Junko ASHIDA went with friendship members to the Ochiai Daisan Elementary
School in Shinjuku..
Global understanding education assisted by a region carried out.
Last October, Ochiai Daisan Elementary School requested
that some foreign instructors from the Meguro UNESCO Association visit this school.This school wants students to learn global understanding education and to deepen their comprehension about other countries by interacting with
foreigners.The Meguro UNESCO Association asked friendship members and so Akuramul(Bangladesh),
Gyanu(Nepal), Murado(Uzbekistan) accepted willingly.After meeting with
the school, they went twice to the school in November, they had a good
time. First-year and second-year students played the Bangladeshi games
and folded paper into figures. Third-year and forth-year students asked
questions of friendship members, listened to introduction of their homeland
and played sports of their mother countries with them. Akuramul, Gyanu
and Murado were very open with the students, and everybody had a good interchange
of international comprehension. The children in return favored them with
songs using finger language. The three instructors were deeply moved by
the childrens' hearts and they said in the bus "children were gentle. We
were able to talk about our homelands and we were very happy to be helpful."We
have to think more about what UNESCO can do in the area, to promote global
understanding education programs study beginning next year regularly in
the schools. ASHIDA(secretariat)
A symposium workshop related to the world
Junko ASHIDA spoke about the results on the above two matters at the Tokyo
Global Citizens' Festival 2001 at the Tokyo International Forum on February
4-5, 2001. 54 NGO groups interchanged their opinions. Junko ASHIDA (Meguro
UNESCO), vice-president of Tokyo Liaison council of UNESCO Associations,
was active in the symposium.
New Year Party ![](173-3newYear.jpg)
We had a New Year Party again on January 20th in St. Paul’s Church Hall. Although it was chilly in the morning, a lot
of the members joined, so that by noon there was a long line at the reception
desk. Following the speech by Chairperson Kato (declaring “The first
New Year Party of the 21st century”), Ms. Soyara, from Inner Mongolia, played “Haru no Tenzan”
or “Spring of Heaven’s Mountain”, which expressed the joy of spring’s
arrival, with the Chinese lute. Mr. Dai Yokoyama proposed a toast and we
said “cheers” in the different members’ languages, which contributed
to the success of the party. There were a lot of hand-made dishes, around
which people enjoyed talking. Some of the members showed his or her
special gift; Ms. Tsuneko Yoshizaki sang “Sougen Jouka” or “Elegy of
the Prairie” both in Japanese and Chinese, and John, from Britain taught
us a couple of dances. Holding a raffle was also fun. Vice Chairperson
Okuzawa ended the party with a closing address. Then we went home before
it began to snow.
Comment of Mr.Sadhira(from India)
I enjoyed the New Year Party very much. It was really international.
I enjoyed having the dishes of lots of countries. I still remember the
playing of the lute, dancing and singing with excitement. It was a pity
that I had to leave early. I hope I can stay at the next one until the
very end.
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