Project Icarus: Journal #2

Journal #2: Data and Information Gathering

The Japan-American Society of Hawaii (JASH) participates in the annual Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention, one of the many ways Hawaii’s community is given the opportunity to interact and learn a different country’s culture. Through this program I am able to concentrate on something I enjoy doing, as well as practice effective communication skills.

The Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC) is an annual event held in Fukuoka, Japan. It was formed in 1989 as a part of Fukuoka City’s 100th anniversary convention. The Japanese government created this program to foster global peace, to create content relationships among people from different regions of the world. However, the APCC is focused mainly on children and youth to create long-lasting

“omaiyari” (considerate and peaceful) friendships. Eleven year old Junior Ambassadors (JA) are encouraged to fully participate in these activities to learn to be ‘color-blind,’ to not judge one another by race or cultural aspects. APCC believes bonds such as these will influence the lives of these individuals, influence their friends, and influence the future, for the better. Their vision embraces the modern cultural interaction, of young people, first-hand. Delegates are expected to not only get along, but more importantly, to honor each others’ similarities and differences. The mutual understanding created between them is free of political, economic, religious, and cultural restrictions. About 43 different countries are represented at this event, approximately 220 Junior Ambassadors in all.

The 10th annual APCC marked a milestone for the convention when former JAs were invited back to Fukuoka as Peace Ambassadors. Peace Ambassadors (PA) meet under a mission to create a world wide network, to communicate ideas more effectively and creating real global citizens, the Bridge Club International Organization (BCIO). Peace Ambassador Serena Li, from Hawaii, said, “You really hold more responsibilities, you have an agenda that you go through in the conference and its kind of like a model UN kind of discussion, where we talk about local issues around the world and decide.” PAs then returned home where many started local Bridge Clubs, integrating their community. Currently there are 25 Bridge Clubs, including Bridge Club Hawaii. One of the main topics of the PAs is the Common Activity. This implements every PA to contribute to BCIO within their own community. The Common Activity this past year was called “Visions of Harmony.” A traveling picture gallery was publicly displayed in 26 different countries, promoting the APCC and a global community.

The APCC also sponsors a program for the students in Fukuoka called “The Mission Project.” Every year selected Japanese students travel together, as ambassadors to many destination countries, and stay with host families. For three years Hawaii has been fortunate to be one of the destinations. Hawaii’s APCC director, Liz Stanton-Berrera, comments about the Mission Project saying, “...it extends what the APCC is all about, as far as developing young children with that sense of global awareness and helping to foster their desire their sense for world peace.”