What is Project Santa?

By Valerie Lin

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At Christmas, Hokkaido International School has an event called “Project Santa” in which students of HIS are encouraged to bring gifts to the school. Gifts are put in a box in the library or under the Christmas tree, labeled with age and gender. HIS staff and students, alongside our executive board chair, Mr. Phred Kaufmann, then ensure all the gifts and the students' happiness are sent to group homes all over Sapporo. Project Santa is a small act of kindness designed to share gifts and joy!

Why Do We Do Project Santa? 

The reason HIS does Project Santa is that HIS students want to spread their happiness and joy with other kids. Every child, no matter their situation or background, deserves to have a Christmas present, so HIS students want to bring other kids happiness and let them feel what Christmas is like — to let them know people still care about them and to let them know they can also enjoy Christmas. All children have the right to happiness no matter who they are or what their circumstance is. Also, HIS encourages building relationships with others, so donating gifts can be a part of growing relationships, partnering with the community, and supporting our surrounding Sapporo. 

Who is Project Santa Mostly Done By? 

Project Santa is mostly done by us, the students. Teachers and parents don't always know what kids like. They come from different generations with different toys and joys. But as kids of this generation, we know what we like and what we want. And so we simply choose a gift that we would enjoy and then label it with our age and gender. In Project Santa, the focus is on students and kids. We select the gifts — a process that is an expression of our desire to bring joy to other kids who deserve happiness over the Christmas season.