A message of peace
Lead Summary
By
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By MEGHAN RYAN
For The Highland County Press
WILMINGTON - Wilmington College recently played host to a visiting Peace Ambassador Exchange (PAX) team from Japan. The team stayed for two days, making visits around campus and to the community. Among the team members was Michiko Yamane, a board member for the World Friendship Center. She makes monthly visits to a nursing home for the atomic bomb survivors' and performs a ventriloquist act with her "sidekick" Shin chan, her puppet. Asaka Watanabe was also a member of the team which visited Wilmington College. She has worked with PAX in the past on a trip to Germany. Asaka is an opera singer who sings at churches and schools. She sings "Life of the World: Spirit of Hiroshima" to honor those affected by the bombings of Hiroshima. The other team members, Satoko Mary Tomono and Seira Nigo, are students at universities in Japan. Satoko was born in North Carolina and moved to Japan when she was 9. Seira is an English major at Shudo University in Hiroshima and has been a baton twirler for 11 years.
The Peace Ambassador Exchange (PAX) is a program devoted to sharing resources of peace. PAX was built upon the foundation of activist Barbara Reynolds' work for world peace. Its main goals are to educate people about the bombings of Hiroshima and emphasize that nuclear weapons should never be used again. PAX also works to build bridges of friendship among Japan and the United States, or as Reynolds was quoted as saying, "to foster peace, one friend at a time."
Shinzo Hamai, a former mayor of Hiroshima, was a big proponent of peace in Hiroshima. He summarized the Peace Ambassador Exchange team's goals for peace by saying, "The people of Hiroshima ask nothing of the world except that we be allowed to offer ourselves as an exhibit for peace. We ask only that enough people know what happened and why it happened and that they work hard to see that it never happens anywhere again."
The team members came to the United States to spread their goal for peace. They first visited Washington, D.C. and later went to Chicago. In Wilmington, the team went to Wilmington High School and spoke to two classes. They had a community program at Wilmington College and presented information on PAX and performed. At the program, Seira twirled batons and Asaka sang her song "Life of the World: Spirit of Hiroshima." Michiko entertained with her ventriloquist act. The PAX team also presented at a luncheon on campus and made several college class visits. From Wilmington, the team was going to travel to Bluffton University, Manchester College, and later return to Chicago before ending their trip in Portland, Ore. They planned to stay in the United States for two weeks.
The Peace Ambassador Exchange team made their stop at Wilmington College because of its Peace Resource Center, which was founded by Barbara Reynolds. Her goal was to help educate the world about the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bomb, and help ensure that the atomic bombings never happen again. The center is now run by Director Jim Boland, along with Administrative Assistant Charlotte Pack. The Peace Resource Center is open to the public and offers many different resources. They train for positive discipline and peer mediators. The center also does a program called Project Trust, which is a program dedicated to preventing school violence. Project Trust is a two day retreat that works on breaking down barriers in schools like cliques, and teaches students to respect all people and stop using put-downs. The Peace Resource Center often does school visits and has a wide variety of information on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It also has a large library, bookstore, and has a peace clinic. Jim Boland wants to convey a message of joy, and when there is joy, working for peace can be "fun."
For more information, contact Jim Boland at (937) 382-661 ext. 275. You can also visit the Peace Resource Center in Wilmington, which is located at 51 College Street, Wilmington.[[In-content Ad]]
For The Highland County Press
WILMINGTON - Wilmington College recently played host to a visiting Peace Ambassador Exchange (PAX) team from Japan. The team stayed for two days, making visits around campus and to the community. Among the team members was Michiko Yamane, a board member for the World Friendship Center. She makes monthly visits to a nursing home for the atomic bomb survivors' and performs a ventriloquist act with her "sidekick" Shin chan, her puppet. Asaka Watanabe was also a member of the team which visited Wilmington College. She has worked with PAX in the past on a trip to Germany. Asaka is an opera singer who sings at churches and schools. She sings "Life of the World: Spirit of Hiroshima" to honor those affected by the bombings of Hiroshima. The other team members, Satoko Mary Tomono and Seira Nigo, are students at universities in Japan. Satoko was born in North Carolina and moved to Japan when she was 9. Seira is an English major at Shudo University in Hiroshima and has been a baton twirler for 11 years.
The Peace Ambassador Exchange (PAX) is a program devoted to sharing resources of peace. PAX was built upon the foundation of activist Barbara Reynolds' work for world peace. Its main goals are to educate people about the bombings of Hiroshima and emphasize that nuclear weapons should never be used again. PAX also works to build bridges of friendship among Japan and the United States, or as Reynolds was quoted as saying, "to foster peace, one friend at a time."
Shinzo Hamai, a former mayor of Hiroshima, was a big proponent of peace in Hiroshima. He summarized the Peace Ambassador Exchange team's goals for peace by saying, "The people of Hiroshima ask nothing of the world except that we be allowed to offer ourselves as an exhibit for peace. We ask only that enough people know what happened and why it happened and that they work hard to see that it never happens anywhere again."
The team members came to the United States to spread their goal for peace. They first visited Washington, D.C. and later went to Chicago. In Wilmington, the team went to Wilmington High School and spoke to two classes. They had a community program at Wilmington College and presented information on PAX and performed. At the program, Seira twirled batons and Asaka sang her song "Life of the World: Spirit of Hiroshima." Michiko entertained with her ventriloquist act. The PAX team also presented at a luncheon on campus and made several college class visits. From Wilmington, the team was going to travel to Bluffton University, Manchester College, and later return to Chicago before ending their trip in Portland, Ore. They planned to stay in the United States for two weeks.
The Peace Ambassador Exchange team made their stop at Wilmington College because of its Peace Resource Center, which was founded by Barbara Reynolds. Her goal was to help educate the world about the Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bomb, and help ensure that the atomic bombings never happen again. The center is now run by Director Jim Boland, along with Administrative Assistant Charlotte Pack. The Peace Resource Center is open to the public and offers many different resources. They train for positive discipline and peer mediators. The center also does a program called Project Trust, which is a program dedicated to preventing school violence. Project Trust is a two day retreat that works on breaking down barriers in schools like cliques, and teaches students to respect all people and stop using put-downs. The Peace Resource Center often does school visits and has a wide variety of information on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It also has a large library, bookstore, and has a peace clinic. Jim Boland wants to convey a message of joy, and when there is joy, working for peace can be "fun."
For more information, contact Jim Boland at (937) 382-661 ext. 275. You can also visit the Peace Resource Center in Wilmington, which is located at 51 College Street, Wilmington.[[In-content Ad]]