Hello, this is jyoko, in charge of Newsletter. Pangaea Summer School project, that Pangaea friends all over the world meet in one place have done in Kyoto!!
Kenya, Cambodia, Korea and each prefecture of Japanese Pangaea children joined "Kyoto Intercultural Summer School for Youths(KISSY)."
Each country facilitator Mr. Mitei (Kenya), Ms. Sodany (Cambodia), and Mr. Koji (Japan) gave message, what they are feeling about KISSY and Pangaea.
Actually, after the farewell party, I was moved to tears while I was talking on a phone with Yumi about the logistics of the next day, the final day of KISSY.
I'm so glad to participate in KISSY for staff.
In my case, I feel "bonding" not only to each country children but to facilitator and technical staff.
Thank you for helping me! I'm so happy!!

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1. Message from Mr. Mitei (Pangaea in Kenya)
2. Message from Ms. Sodany (Pangaea in Cambodia)
3. Message from Ms. Joohee (Pangaea in Korea)
4. Message from Mr. Koji (Pangaea in Japan)
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All messages from these various countries were written in Kyoto, Japan, during KISSY.

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1. Message from Mr. Mitei (Pangaea in Kenya)
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It is we, the citizens of the world, who can make peace. This was said in Netherlands in May 1999. NPO Pangaea, Yumi and Toshi, provide a universal playground and connect and bond the children of the world. Peace making can be cheap or expensive depending on the way and angle you are viewing it from. When I looked at it from our current world situation and the intervention measures employed after the nations are in fire, then it is very, very expensive. If we approached it the Pangaea way, then we are talking of a future full of tolerant, understanding and appreciative population.
What is the secret then? Studies have shown that stereotyping of population is learnt rather than acquired. This means therefore that they can be undone or rather we can teach our children at an early age to appreciate and tolerate the diversity of cultures and respect divergent opinions.
NPO Pangaea, in my opinion, has approached this peacebuilding and peace engineering initiative in an unmatched and only way of its own. The use of Technology and the target group will in a few years yield greater results than all other approaches taken in the past. Attending the just concluded the 1st Kyoto Intercultural Summer School for the Youth, KISSY, I could see the emotions build up and happiness shinning on their faces. These are children from different nations and practicing diverse cultures and that upon coming together for a few hours, their racial and language difference vanished into thin air. They started playing together and even staying late into the night so as to maximize their stay together within the limited time space. Another example is when teachers in Kenya were participating in industrial strike and the National Museum had organized a Pangaea activity. The children on their own walked to the venue with a few being escorted by their parents. They did not want to miss a webcam with their foreign counterparts.
It is my prayer and wish that NPO Pangaea should be supported by development partners and international organizations in order to enable many more children of the world to participate in this worthy human course.
Children are not only our future but also seeds of tomorrow.

Daniel arap Mitei, Kenya
Public Program Director, National Museum of Kenya.

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2. Message from Ms. Sodany (Pangaea in Cambodia)
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Hello, I am Soeur Sodany, a counselor for students at Japan Relief for Cambodia and World Assistance for Cambodia. This is the first time for me and kids from Bfkh (Bright Future Kids home) have come to Kyoto in Japan to participate KISSY of Pangaea.
There are kids from Korea, Japan, and Kenya. KISSY has prepared a lot of activities that Cambodian kids can connect and interact with other kids even though they come from different parts of the world and although they have different languages. They actively involved in the activities; they happily and bravely expressed ideas and worked together to create new ideas.
WAfC Website:
http://www.Cambodiaschools.com

I noticed that in June 2014, Yumi and Toshi ran the activities of Pangaea with the kids at Bfkh and the kids at A New Life Orphanage in computer house in Cambodia, during which all of the kids here were really enjoying with the activities. Also, on July 26,2014, technicians, facilitators, the kids and I conducted the activities of Pangaea again. At that time the kids joined the houses of Korean, Japanese and Kenya throughout the PangaeaNet. They showed the same interests as before. Through this experience I think this program is very fantastic, amazing, and beneficial for the kids. They can exchange experience, cultures, and learn new thing cooperatively. Finally, I would like to express my profound thank to Pangaea for providing us the most wonderful project. I hope our kids will learn more new things from the kids around the world.
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3. The Message from Joohee
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Hello everyone, I am Pak Joohee and working as a facilitator leader in the MIZY center in Korea. The MIZY center has been in cooperation with NPO Pangaea since 2006. 28 kids are taking a part in Pangaea's activities this year. Sometime after the 5th activity, it seems they started to feel closer to each other and familiar to "Pangaea".
Last week I got a message from a mother of a kid who attended the activity, and she told me that the kid said "thank you for letting me join the Pangaea's activity" with a smile full of happiness after coming back from her first activity. It was the first time for her to say like this, although she has been to many other experiential activities or a cram school.

I think, this story tells a lot about the Pangaea. Our task is to provide a place where children love, enjoy, and share things together, and when we make every kid feel happy by fulfilling this task, we will be able to create "BOND" that the Pangaea is seeking for.
The MIZY center is trying our best to have as many Korean kids as possible to join the activities as the first overseas spot of the Pangaea. I hope with all my heart, that the kids will understand and make friends with each other in spite of the difference of culture and language.

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4. Message from Mr. Koji (Pangaea in Japan)
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During Kyoto Intercultural Summer School for the Youth, KISSY, children tried to think of the theme, "Bonding." I associate bonding with collaboration. It is, I think, the most important key of many those that they always sympathize what others feel. As it might be always that their idea or opinions are in conflict at first, each member has to have contributive attitude for the team members.
Through KISSY program, the participants challenged for making one object with cricket, easy programming tool with motor, of concept each team decided on a board. Some team looked so hard to make because some member just made what they want to for self-satisfaction. At the same time it seemed really worth using translation system in order to tell other member what they want and think. I was really happy to see they struggle with much powerful and contributive heart. On the other hand, I learned how much difficult they communicated without full of mutual language, only with limited expression tools. Some participant conflict with others from another country because of cultural differences and others suffer from cheap expression far from as much as they want.
Through KISSY program, I believe, they had a very wonderful intercultural experience that they struggled against the hard task with other children from different countries and imagined how they collaborate with them so much. That is the first step and now they can sympathize with others by feeling what other think and want from tense of words, face and their situations.
I hope they will move up next step even in daily life out of PANGAEA activity; they feels what others think, and then think of how they tell others what they want or what they want others to do. It is always that the communication starts from accepting others regardless culture, age, sex, whatever.

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