No.203-3

International Exchange Committee
Yukiko Katsuoka, Chairperson of International Exchange Committee

The purpose of International Exchange Committee is the communication among members. 9 Japanese members and 16 friendship members plan activities. Last year, we started the year hoping that the friendship members would take part in our work as actively as the Japanese members. But it didn’t go as we wished. Most of friendship members joined Meguro UNESCO Association to attend UNESCO Japanese classes. So when they had to leave the classes for some reason, they eventually gave up coming to the committee as well. Anyway, we have just started. We’ll just continue moving forward.
   It was our great joy that “UNESCO salon - Let’s learn about Korea” was planned by our Korean friendship members last September. I look forward to the planning by our members from other countries.I have a question always: what can our committee do specifically to realize UNESCO spirit? I always ask myself, even if we can do UNESCO activities, won’t it be difficult to push the UNESCO movement forward? But I do believe that if we join UNESCO activities and become friends with others from different countries, and feel close about their culture, then, isn’t it natural for us to wish for the peace?

It is our mission to plan activities where everyone can join in happily, where more Japanese members and friendship members can come together. For that, one of our goals for this year would be to invite new UNESCO members to join
　Finally, how wonderful would it be, when friendship members become not only as a receiver of our activities, but planners too, and start planting a seed of UNESCO spirit in their own countries?
　I recall that the title of Meguro UNESCO Association 10-year anniversary booklet was “a message from a small community of the planet earth”. I would like to wrap up my New Year message with a hope that the heart of UNESCO will spread from Meguro to the world like a ripple spreading on a pond.

A happy new year from the Japanese Language Education Committee
Mitsuko Kato, Chairperson of the Japanese Language Education Committee

The Japanese class of Meguro UNESCO Association started in 1988, in the room of a bank in front of Yutenji station. The class has its roots in our forerunner’s warm heart that granted foreign people’s requests to learn Japanese. It has now grown into many small classes, grouped according to progress, and in recent years has evolved into a ‘large family’ where about 130 students gather each term (spring,summer and winter).
  

Pictures: ・Usually divided into small classes, here all the classmates foster closer relationships on the last day of class　　　　　　　　・Story-telling with pictures in the beginners’ class  

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