Hiroshima University to hold first student summit in Hiroshima ahead of August 6, including A-bomb survivor testimonies and discussions
Jun. 27, 2020
by Gosuke Nagahisa, Staff Writer
Hiroshima University is scheduled to initiate the 2020 Students’ HIROSHIMA Summit to Think about Peace, during which overseas exchange students studying at the university and other students will exchange views on peace. In the program, the students will participate in a series of workshops comprised of opportunities to listen to A-bomb survivors speaking about their A-bombing experiences and to engage in related discussions. Based on this series of events, the 2020 Students’ HIROSHIMA Declaration, a student version of the Hiroshima Peace Declaration, will be announced on August 6. This trial program will be initiated in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing.
Program participants were recruited from within the university and include 13 undergraduate students and graduate students from a total of seven nations—Japan, the United States, France, the Philippines, Thailand, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Beginning with an orientation session on June 27, more than ten workshops and discussion sessions will be carried out. The program participants can listen online to A-bomb survivors provide testimonials about their experiences in the atomic bombings.
The participating students will have an opportunity to consider how they should address the challenges facing humanity today, including nuclear issues, military conflicts, and hunger. In addition, also to be pursued as a theme for the program is how the world should be configured after the COVID-19 pandemic. The student declaration will be written both in Japanese and English. On August 6, student representatives will read the declaration aloud at Hiroshima University’s Higashi-Senda campus, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. The statement also will be posted on the university’s website.
Participation in the program by other university students was also considered, but the idea was ultimately abandoned due to the spread of the coronavirus. “As a national university located in the A-bombed city, we want to deliver our message to the world in this milestone year of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing,” said Mitsuo Ochi, president of Hiroshima University. “I would like the program’s students to return to the origins of the A-bombing experience in Hiroshima and consider peace from the perspective of the younger generation.”
(Originally published on June 27, 2020)
Hiroshima University is scheduled to initiate the 2020 Students’ HIROSHIMA Summit to Think about Peace, during which overseas exchange students studying at the university and other students will exchange views on peace. In the program, the students will participate in a series of workshops comprised of opportunities to listen to A-bomb survivors speaking about their A-bombing experiences and to engage in related discussions. Based on this series of events, the 2020 Students’ HIROSHIMA Declaration, a student version of the Hiroshima Peace Declaration, will be announced on August 6. This trial program will be initiated in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing.
Program participants were recruited from within the university and include 13 undergraduate students and graduate students from a total of seven nations—Japan, the United States, France, the Philippines, Thailand, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Beginning with an orientation session on June 27, more than ten workshops and discussion sessions will be carried out. The program participants can listen online to A-bomb survivors provide testimonials about their experiences in the atomic bombings.
The participating students will have an opportunity to consider how they should address the challenges facing humanity today, including nuclear issues, military conflicts, and hunger. In addition, also to be pursued as a theme for the program is how the world should be configured after the COVID-19 pandemic. The student declaration will be written both in Japanese and English. On August 6, student representatives will read the declaration aloud at Hiroshima University’s Higashi-Senda campus, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. The statement also will be posted on the university’s website.
Participation in the program by other university students was also considered, but the idea was ultimately abandoned due to the spread of the coronavirus. “As a national university located in the A-bombed city, we want to deliver our message to the world in this milestone year of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing,” said Mitsuo Ochi, president of Hiroshima University. “I would like the program’s students to return to the origins of the A-bombing experience in Hiroshima and consider peace from the perspective of the younger generation.”
(Originally published on June 27, 2020)
