Welcome to Asia Hope Camp
1. Past achievements of Korea-Japan Forum.
The Korea Japan Society and Culture Forum (hereinafter called “Korea-Japan Forum”) is an non profit organization registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2003 and established in 1999 as a conference body for the free exchange of various opinions and information in terms of Japan-South Korea relations. Korea-Japan Forum has hosted conferences such as the Korea-Japan Journalist Forum, the Korea-Japan Politicians Forum, to achieve direct discussions in terms of Japan-Korea issues by various groups.
As another example of our achievement, right after the East Japan Great Earthquake occurred in 2011, we immediately began recruiting volunteers in South Korea to support recovery of disaster areas in Northeast Japan. We eventually succeeded in bringing 50 Korean student volunteers to assist in the recovery effort which was filmed as a documentary and broadcast in S.Korea. We believe that instances such as this one help prove that an unbreakable tie of friendship exists between our two countries, despite sometimes acrimonious government relations.
once a year, since 2010 for a week during the middle of summer, Korea Japan Forum has been holding a volunteer opportunity for Korean and Japanese high school students at the Izumo shore in the Shimane Prefecture. our partner in Japan is the Shimane prefecture office International section. We have selected 20 applicants in Korea, and plan to hold a workshop once a month from April to June. The workshop will be divided into 3 parts such as "Global environment", "Volunteer", "International exchange" and each group will study individually for each topic.
The project will culminate in the "Korea-Japan High School Student Forum" held once a year in Shimane in July.
Recently We have been holding regular cultural exchanges and camp programs once or twaice per a month in Japan and South Korea, as well as introducing opportunities for paid and unpaid internships.
2. New attempt : Asia Hope Camp
Post 2011, We have focused our efforts on a new "Asia Hope Camp" project for international youth, which is represented by the slogan "Beyond natural disasters, to the world, to the future," in cooperation with several other Japanese and Korean organizations, our organization has the following goals for the Asia Hope Camp.
① Creation of "world volunteer map," created by Korean teenagers, showing volunteer opportunities around the world. many Korean teenagers have already expressed interest in taking part.
② Subsequently we would like to increase our interactions with other international volunteer organizations to facilitate information and culture exchange.
③ To provide more opportunities for young Japanese and Koreans to interact and find common ground by working together to heal poverty and disaster damaged regions in Asia. one potential example is an Asia Hope Camp to achieve these ends in North Korea post reunification.
Furthermore, as peace in Asia cannot be achieved by the will of Asian nations alone, we do not wish to restrict participant to those of Asian nationalities. Rather all youth who wish to take part will be welcomed, regardless of citizenship.
We hope to take new steps in our mutual journey this year, and into the future as well.
Beyond over disaster. To the world, To the future: The records of support
volunteer activities for damage of East Japan Great earthquake
Join together, Conquer adversity, Achieve miracles
Korea-Japan Society and Culture Forum has been actively working on promoting mutual understanding and well-communication between Japan and South Korea as its main purpose. With the volunteer activity for recovery of scar of East Japan Great Earthquake as the fisrt opportunity, we have started "Asia Hope Camp" project as regular projects. That is why we would like to describe the processes why Korea-Japan Society and Culture Forum determined to look at other Asian regions, and started holding "Asia Hope Camp", which do volunteer activities in developing nations in this record.
When we recruited participants for volunteer activity to help out disaster areas where got serious damage by East Japan Great Earthquake in South Korea right after it occurred. Gladly, over five hundred youth students applied for our recruitment within a week; however revision of Japanese history class textbook in terms of Takeshima/Dokdo territorial issues came up and being broadcasted throughout of South Korea right after over five hundreds people applied for our reqruitment, and number of the applicants for volunteer activity decreased to around fifty members. In such circmstances, we were finally able to hold volunteer activities five times in disaster areas of Miyagi prefecture by warm and devoted support from Daisen city, Akita prefecture and RQ disaster education center as mediater.
Those volunteer activites in disaster areas of Miyagi prefecture were able to be achieved by big contribution of Daisen city, Akita prefecture(Mr Kiei Futoh), Japan Echo Tourism center (Representative, Mr Toshimichi Hirose), Japan International Foundation Seoul cultural center, Akita Rainbow bridge of Japan-China-Korea, Sk telecom corporation which provided us free overseas roaming service, Tukiyama Foundation, Seoul-Japan media (Representative, Mr Masamichi Tanaka), Kurishima Heights Eco Institute (Representative, Mr Takashi Tanaka), Raise House Real Estate Corporation, Japanese style Bar Tonari Seoul city hall branch.
Those volunteer activities may not have been able to achieve if we could not get supported by such respectable organizations and companies as above.
We would like to take this opportunity to show our sincere gratitude for all of them.
The volunteer activities which Korea-Japan Society and Culture Forum has held in Iwate and Miyagi prefecture, was filmed as documentary video called "To the world with affection", and was broadcasted throughout South Korea twice. Not arguing toward historical issues, an aspect of youth Japanese and Korean students who will be supposed creating "future" of new Japan-South Korea relations brought brilliant sensation to South Korean's heart, and was able to insist on how continuous support necessary is at the same time with its documentary film.
1. Held conference to help out for disaster areas in East Japan.
: 2011/3/26(Sat) 18:00-20:00
: Gwanghwamun media center.
: Chief of office of Miyagi prefecture Seoul branch and chiefs of other prefectures of Northeast Tohoku attended this conference to give "tear" speech.
2. Charity fund raise for supporting disaster areas in East Japan.
: 2011/4/11-4/12
: Japanese style bar, Tonari Seoul city hall branch.
3. A t the same time with East Japan Great Earthquake occurred, scary emotion among the Korean people was rapidly increasing toward invisible fear of radioactivity. In the case when rainy days, the elementary schools and secondary schools in South Korea gave a reaction such as temporal cancellation of the classes. That is why we have made appropriate teaching materials to tell the people exact knowledge in terms of radioactivity.
4. Sending volunteer members to disaster areas in Iwate and Miyagi prefecture.
First time: 2011/5/22-5/27
Second time: 2011/6/13-6/20
Third time: 2011/7/11-7/18
Forth time: 2011/8/18-8/22
Fifth time: 2011/7/30-8/04
5. Beyond the disaster, To the World, To the Future. Start on an Asia Hope Camp.
What gave us very first opportunity to think about holding Asia Hope Camp is East Japan Great Earthquake, which have occurred on March 11th, 2011. Youth Japanese and Korean students who visited to disaster areas as volunteer member and citizens from disaster areas joined in "Japan-Korea Volunteer Forum", which was held in Kesennuma city and Minami-Sanriku town in Miyagi Prefecture, and talked about necessity of holding Asia Hope Camp, which could give much hope to the other Asian regions where have been still having big scar and serious damage by natural disaster.
Thank you for reading this records. All aboves are the processes to begin Asia Hope Camp. Lets work together to bring peaceful coexistence of the world and mutual understanding with various people.
