15
Jan 2014
Youth Ambassadors from Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture joined the 80th Peace Boat Global Voyage this past fall in order to share their experiences and lessons learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
26
Jul 2013
This year, Peace Boat celebrates its 30th anniversary. As part of our 80th Global Voyage around-the-world itinerary, Peace Boat’s vessel the “Ocean Dream” will call in at the port of Ishinomaki in October for the first time in its history.
17
May 2013
Global Disaster Risk Reduction: Sharing the Lessons Learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami. Japanese NGOs attend the UNISDR conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
10
Apr 2013
The 12 junior high school students from Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture who took part in the 2013 Spring Fukushima Youth Ambassadors project arrived back to Narita airport on April 1, 2013 after having learned about language, nature, sustainability and energy in Australia. From Narita they travelled by bus, safely returning to Minamisoma.
The 8-day local program was very fulfilling and fruitful, thanks to the cooperation of Australia-side partner Japanese for Peace, the homestay families, and all others at the schools, farm, beach, wind farm, permaculture garden and other places visited during their stay.
Along with announcing their safe return, we thank everyone that supported this project in many different ways.
23
Mar 2013
The Fukushima Youth Ambassadors, 12 junior high school students (ages 13-14) from Minamisoma City, are departing for Australia today! The 12 youth will visit Melbourne for a programme of educational and cultural exchange with local students and citizen’s groups. This will be an opportunity to experience intercultural understanding workshops, learn about environmental issues through outdoor activities, and practise English. In this healthy, dynamic and creative environment they will learn new skills, enjoy new experiences and gain a fresh perspective on the future, invaluable to them as they struggle to consider the future of their disaster-affected community.
11
Mar 2013
Today marks two years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster.
Peace Boat and the Disaster Relief Volunteer Centre would would like to express our deepest sorrow and condolences for all those who suffered losses and continue to be affected by the disaster.
04
Feb 2013
Peace Boat has organised programmes for youth from Fukushima to experience international exchange in Asia in 2011 and in North and Central America in 2012. In 2013, the third recreation project will take place in Spring in Australia. This programme will bring junior high school students from Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture to Melbourne, Australia during their March-April vacation, to experience international exchange and learn about environmental issues.
05
Jan 2013
The Peace Boat Center Ishinomaki opened on June 2, 2012. In the six months since then, many people have visited every day from near and far, interested in events, using the internet and other facilities there, or visitors coming to Ishinomaki for the first time since the earthquake. In this time, there has been more than 5000 visitors and participants in various events. This report details the events held in this time.
16
Nov 2012
On October 17, with the cooperation of NGO/NPOs and corporate partners, Peace Boat hosted an event focused on creating a network to quickly and efficiently provide support after disasters in Japan.
The event was organised by Peace Boat’s Disaster Volunteer Centre, with the help of sponsors including the Civilian Disaster Prevention and Disaster Area Support Network; corporate partner IBM Japan; intermediate support organizations such as Just Giving Japan; and NGO/NPO On the Road.
12
Oct 2012
Create a musical with 100 people in 100 days!
At the Peace Boat Centre Ishinomaki, people are now talking about rehearsals for a musical which is going to be performed in Miyagi in January next year.
This musical programme was set up by the NPO Common Beat. After the disaster struck last year, the group has been arranging ‘volunteer buses’ to take many of its members to volunteer in Ishinomaki.
The musical which they will perform, COMMON BEAT, was originally started by a non-profit group in the US. As young people from all over the world came together to perform the musical, they learned about each others cultures and lives. It has since come to be used in international-based education.
The next aim of Common Beat, which has thus far carried out programmes onboard Peace Boat and sent volunteers to Ishinomaki, is to carry out the first Tohoku Project on January 19-20, 2013. Since it was difficult to find a suitable venue in Ishinomaki, it will be performed at Taga City’s Culture Centre, also in Miyagi Prefecture. The important thing in starting out with this project was to get local people in Ishinomaki to become interested in joining the cast. Working with the Peace Boat Centre in Ishinomaki, central members of Common Beat have gone to Ishinomaki many times to give trial performances at local events and festivals.