ho.aspx

Thorne, G, Lawson, C., & Thomas, Alice. (2005, September 28). Helping children and adolescents cope with disasters . Retrieved from http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/helping_children_cope_with_disasters.php?type=author&id=17

For a reflection on the information I use regarding the reality of living 240km from a faulty nuclear plant please see this post (click).- AC

Adam Clark is a school counselor at Yokohama International School in Yokohama, Japan. Find out more at http://whoisadamclark.com/who-is

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