UP1 Personal Reflection ①

    I am interested in regional revitalization, but this was the first time I had heard from someone who actually succeeded it. So it was a very valuable and meaningful experience for me.

   I was impressed by some of her experiences. I will introduce three of them. The first one was her work to save children in the Philippines in 2015. I thought that regional revitalization was only something that happened in the small area where we lived in our own country. However, she focused on the "social issues" that were the source of regional revitalization, and I was impressed that she actually solved this problem, albeit to a small extent. Secondly, she even quit her original job to get involved in revitalizing this area. I thought it took a lot of courage for her to start a new initiative in an unfamiliar place, even though she had been working for a trading company in the city. The third point is her initiative. In particular, she gathered people together, took action, and organized the event on her own. I was impressed by how she researched and understood an unfamiliar place from scratch, and organized a wonderful event that brought together runners from all over the world.

📷https://n-ippo.en-jine.com/projects/matsudai-trailrun

   From her presentation, I learned that it would be best if we could use our interests and passions to contribute to the revitalization of the local community. She had been doing trail running as a hobby even while working for a company. When she wanted to do something to help others, I thought that she was able to achieve this through this project by combining trail running with the restoration of old roads and the revitalization of the local community. This UP1 activities will involve thinking about places that are connected to us, so I hope that by combining what we know well with the interests of our group members, we can come up with better ideas.

   Finally, what impressed me most about Burtz's presentation was the local people come together and cooperate at the trail running event. I think the reason the local people were cooperative with the event is because her efforts and good personality rubbed off on them, making them want to help out. I don't think everyone can do that. Her presentation also really conveyed her feelings for the Matsudai area and her strong passion for trail running. She has won some awards, but I was moved by the way she made all kinds of efforts, not just to win awards, but because she genuinely wanted to make Matsudai area better.

📷 https://echigomatsudaiharunojin.com/