Hiroshima International Club working to prepare International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future
May 20, 2013
The members of the “Hiroshima International Club,” based in Naka Ward and consisting of 12 people, from high school students to adults in their 20s, are seeking to become “true global citizens.” They are now working to help prepare the “International Youth Conference for Peace in the Future, Hiroshima 2013,” set to be held in August in the city of Hiroshima and other locations.
To invite young people from overseas to join the event, the members of the group have produced a handout with information on Hiroshima. The handout not only relates the city’s reconstruction from the ashes of the atomic bombing, but also provides information on the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the local professional baseball team, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the local professional soccer team, to appeal to youth.
The youth conference has been organized each year since 2005 and, in addition to Hiroshima, is held in such countries as Russia and Germany. This year, the event’s executive committee, which includes the Hiroshima City government, will host the conference and the participating youth from Japan and abroad will consider the challenge of realizing a peaceful world. The Hiroshima International Club is helping to decide the content of the program.
The club was formed in September 2012. Koki Inai, 64, emeritus professor at Hiroshima University and an expert in pathology, initiated the group and serves as adviser. “I would like young people in Hiroshima to know about the A-bombed city and share it with the world,” he said. “They should hold their own opinions and actively communicate with others in English.”
Risa Masuda, 21, a senior at Hiroshima Shudo University and a resident of Asakita Ward, serves as leader of the group. “I want us to set aside our nationalities and engage in discussion, person to person, about peace issues,” she said with enthusiasm. (Arisa Shiromoto, 17)
(Originally published on April 22, 2013)
To invite young people from overseas to join the event, the members of the group have produced a handout with information on Hiroshima. The handout not only relates the city’s reconstruction from the ashes of the atomic bombing, but also provides information on the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the local professional baseball team, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the local professional soccer team, to appeal to youth.
The youth conference has been organized each year since 2005 and, in addition to Hiroshima, is held in such countries as Russia and Germany. This year, the event’s executive committee, which includes the Hiroshima City government, will host the conference and the participating youth from Japan and abroad will consider the challenge of realizing a peaceful world. The Hiroshima International Club is helping to decide the content of the program.
The club was formed in September 2012. Koki Inai, 64, emeritus professor at Hiroshima University and an expert in pathology, initiated the group and serves as adviser. “I would like young people in Hiroshima to know about the A-bombed city and share it with the world,” he said. “They should hold their own opinions and actively communicate with others in English.”
Risa Masuda, 21, a senior at Hiroshima Shudo University and a resident of Asakita Ward, serves as leader of the group. “I want us to set aside our nationalities and engage in discussion, person to person, about peace issues,” she said with enthusiasm. (Arisa Shiromoto, 17)
(Originally published on April 22, 2013)
