Japan Children’s Home Internship Program

JCHIP SUMMER 2025!

What is the Japan Children’s Home Internship Program?
JCHIP sends UC Davis students to various parts of Japan to participate in the operation of children’s homes as ambassadors of international, cultural, and educational exchange.  The homes are not quite orphanages, and not quite group homes (there is no English equivalent)—they are institutions where children who cannot be cared for by their parents or relatives are given preparation for productive and successful lives.  Together with the Japanese staff and native college-student interns, UC Davis interns will share in the lives of school-age youngsters, doing chores, playing games, and overseeing activities.  As an intern from overseas, it is important for the UC Davis student to be a model international representative and help open the children's eyes to the rest of the world.

Homes are located in:  Kumamoto, Kyoto, Tokyo, Fukushima, Aichi, Akita, and Aomori.

When is the internship?
The internship runs for 10 weeks during the summer from early July through mid September. Interns may seek this internship for academic credit and can make those arrangements with the Faculty Director:  Professor Joseph T. Sorensen (Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Japanese).  Students may also acquire units through JPN 192 (Internship in Japanese) or EAP 192 units to apply towards the Global & International Studies minor.

Who is eligible?
UC Davis students with the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• Must be a UC Davis undergraduate student
• Must have at least one quarter left before graduation upon returning from the JCHIP internship
• Must have language equivalent of at least one year (preferably two) of Japanese at the university level by the time of departure on the JCHIP internship
• Must be in good academic standing
• Must be a citizen of the US or another country that allows 90-day tourist visas to Japan OR provide supporting documentation that you will have a valid visa for the duration of the internship
  • JCHIP does not provide work/study visas for the program
• Must have a current passport prior to departure for JCHIP internship (passport must not expire during internship or too close to the return date)

How to apply
Applicants must submit the following to apply:

• A completed JCHIP Application
  • Must attend an info session to receive an application - see schedule above
• An unofficial transcript
• A resume
• A statement of personal goals as they pertain to the JCHIP internship
• A letter of recommendation on official letterhead from a faculty member familiar with your work
• A completed recommendation form from someone who has knowledge of your volunteer or work experience with children or from an employer

Selection Process
Applicants for the internship program are chosen in a competitive selection process. The Faculty Director, the Faculty Advisor, and a panel of consultants and former interns review all complete applications.  After forming preliminary rankings, the evaluators then interview the applicants and ask further questions designed to determine the applicants’ suitability for the positions, in terms of personality, commitment, working with children, previous experience in culturally demanding environments, training in or familiarity with the Japanese language and culture, and general level of maturity and responsibility.  Slots at homes are filled in consultation with former interns and applicant desires.  At times, waiting-list alternates have been able to participate when originally selected applicants became unable to participate. 

Other items for consideration

AIMS:

UC Davis interns, by living together with the children at the Japanese children's home institutions, will significantly deepen their knowledge of Japanese language and culture. Moreover, their daily presence will stimulate the curiosity of the children and provide an opportunity for a cultural exchange. We believe that the interns' example will inspire the future hopes of the children at these institutions.

TERMS:

• The interns will reside in Japanese style rooms in most cases
• The interns will be assigned to a specific section where they will interact with the children in all phases of daily life
• Any problems that arise will be solved through mutual consultation
• Details of daily schedules will be determined on an individual basis
• Interns will be responsible for their own medical insurance and any other medical expenses. (You must have proof of international coverage before you leave the U.S.)
• Interns are responsible for their own transportation and miscellaneous expenses
• Each institution will provide room and board for the duration of the internship (10 weeks)
• In order to receive credit, interns should apply through Handshake for Transcript Notation.  See the following for more information: 
  • https://icc.ucdavis.edu/find/internships/tn.htm
• As part of the internship, students will complete a language assessment test both before departure and after returning from the program

LIVING WITH THE CHILDREN:

The children at the institutions are both mentally and physically able to participate in normal activities.  The UC Davis interns should keep in mind, however, that some children who appear to be normal and cheerful may in fact have experienced personal difficulties before coming to these institutions and will be suffering from severe emotional wounds.

The children sometimes behave badly (bullying, being rude, uncooperative, etc.) because they have not been able to live with their own parents or maintain normal relationships with other adults from whom they might absorb appropriate social behavior. The interns, under the direction of the staff at each home, will be expected to guide the children to behave properly and help build trusting relationships.

Interns will be helping out with the children's daily routines, meals, schoolwork, plus any other duties necessary to maintain the home and a generally supportive environment. A lot of time will also be devoted to entertaining and playing with the children. The greatest need of these children, as is true almost everywhere, is the attention necessary to make them feel connected to the outside world. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Slideshow presentations for all of the host homes of JCHIP will be accessible via Box for those who attend one of the information sessions.

Contact Information

Professor Joseph T. Sorensen
Faculty Director
316 Sproul Hall
(530) 752-0313
jsorensen@ucdavis.edu

Professor Nobuko Koyama
Faculty Advisor
311 Sproul Hall
(530) 752-0334
nkoyama@ucdavis.edu