We call our workshop-style events “Pangaea Activities.” Pangaea Activities are operated year-round and target children aged 9-15. We offer activities once or twice a month, and 10-25 children join each one. We set up our activity rooms at community centers, local schools, and media centers run by universities. We provide two types of workshop: “Local Activities” and “Webcam Activities”.
Local Activities
Local activities offer face-to-face interaction between the children at each activity site. During the activity, children are allowed to utilize PangaeaNet, which is a safe and secure internet environment for children and an effective communication tool for those who are in different countries and time zones.
Children share their artwork, including animations, pictures and drawings, with their peers through PangaeaNet. Children are also encouraged to exchange feedback, using pictograms, called Pictons. Attending the year-round program can help children generate interest in different cultures, improve communication skills, and cultivate consideration for others.
PangaeaNet
We provide children with PangaeaNet, which is a safe and secure internet environment for children. PangaeaNet is a useful device for children to present themselves through their pictures, voices, and artwork. We designed PanagaeaNet for children to communicate with each other using pictograms, so-called Pictons, to overcome language barriers.
PangaeaNet Ver.1 was developed in 2002 as a platform for youth communication. It used only pictograms for their messages since there was no real-time translation available. We didn’t want to limit their communication to English speakers, as the project is aimed at all young people around the world and the non-English-speaking population was about 80%. We thought deeply about a solution, and consulted Prof. Noam Chomsky at MIT. He agreed that since the quality of machine translation was still poor, pictograms would be useful. With design assistance from Tama Art University, over 500 pictograms were created for the project based upon a selection of words from the Ogden’s Basic Dictionary’s vocabularies.
PangaeaNet ver. 2 started to experiment with machine translation in 2012. We test these new tools at our sites in various countries.
We developed PangaeaNet as a virtual world, consisting of four types of communities: “House”, “Village”, “Country”, and “Earth.” The communities differ based on levels of interaction. It takes four clicks to move from House to Earth. We created a cyberspace museum, Pangaeum, at the top of the virtual world. Pangaeum is used as a place where children can show their artwork and exchange feedback.
We strictly protect the privacy of our users: every user needs to obtain a one-day password to access PangaeaNet.
Four Clicks to the Earth
Children create their own virtual rooms, houses, and villages to introduce themselves to their peers. We work with the children to draw their own rooms and houses, then scan them into the computer. Children post their own photos on their house windows and design their door name plates; they put their artwork and information about themselves into their cyber rooms. Children are also engaged in group projects to draw villages that represent their cultures.
Media Creation
Children create their own original media such as animations, playing cards, calendars, videos, and presentation slides. Children are able to animate their drawn images. They are also able to learn how to make their own games.
Pangaea makes its own playing cards with children: the four suits symbolize our activity centers, such as Tokyo, Seoul, and Vienna. Each rank depicts an element relating to children’s daily lives: “Ace” represents their school clothing or school uniforms, and “2” describes the children’s favorite places to play. Children work together at every activity site to make their own original playing cards featuring their countries and everyday lives.
Webcam Activities
Webcam activities are designed to offer real-time interaction between children by networking multiple activity sites, both locally and globally. The activities currently take place a few times a year. Children who have already known each other through our local activities can develop a deeper sense of “bonding” by experiencing face-to-face communication and playing our original games via webcams.
According to our research, our webcam activities stimulate children to develop positive attitudes towards others. Since children can hear the voices and see the facial expressions of other children using the webcams, they are more likely to bond with each other as playmates, regardless of geographical distance.
Koetsuna
Two teams compete to see who can say “Pangaea!” the loudest. We call it a “Vocal Tug of War.” In our experience, children are likely to get nervous when they are engaged in cross-cultural interaction. This activity enables children to ease their tension and enjoy the other webcam activities.
Matching Game
The children are split into multiple cultural groups. But each activity group must include children who are in different countries. We show children a single word, and working in their groups, children think of responses associated with the given words. Children who are in the same country suggest associated words that they think might pop into other children’s heads, and then they write them down. Children go back to their own groups and give their responses via webcams. When answers match, a group member earns a point for the team-mate who is in a different country. This activity helps children enhance their knowledge and understanding of different cultures.
Voices from Participants
Isobemochi
I have been participating in Pangaea since the second grade of elementary school, and the greatest lesson I have learned through its activities is that others and I are fundamentally different, and it is precisely these differences that make humanity fascinating. In Pangaea’s activities, children from diverse backgrounds, both domestic and international, closely interact with one another. At times, situations nearly escalate into quarrels. However, by the end of the day, I find myself wanting to meet them again. It is said that the world is now at risk of division. I, too, sometimes view others and myself in binary opposition, which can lead to conflict. Through Pangaea, I realized that such conflicts arise from simply not “knowing” the other person. Although the world is mired in chaos, Pangaea has given me hope that it is still too early to give up.
Hikari
I have been participating in Pangaea activities since I was 9 years old. I have also participated in KISSY multiple times and am currently involved with PANGAEA as a facilitator. From the day we met, we have enjoyed the activities as if we had always been friends regardless of age, gender, and nationality, and it has been an experience that I will never forget. I have been participating in activities for many years, and every time I have participated, I have been able to expand my global perspective and learn a lot, and it has also given me the opportunity to find what I want to do. It is also a place that has given me the courage to take action without fear of failure. I am grateful to Pangaea and all the people I have met here.
Emily
Since I was in elementary school, I participated in activities with Pangaea, where I had the opportunity to connect with children from around the world through webcams and the internet. Through these interactions, I was able to learn about different cultures and lifestyles while building friendships across borders, and I still remember how much I looked forward to each monthly activity. However, I also became aware of the harsh reality that many children my age lacked access to adequate education and healthcare services, and this realization deeply affected me.
This experience instilled in me a sense of global citizenship and a strong desire to contribute to improving the health and quality of life of people across the world. Today, I am working to turn this passion into reality by pursuing research in global health at graduate school, with the goal of becoming a nurse who can make a meaningful impact in this field.