The first free hug event that the Empathy team carried out on July 18 has been uploaded to the YouTube. Please take a look. (Akagi)
In conducting the “Hug me, Iwaki”, we came to realize that there are many different sorts of divides and that people all have individual awareness of the issues. We hoped to link together “people living in Iwaki” and “people visiting Iwaki” and “people who are away from Iwaki”. Despite the differences in circumstances and awareness, we believe that the free hug is a gesture that we can all share. 
 By filming the event and uploading to the network, we are also delivering a sense of involvement to the “people who are away from Iwaki”.

On Dec. 14, the CR Empathy Team participated in a Christmas event at Izumitamatsuyu Temporary Housing in Izumi, Iwaki-city.  It a large scale housing estate where 200 families from Tomioka-cho, near the nuclear power plant, are living.  The awareness of the residents is high and they get together and conduct events on a regular basis.
The Christmas event was organized by resident volunteers and volunteers from outside the area.  Wreath-making using woolen yarn by 9 students from the Social Engineering course and Art and Design course started at 9:30 in the morning and was over in about an hour.  Twenty groups, over 50 people ranging from a 3 year-old to the elderly, participated and enjoyed working together with the students.
The wreaths were hung from the ceiling and became decorative displays for the Christmas event that followed.  We plan to keep in touch for the next fiscal year and would like to discuss about the “mud game project” that we had initially planned. (Osaka)