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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| June 14, 2004 |
Global University and International Students – 45th Global Voyage |
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| Son Myeong Soo, guest educator on the east Asian civil society movement and non-Japanese people living in Japan, with Global University participants. |
Through "Learning, Discovery and Action," the Global University (GU) programme introduces students to the issues facing the world today. "Navigators," experts in different fields from Japan and abroad, conduct onboard workshops and seminars to facilitate students through the various civil society and peace issues raised during the voyage. The theme for the 45th voyage programme is, "One year since the War on Iraq, where is the world heading? - State Superpowers versus Civilian Power," and encourages students to grapple with the difficult questions raised by this war: What effects has the war had on our world? What can we do as people in order to realize a world without war or terrorism?
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| Global University participants visiting a school at the al-Hittin refugee camp for Palestinian refugees in Amman, Jordan |
As well as the onboard workshops and classes, students learn firsthand about communities on "Exposure Tours" in selected regions that the ship visits, looking to turn knowledge into action through activism and civil society work. By learning from efforts of NGOs around the world, and acquiring the necessary skills to build campaigns from the GU programme, students can play an active role in social change. The syllabus for the 45th voyage includes nuclear disarmament, conflict resolution, the plight of Palestinian refugees, the work of Korean and Japanese NGOs in their efforts to build productive exchanges between the two countries, and intensive English study. |
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Kim Myoung-Shin, Global University participant from Korea, giving participants a rare first-hand look at military service for South Korea and UN Peace Keeping missions |
Of the 15 students enrolled in the course, 12 are Japanese and 3 are Korean. Kim Myoung-Shin from South Korea served part of his mandatory military service in East Timor, and said that he joined GU in the hope of discovering "how people can make a peaceful world without war." As a writer, and someone who feels the media in Japan does not always report global issues without bias, Mayumi Arikawa wants to "spread the truth to Japanese people," and help them "feel closer to the world." Takayuki Hirayama would also like to spread the knowledge he will gain on the programme, especially by teaching children about peace education once the voyage has finished. Although students gave many different reasons for joining the GU programme, they all shared the common goal of wanting to learn more about how to achieve peace. |
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