[Chiaki Ito] "I want you to stick to your passion and nurture it" - Reminiscing on her own experiences and giving encouragement to elementary school students in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture at "Avex Class" held as a reconstruction support activity - Nikkan Entertainment Clip

[Chiaki Ito] "I want you to stick to your passion and nurture it" - She looks back on her own experiences and gives encouragement to elementary school students in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, at the "Avex Class" held as a part of the reconstruction support activity

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[Chiaki Ito] "I want you to stick to your passion and nurture it" - She looks back on her own experiences and gives encouragement to elementary school students in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, at the "Avex Class" held as a part of the reconstruction support activity

Chiaki Ito made her first appearance as a lecturer at the "Avex Class" held on Friday, January 1th at Tatsuruhama Elementary School in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, where she gave a career education class to 17 elementary school students in the 4th to 6th grades.

"Avex Class" is a career education program run by Avex Inc. as part of its sustainability activities. Artists, talents, creators, and athletes visit educational institutions across the country and convey to children the importance of "believing in talent and dreams" through their own experiences.

[Chiaki Ito] "I want you to stick to your passion and nurture it" - She looks back on her own experiences and gives encouragement to elementary school students in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, at the "Avex Class" held as a part of the reconstruction support activity

The class was held as part of the Noto Peninsula earthquake recovery support activities that have been carried out since September, and was based on the school's desire to "inspire children who experienced the earthquake through the artists' stories and teach them the importance of believing in dreams and possibilities," providing an opportunity for the children to think about their dreams and interests.

Ito, who served as a lecturer for the first time, looked back on her own childhood and said, "I was the youngest of three sisters, and my family told me I was a small child who couldn't do anything.I didn't have anything in particular that I liked."She said that she wasn't particularly interested in singing or dancing at the time.

Regarding the auditions that could be said to be the origin of Ito, she commented on what led her to audition, "In the summer of my third year of high school, I saw an advertisement for Avex auditions in a magazine I bought, and for some reason I really wanted to take the audition. At first my parents were against it, but I trusted my intuition and stuck to it."

After passing the audition, she talked about her struggles and feelings at the time, saying, "Compared to the other members, I had less experience in dancing and singing, so I was just trying desperately to keep up with the others."

[Chiaki Ito] "I want you to stick to your passion and nurture it" - She looks back on her own experiences and gives encouragement to elementary school students in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, at the "Avex Class" held as a part of the reconstruction support activity

In the second half, we spent time thinking with the children about what they like, what they would like to do, and careers, based on the talk theme.

Regarding the first theme, "How to deal with what you like and what you want to try," Ito listened to the children's favorite things and said, "Even if you can't say it's your dream for the future, I want you to pursue and develop the things you like and want to try." Drawing on her own experiences, she spoke about the feeling of "liking" something from the children's perspective.

Regarding the second theme, "How can you turn what you love and want to do into a job?", she said, "I think the reason I was able to get through the difficult lessons, especially before my debut, was because somewhere deep down I had a love for singing and dancing. It's because of that love that I'm still able to continue my activities to this day." This gave the children an opportunity to think about how to use the things you love as your driving force and motivation.

When asked what is important to make something you love a reality, Ito said, "If you have an idea or passion, it's important to say it out loud. If you do that, the people around you will support you and give you strength." She gave the children some encouragement, sharing that she had been involved in fashion and cosmetics production since her group activities.

During the Q&A session at the end of the class, about 20 students raised their hands in unison, creating a positive atmosphere, and a fifth-grader asked, "What is rewarding about your job?" Ito responded, "When I was in a group and even now as a solo artist, I value live performances very much. I think that connections between people create love, and I feel that many of my dreams have come true thanks to the support of my fans." Drawing on her own experience of valuing connections with others, she delivered a persuasive message to the students.

At the end, she commented, "I was very happy that they listened to me seriously and actively asked me questions. Although it is based on my experience, I hope that everyone will find something they like and express it as much as they can." While sharing her own experiences with the children, it was a time when she was able to think together about how to approach what she likes and about work.

[Chiaki Ito] "I want you to stick to your passion and nurture it" - She looks back on her own experiences and gives encouragement to elementary school students in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, at the "Avex Class" held as a part of the reconstruction support activity

Event Outline

・Official name: "avex class" (pronounced: avex class)

・Date and time: Friday, January 2025, 1 17:13-40:14

Location: Tatsuruhama Elementary School, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture (365 Hobe, Tatsuruhama-cho, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture)

Speakers: Chiaki Ito, Yurika Tachibana (moderator)

・Number of participants: 79 people (4th-6th graders, parents)

About "Avex Class"

This is a career education program where artists, talents, creators, and athletes visit educational institutions across the country and tell children about the importance of "the power to believe in talent and dreams" through their own experiences. Participants are Chiaki Ito, Kumi Koda, Daimaou Kosaka, SAM (TRF), Ami Suzuki, Risako Tanabe, Yu Tamura, and DJ KOO (TRF) (in alphabetical order).

*About avex class

https://avex.com/jp/ja/sustainability/news/avexclass2022entry

Reconstruction support activities to date

・Fundraising activities

The event will be held at venues where our group's artists perform live, at event venues where our group hosts events (excluding some performances), Avex Artist Academy, our group offices, etc.

・Career education program "Avex Class"

Friday, September 9th at Imizu City Ihoku Junior High School in Toyama Prefecture (more information here)

November 11th: Held at Nakajima Elementary School in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture (more information here)

December 12th: Held at Asahi Elementary School in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture (more information here)

・Performance by DJ KOO (TRF) at the "Nanao City Hatachi Gathering"

Held on Sunday, October 10th in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture (more information here)

About Avex and the SDGs

Avex Class is an initiative that contributes to SDGs goals 4 (Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 17 (Partnership). In addition, the company is taking on many social actions under its sustainability policy of "Contributing to the talents of the future and unknown excitement."

*About SDGs

https://avex.com/jp/ja/sustainability/management/about-sdgs/

*About Avex's video introducing sustainability and SDGs, "Teach Me, Professor Kosaka"

https://avex.com/jp/ja/sustainability/news/202306sustainabilitymovies

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