■Summary
Description:
The CIR produces an English newsletter called "ASAHIKAWA Info" aimed at providing information to foreign residents and visitors. The CIR is mainly involved in editing and compiling the newsletter. However he/she also writes some of the articles.
Issue date |
1st day of every month |
|---|---|
Distribution |
Locations throughout Asahikawa and parts of Sapporo |
Readership |
Foreign residents and visitors |
Circulation |
300 copies |
Publisher |
Asahikawa International Committee |
Budget |
60,000yen - 70,000yen |
Objectives:
To promote foreigners' participation in the local community by conveying the area's attractiveness and plubicising up-coming local events.
■Implementation
Publication:
The first issue of ASAHIKAWA Info was published in 1992 by the Asahikawa International Committee. At that time it was a quarterly newsletter, but with the posting of a CIR to Asahikawa in 1998, it became possible to make it a monthly newsletter (in the CIR's first year, it was a bimonthly publication). In 2005, an online version was launched and the number of hard copies printed was reduced from 500 to 300.
Layout:
The 12-page newsletter begins each month with an article about upcoming events, with the following pages devoted to essays about living in Asahikawa, and interviews with foreign residents, and more. There is also a column about the Asahiyama Zoo, where a different animal is introduced each month.
Besides these topics, the newsletter includes an entertainment guide, reviews of local restaurants, and movies schedules. It therefore provides as wide a range of content as the commercially-produced town newsletter.
CIR’s Role:
Besides being in charge of editing, the CIR is also responsible for writing the article about upcoming events, and for writing a piece entitled "I Love This About Asahikawa" (which discusses the CIR's various experiences living in Asahikawa from their point of view).
In addition, the CIR is responsible for contacting and liaising with the foreign residents who will be interviewed in the newsletter, and for liaising with the Japanese volunteers.
■Production
Staff:
A team of ten volunteers (including three foreign resident volunteers) living in Asahikawa are involved in producing articles for the newsletter. The volunteers were initially found through a list of registered volunteers, with those who specified that they had foreign language skills or translation ability initially being contacted for help. A wide range of volunteers from all different age groups write for the newsletter, from housewives to retired people. The articles that are written by volunteers are checked by the CIR, and then edited, bound and printed. The online version of the newsletter is edited by Japanese staff.
Editors’ Meeting:
Every year, an Editors' Meeting is held, and the layout of the newsletter and the volunteers who will be in charge of each section are chosen. The volunteers then decide what to include in their section of the newsletter each month.
Gathering Information:
Each volunteer chooses a topic that matches the content of their section and researches the article. Research needs to be completed by the 15th of the month before publication. The CIR, who is in charge of writing about upcoming events, gathers information from the citizen's hall and the community centre, and for annual events, contacts the event organisers as the date approaches, or gathers information from the internet to include in the newsletter.
Writing Articles:
First drafts of articles must be completed by the 18th of the month before publication, and final drafts submitted to the CIR by the 20th at the latest. All articles are written in English.
Editing and Proofreading:
After correcting the English in the articles, the layout and design of the newsletter are considered, with photos and drawings also being included. Two staff members from the Asahikawa International Committee proofread the newsletter before sending it to a volunteer advisor for final corrections. From start to finish, the editing process takes approximately five days.
Printing:
The newsletter is printed using the printing machine in the office and is not outsourced. Printing is also the CIR's responsibility.
Distribution:
Besides distributing the newsletter to English conversation schools, stations, tourist information centres, etc, it is also delivered to foreign residents (who cannot pick up the newsletter in person) who request to receive a copy. The online version of the newsletter can also be viewed at:
http://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/files/kokusaikouryu/ ashkwinfo/front/ front_current.htm
■Budget
A budget is only needed for paper (coloured paper is used), printing ink, and for the cost of providing lunch at the Editors' Meeting.
■Submitted by
Asahikawa City (Hokkaido)
International Committee
Tel: 0166-25-7491
■Comments/Advice from the Supervisor
By having the CIR check the articles written in English, the Japanese volunteers are more willing to write in English, and can see the corrections that have been made by the native speaker, enabling them to improve their English phrases and expressions. The articles written by foreign residents include content and humour that could only be written by a native speaker, and are also written about familiar topics, thus drawing the readers' attention. There are many foreign language teachers who use articles from the newsletter in their conversation schools or private lessons. One private English teacher, who became a city ALT, later began writing for the newsletter. According to him, the focus of the newsletter is on local topics, so when readers are out in town and see an event under way, they know what it is about. He hears many foreign residents saying, "Ah, this was written about in the newsletter". The newsletter is thus helping foreign residents feel that they are part of the local community.
The CIR is also in charge of writing a column and must go out and speak to people in order to do research. This is a great opportunity to make contact with local residents, and also to learn new things. The content of the CIR's column is decided by the CIR, based on topics of interest, or the advice of Japanese staff. This column is so well researched that even Japanese readers who are residents of Asahikawa make comments like, "Even we didn’t know this!", showing their high regard for the content of the newsletter.
There are two Japanese staff who proof-read the document, and a volunteer advisor who makes final corrections. The volunteer advisor has been involved in proofreading numerous publications and newsletters for a number of years, and makes sure that there are no mistakes in expressions or transcriptions (especially in relation to Japanese culture or history), checking all the details one last time.
■A Word From CLAIR
The wide variety of content included in the newsletter is really surprising. It is great that something as good as this can be produced by a team of volunteers! Please take a look at the online version of the newsletter.
