Why Did I Decide to Have This Camp?
I love working with children. The biggest reason why I became a schoolteacher was to be around them, but another motivation was to contribute to creating a peaceful world. For this, I believe we need to start with children.
Although I am not teaching full-time now, I have been working with children through Japanese language lessons and dance classes. I am teaching them languages to cultivate their curiosity about the world. Eventually, I will encourage them to travel to different parts of the world. By doing so, they will inevitably make friends and will form strong bonds, helping them to realize that as global citizens, we must celebrate our common humanity, and embrace our cultural differences.
In this lifetime, I was born “Japanese,” and I am grateful for the country that raised me; at the same time, I do not consider myself to be exclusively Japanese. I am a citizen of Earth and I believe that we are at the time when we all need to think, speak, and act from the awareness that we share a common planet.
Children are precious treasures and represent hope for the future. My goal is to help them grow into people who always inquire from within: “How can I contribute to the world’s well-being?” Simultaneously, I want them to thoughtfully attend to people and matters that touch their everyday lives.
It is my goal to nurture such awareness in children through this camp.
Banner photo by Akari of Akari Translations
