~The Meaning of “4 Hours” Considered in the Satoyama~ RockCorps Experience Report: Connecting Volunteering and Music!

“4 hours.”

If you had 4 hours, what would you use them for?
Work, study, play, get some good rest… These “4 hours” seem long yet short.
In fact, a certain activity that can be done in 4 hours is now attracting attention.

The name of this activity is “RockCorps.” With the motto “Give, Get Given,” it first launched in the United States in 2005 and has since become a global movement.

The concept is very simple: complete 4 hours of volunteer work, and you can participate in a 4-hour live music event. It first came to Japan in 2014 as “RockCorps supported by JT,” featuring renowned artists such as NE-YO and Carly Rae Jepsen.

This year marks the fourth year of the event in Japan, and for the first time, it will be held in the Kanto region. The Celebration (live music event) will take place on Saturday, September 2nd at Makuhari Messe, featuring four artists: international artist Fifth Harmony and domestic artists miwa, SPYAIR, and androp.
Minami Takahashi will serve as the official ambassador for the second consecutive year.

©RockCorps supported by JT

Many volunteer activities are conducted in teams, making it easy for participants meeting for the first time to become friends. The volunteers reunite with their fellow participants on the day of the live event. With approximately 4,000 people who shared the same experience gathering together, you can experience a sense of unity different from a typical concert.
The live venue truly becomes a Celebration—a place where everyone honors one another.

※SUNNY SIDE UP serves as the main secretariat of the “RockCorps supported by JT” executive committee, responsible for sponsor sales, relations with partner organizations, oversight of volunteer programs, concert planning and production management, and PR/promotional activities—driving the entire project forward.

This time, I participated in a volunteer activity called “Let’s Maintain the Forest in Hachioji! Helping with Satoyama Conservation.” With support from the international environmental NGO “FoE Japan,” we carried out grass cutting and soil preparation in the satoyama. Public Relations Group member O brings you this report.

■Arriving at the Satoyama! First, Change into Your RockCorps Original T-Shirt!
At 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, several employees arrived at “Utsuki no Mori,” a satoyama in Hachioji.
Including other participants, approximately 30 people gathered.

We immediately changed into our RockCorps original T-shirts and began the activity.
We’re wearing “Give, Get Given” on our backs. It really gets you motivated.

■Grass Cutting in the Morning! Cut with Single-Minded Focus!
The morning work was grass cutting.
We learned that if the satoyama is not regularly maintained, it quickly becomes overgrown.
Each person took a sickle and cut grass while being careful of those around them.

We cut.

We cut.

Who will be responsible for which area? Should we switch between those cutting long grass and short grass?
Grass cutting requires more communication than you might think.
Conversations naturally arose among the other participants as well.

After cutting for about 2 hours,
The photo on the left is the before, and the one on the right is the after.
Working together, we were able to cut grass covering an area equivalent to two tennis courts!

■Afternoon: Time to Learn About the Satoyama and Work with the Soil
After lunch, we spent the afternoon two hours walking through the forest to learn about the current state of the satoyama and preparing soil using leaf mold.

Before we knew it, the 4 hours had passed in the blink of an eye.

Finally, we received a message from Stephen Greene, CEO of the social production company “RockCorps,” who had visited the satoyama for the activity.

“Today I want to say three ‘thank yous.’ The first is to the international environmental NGO members who supported this activity. The second is to all the staff who worked hard behind the scenes. And the third is to everyone who gathered here today and participated! The September Celebration, where everyone who spent these 4 hours together will reunite, will surely be a special space!”

Volunteering and music. His words, which connected these two seemingly separate things and built them into a global movement, resonated deeply.

■4 Hours Pass in the Blink of an Eye. How Will You Use Yours?
You can participate for free and receive a special ticket that is one of a kind in this world.
Of course, that is one of the wonderful aspects of “RockCorps.”

However, what I realized from actually participating this time is that it’s also a perfect opportunity for in-house training and team building.
When you think you’re helping someone, you’re actually being helped. Truly “Give, Get Given”!

Please invite your colleagues and friends to participate as well.
Even in August, you can still participate in volunteer activities! → RockCorps Volunteer Schedule

Let’s meet at the Celebration on Saturday, September 2nd!

Until next time.