Peace Club for Hiroshima students makes efforts for peace
Sep. 24, 2012
“We want to nurture children who are able to think about the things they can do for peace and take action to carry those things out.” Ayako Sakaya, 44, and Mihoko Sakamoto, 37, staff of the Outreach Division at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, were explaining the aim of the Peace Club for junior high and high school students.
Each year, since 2002, the Peace Club has offered activities for junior high and high school students in Hiroshima to learn about the atomic bombing and demonstrate the things they’ve learned. On August 6, beneath the main building of Peace Memorial Museum, they hold a poster display about Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died of radiation-induced leukemia, ten years after the atomic bombing, and the paper cranes she has become famous for.
Since 2011, Peace Club members have taken part in the Youth Peace Forum, held in the city of Nagasaki on August 8 and 9, and they share views on peace with young people from across Japan.
For this year’s Youth Peace Forum, 29 Peace Club members, from the first year of junior high school to the third year of high school, joined the event in Nagasaki. Inspired by the forum in that city, the Peace Club also wanted to hold a similar gathering in Hiroshima, and the Hiroshima Youth Peace Assembly was organized for August 5.
Through the activities of the Peace Club, members exchange their know-how, regardless of age or gender, and become motivated to take action. Anju Ikawa, 12, a first-year student at Hesaka Junior High School, was a first-time participant in this year’s activities. “When I was in elementary school, I didn’t have a chance to listen directly to the accounts of the atomic bomb survivors,” she said. “But I’ve had a lot of opportunities like that by being a part of this club. Next, I want to convey what I’ve learned to others.”
This year, unlike previous years, the Peace Club members have decided to continue their efforts beyond August 6. The members will share their opinions and ideas, decide what they want to do, and then carry out their plans. (Rena Sasaki, 15)
(Originally published on September 17, 2012)
Each year, since 2002, the Peace Club has offered activities for junior high and high school students in Hiroshima to learn about the atomic bombing and demonstrate the things they’ve learned. On August 6, beneath the main building of Peace Memorial Museum, they hold a poster display about Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died of radiation-induced leukemia, ten years after the atomic bombing, and the paper cranes she has become famous for.
Since 2011, Peace Club members have taken part in the Youth Peace Forum, held in the city of Nagasaki on August 8 and 9, and they share views on peace with young people from across Japan.
For this year’s Youth Peace Forum, 29 Peace Club members, from the first year of junior high school to the third year of high school, joined the event in Nagasaki. Inspired by the forum in that city, the Peace Club also wanted to hold a similar gathering in Hiroshima, and the Hiroshima Youth Peace Assembly was organized for August 5.
Through the activities of the Peace Club, members exchange their know-how, regardless of age or gender, and become motivated to take action. Anju Ikawa, 12, a first-year student at Hesaka Junior High School, was a first-time participant in this year’s activities. “When I was in elementary school, I didn’t have a chance to listen directly to the accounts of the atomic bomb survivors,” she said. “But I’ve had a lot of opportunities like that by being a part of this club. Next, I want to convey what I’ve learned to others.”
This year, unlike previous years, the Peace Club members have decided to continue their efforts beyond August 6. The members will share their opinions and ideas, decide what they want to do, and then carry out their plans. (Rena Sasaki, 15)
(Originally published on September 17, 2012)
