3rd My Hometown Gathering among Asian Children [Multiple sites]
1. Conduct of My Hometown: Children’s Gathering
On the 17th of January, 2024, making the 29th anniversary since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, SEEDS Asia organized the third My Hometown: Gathering among Asian Children.
Eight schools from five countries convened for the gathering.
2. What is My Hometown?
This event began as a commemorative initiative to celebrate SEEDS Asia’s 15th anniversary where children in Asia will gather together online and discuss disaster risk reduction (DRR) and their hometowns. SEEDS Asia, an organization based in Kobe that was impacted by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, send our thoughts to the casualties of this disaster. We hope that this event will provide an opportunity for future leaders – children in Asia – to encompass mutual help and pass down disaster experiences to next generations and to wider society in their practices. To convey this message, the event takes place on the 17th of January.
3. How do we challenge big issues?
Multiple disasters have been taking place recently, both in and outside Japan. Those are also characterized as human-induced disasters where people are divided, excluded, and agitated, where life, community, and normalcy are deprived of.
It is often emphasized that helping one another is important especially in crises. However, not many people are comfortable to help others whom they are not familiar with. This is why SEEDS Asia think that mutual help requires foundational ‘connections.’ To start having connections is to know each other. SEEDS Asia would like to contribute to society by creating opportunities/platforms for individuals to know one another from distant locations, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic which greatly limited the chance to visit and come to know others.
When thinking about dynamics of nature and seemingly never-ending conflicts/wars, it may seem very insignificant merely to know and talk. However, we believe that such interactions would lead to mutual help and help mitigate unnecessary human-induced disasters.
4. Presentations by participating children
Eight schools from five regions participated in this year’s My Hometown. All have experienced disasters such as flooding, typhoon, earthquake, and tsunami, and had connections with SEEDS Asia.
Japan
– Toba Elementary School, Toba City, Mie Prefecture
– Nitta Elementary School, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture
– Naganuma Elementary School, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture
– Fukura Elementary School, Minami-Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture
India
– Sant Atulanand Convennt School, Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh
Bangladesh
– Model Academy, North Dhaka
Philippines
– Inabanga North Central Elementary School, Bohol Province, Central Visayas
Myanmar/Thailand
– Children’s Development Centre, Mae Sot, Thailand
The opening remarks was delivered by Prof. Ranko Kishida (SEEDS Asia’s Technical Advisor and Specially Appointed Professor at Shiga University) who highlighted: “I hope this event will be a good starting point for a connection that allows you as children to survive the complex society with various risks. We are now required to challenge ourselves to look out for new possibilities. In international society, towards the big goal to create a peaceful and safe world, we all need to respect and collaborate with each other. Knowing each other’s hometowns, imagining what kind of life others are living, and thinking about how to cooperate to protect lives, are very valuable experiences. I do hope that this event will not be a one-off experience but will lead to long-lasting friendships.”
Each school presented about their past disaster experiences, their preparedness practices, disaster drills, environmental issues, etc, highlighting their respective hometowns and their issues and responses. They all discussed culture and history, tasty food, and other positive aspects of their hometowns. Children from Myanmar shared that they had to leave their endeared hometown due to political turmoil (= human-induced disaster) and their thirst for study and hope for the future.
Videos of the schools who agreed to publicizing their presentations can be found in the links above (embedded to the names of the schools).
5. Q&A
After the presentations, questions and answers followed.
Fourteen questions were submitted by the participating schools prior to the event which included those about food, school life, and DRR.
– What does your school do to pass down past disaster experiences to others?
– How do you think we cann cheer up disaster-affected communities?
– What makes us emotionally prepared for when we encounter disasters?
– How do you think experiences like today to co-learn about each other’s towns will be useful?
Towards the conclusion, Suvendrini Kakuchi, SEEDS Asia’s board member and a former president of Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan delivered a message. “To know each other, and to share about our endeared hometown, is a very precious and valuable experience. It was very clear that you all treasure and love your hometowns from today’s presentations. In Japan, there was a big earthquake in Noto Peninsula the other day. Many other things are happening every day in the world. In such a world, what is important is to help one another to conquer challenges and crises. When something sad happens in one of our hometowns, we will need to rebuild My Hometown, together. I was born in Sri Lanka but have lived in Japan for over 30 years. This makes me have two hometowns. Living both, makes both precious. If we respect others’ hometowns, we come to imagine others’ feelings too. I do hope you will continue to be compassionate towards others, together.”
6. Voices of participants
Ten questions were asked to individual participants.
What did you think were similar to you, from others’ presentations?
– Our locations may vary but we are thinking similar things such as what we can learn from past disasters.
– Other schools also just celebrated their 150th anniversary. They also work on DRR and conduct evacuation drills. I was surprised to learn that all schools are highly aware of DRR.
– All schools wished that others would visit their hometown.
– We all think about earthquakes. We all have traditional cuisines.
– Lunch, uniforms, bags.
What did you want to know and say more?
– Coup in Myanmar
– Earthquakes in the Philippines
– School environment, how to commute, what to do during a recess
– Climate, geography, demography
– Food, culture
– What they are doing to make the community better
– Interactions with the community
These answers show that the participants nurtured their interest in other countries and towns. Many children expressed their wish to meet and talk with participants from other locations. Those five countries have different situations but the interactions among them, particularly because they are the same age, helped each of them to understand the reality more ‘real’ than in the internet, TV, or news.
We thank all who were involved in, cooperated with, prepared for, and participated in this event.