No.202 2004.１.1
| Ms Isako Kato, our 5th President, used to say, “In order to entrust the UNESCO activities to our next generation, we must constantly add new personnel to work for the younger generation, just as we keep on adding new threads when we knot new ropes.” After World War II, Ms Kato engaged herself in socio-educational activities aimed at youth by serving as President of Mothers' Association of the Yakumo Primary School of Meguro City, a master of ceremony of "PTA Hours" of NHK, Chief editor of monthly "Japan PTA" magazines, a member of the Socio-educational Committee and the Youth Committee of Tokyo Metropolis, respectively. The first thing she took up as President of the Meguro UNESCO Association was fostering the next generation. It meant in concrete terms opening of children camps, youth hiking and gatherings, exchange of letters between the Meguro UNESCO's young members and overseas Japanese school pupils. This increased fraternization between overseas students, including Japanese-origin students from Central and South Americas and residents of Komaba International Students House, and Japanese youth. Arts exhibition across the ocean (an arts exchange between West German and Meguro children), which was conducted under the joint auspices of Meguro City, its Educational Board and Meguro UNESCO as a memorial program of the international youth year was her next step. International Youth Exchange Seminar, and UNESCO little classes followed. In 1986, UNESCO school was opened for the offspring of Japanese children who were once left behind in China after the war and only recently repatriated. The old Youth group of Meguro UNESCO was abolished and a project team was newly formed. It later developed into the Youth Activity Committee, which kept on changing its activities to meet the needs of the young members. The early part of the development period was noted for the number of activities initiated by young mother members who supported the programs such as "camps" for the young members, under the leadership of Board member Takeshi Hirabayashi. In the middle part of the period a special mention must go to hiking and an overnight study for young people, which was supported by Senba, Aoki, Kamio, and Ohno under the leadership of Board member Toshio Kosuge. Also we must mention youth activities aimed at children such as Exchange of letters between pupils of Japanese primary schools overseas and in Meguro, UNESCO youth gatherings, and Arts exhibition across the ocean. In and around the international youth year of 1985 Ueno, Mitsusawa, Fukuchi, Sorita, Akasaka, Kuribayashi and other young people planned the UNESCO Youth Festival in Meguro and UNESCO Youth International Exchange Seminar, both of which turned out to be big successes. During 1984 fiscal year, six young members joined the Youth Boat and traveled overseas. In these years, the youth activities started slowly shifting its target to the same generation. For example, the exchange with the students staying at the Komaba International Students House started around these years. The exchange took place at the Komaba Students House and Mr. Isamu Ishihara, owner of Japanese pastry shop “Chimoto,” joined the event and let students make Japanese Sakura-mochi cakes. The Meguro UNESCO students in turn cooperated with the Komaba Students House in donating dictionaries to colleges in Rangoon and participating in their open house planning. ●The Meguro UNESCO Association started its activities by opening the Meguro UNESCO School, wishing to spread the UNESCO spirit among young children. As the time went by, however, the School in its original form was closed during this period (1975-1986). ●The Meguro UNESCO Youth News was created by Mr. Toshio Kosuge, a Board member. It should be kept in our record, although it did not last long. |