In this lecture, which was the last of this year, Ms. Chie Murakami, Director of the Non-Profit Organization Diamonds for Peace, talked about international support activities related to diamonds and tips on how to choose a career path from her experience.

First of all, Ms. Murakami told the students about her career during her self-introduction.
On the screen, the names of advertising agents, consulting firms, cram schools, JICA, etc. were arranged one after another, and the students were surprized at the variety.

The beginning of Ms. Murakami’s career path was shown in one picture titled “The vulture and the little girl” that she saw when she was a sophomore in college.
This picture caught a moment where a vulture was focused on a starving girl. When Ms. Murakami saw it, she was shocked by the difference between that girl’s circumstances and her circumstances. And she really beganto contemplate “What is the meaning that I was born in Japan, what is it for?”.

And Ms. Murakami decided to proceed to focus on international cooperation with the feeling that “I want to share the benefits of the wealth that I received in Japan to developing countries”. She began studying English in earnest aiming to go on to a graduate school for that purpose.
She took an entrance exam with her friends who grew up overseas and her friends passed but only Ms. Murakami failed. After that, she made up her mind to pass next time and refined her English skills through reading English newspaper editorials and corresponding with people in English, and as a result of her effort, she went on to graduate school in America.

Ms. Murakami has repeatedly worked in various careers abroad and in Japan with a good English proficiency, acquired with steady effort. In 2015, she founded the organization “Diamonds for Peace” which conducts educational activities on diamond trading issues. It was the engagement ring awarded to her when she got married that made the turning point.

“I thought that there must be a happy story on diamonds surely, but I was surprised to know that it is not actually the case. In the area in Africa where diamond can be collected, people use them to buy weapons for civil wars. Diamonds are a source of funds.”
Ms. Murakami learned that there are many problems while examining diamonds with the engagement ring as a trigger.In order to help local workers stand up to resist exploitation, she began doing supporting activities such as teaching about efficient mine technology and ways to increase income through side jobs.

The students heard stories about the negative side of diamonds, such as use in civil wars with weapons being bought with money raised selling diamonds, child labor and problems of exploitation.
While being surprized at the harsh reality, which was far from their image of diamonds, the students gradually accepted that such facts existed.

At the end of the lecture, based on Ms. Murakami’s wide range of experiences, she told the students some important things to think about when choosing a career path.

“Even if you think you have found your calling, it may not be. But there is no rule that says you have to do the same thing in life. You can choose again. ”
“By experiencing various things, you can see what you like, so I think it’s important to try things first.”

Ms. Murakami jumped into what she thought suited her. These messages reflecting her way of thinking had a great impact on the students.

“I thought that Ms.Mrakami was amazing as she had experienced a variety of things, and the experience was linked to her work. Because I was convinced that my current experience is also connected to the future, I could get a lot of courage.”

Each student felt as though they had gotten a clue to lead them into the future and their faces reflected that.

Mr. Tetsushi Sonobe, who is the vice president of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and has achieved a lot of things in the field of development economics, talked about the “necessary power” he obtained through his own experiences.

“‘Career development’ is a process of enhancing our skills so that we can earn enough income to live well mentally and materially. ”

As Mr. Sonobe was soft-spoken and gentle, the students attentively listened to his explanations about topic.

“When you form a career in a global society, it is essential to engage with people from other countries. So it is important to think about what they are like. What are the differences between Japanese people and people from other countries, emotions, abilities, sense of humor? ”

“Actually, there is not much difference between us all.” He said.

“In Japan and other countries, ‘individuals’usually aren’t different, but the ‘society’ in which individuals live can be quite different. Some countries have a peaceful and affluent society, others have war and society as a whole is poor. So unless you understand the differences in the societies behind the individuals, true understanding and friendship can’t happen.

Understanding the “society” in which individuals have grown up, serves as the basis for communication with people from all over the globe. That idea was conveyed to the students and backed up by his experiences involving the many people he had met in his life.

Next, Mr. Sonobe talked about the support and research activities he had done in developing countries.

Development economics, which is the academic field that Mr. Sonobe specializes in, involves thinking about “Why are there poor societies and how can we enrich them.”.
To answer this question, he has been exploring effective ways to improve business activities in developing countries for many years.

Mr. Sonobe explained the realities of companies working in developing countries. He showed photographs to illustrate his points.

“In Africa, the skill level, even the skills of longtime employees, is lower than in Asia. Also, many mangers in Africa do not know how to motivate young employees and how to decrease their physical or mental burdens.”

The students listened eagerly, surprised by the fact that it is often impossible for companies in developing countries to do what is common in Japan.

“Despite the lower skill levels and the lower levels of efficiency, many of the managers in developing countries think that ‘I am doing well.’ So they do not try to improve the work environment even by working on fundamental things such as workplace organization.

“Also, research in developing countries costs a lot. In order to cover the cost, I have lobbied for funds to carry out reseach.”

Mr. Sonobe has been working hard to increase the rate of development other countries. From his point of view, willpower is necessary to accomplish the goals we set.

“We need to raise research funds. To do so, we must show our passion for the research no matter what. There is no different between Japanese people and people from other countries on that point.”
“There are a lot of excellent people in this world. Sentivity to their situations is important to get them on your side though.”

Finally, he said “I would like to share what I learned from my research experience”, Mr. Sonobe told students about the necessary attitudes we have to have in international situations and illustrated the reality of that using various actual situations he was involved in.

“In the end, life is like a game of how happy we can make ourselves and others around us. I think that you can change ideas if you look at things in that way.”

In the question and answer session after the lecture, the students got a lot of nuanced answers from Mr. Sonobe and gained valuable information about the “Reality of the World”.

The students learned what skills they need to live together with people who have different backgrounds.

The students made comments like “I am also doing research in my class and had the feeling that I was getting left behind every time something new was introduced. I learned it is important to get ahead of things while building passion and considering people around me to avoid being insensitive. ”

He talked about what he is challenged by, in order to achive his dreams and how he thinks about his dreams giving his presentation titled “My Challenge.”

His lecture started with a self-introduction. He talked about memories with family when he was young. He also spoke of his experiences hitchhiking while he travelled by himself. These stories, told by someone so close to their own age, immediately sparked curiosity in the students.

Mr.Maki grew up around nature. He developed an idea of wanting to “learn about agriculture and become an biology teacher”. He entered university and follwed his dream.
The reason he changed his focus international agricultural cooperation was because of classes he took from assistant professor Koji Ishikawa in the fall of his first year at the university.

Associate Professor Ishikawa was engaged in agricultural policy as a development consultant in South Sudan and his lectures were an eye opening experience.
“I learned that there were many people in agriculture in developing countries and it was a great shock” Mr.Maki said,looking back.

During Spring vacation in his second year, Mr. Maki went to Cambodia to teach growing techniques. The program was introduced to him by Pofessor Ishikawa.
Maki saw the people who had experienced war and hardship and lost agricultural skills. He also saw those who desperately farmed in remote areas. The thought “I want to support agriculture in developing countries somehow” started growing in him

Mr. Maki decided at this time “I will work in international agriculture”.

After that, Mr. Maki participated in overseas training programs for students such as EurAsia Youth Summit and the University Scholars Leadership Symposium.

Currently, he is actively engaged in discussions with various people both at home and abroad and seeking international cooperation in the field of agriculture.

“My dream is to support small-scale farmers through international cooperation on agriculture,” Mr. Maki said as he explained his vision for the future.
Subsequently, he talked about the two events that shaped him as a person.

The first;
“I have bronchial asthma, now I am fine, but the doctor said that it may need to be hospitalized from about age 35 as my immunity declines. In the next 10 years I really want to work and accomplish things.”

Second;
“During my stay abroad, my best friend committed suicide and there was a long time when I was depressed. I changed my way of thinking though and now I believe I will talk about my memories when I meet my best friend again someday. ” So, in order to create really worthwhile memories, I am working hard now. ”

Mr. Maki will work on cultivation programs in Mozambique as a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers from next year. He is commiting to his goal of supporting developing countries as a development consultant.

“If you get a chance in front of you or encounter something that you are even a little interested in, please try it. When you try it, it will be another new challenge. If I came across anything to do with international cooperation on agriculture, I have participated in it. I will continue to face these challenges in the future”

Mr. Maki ‘s words conveyed the importance of working towards your goals.

Some students asked questions after the presentation.
“What do you want to do while you are in university?” “You have been experiencing various overseas experiences, but how have you raised the money?”

Mr Maki’s stories of his experiences inspired the students and showed them that taking action toward your dreams is an important step in realizing them.

On this day, Ms. Risako Inoue, who is a pharmacist with Doctors Without Borders, was invited to speak. She talked about the activities of the group and her own experiences following the theme “For one life”.

“Thank you. I am pleased to have this kind of opportunity.” Said Ms. Inoue as she began.

“There are people in many parts of the world who can not get health care. To help these people, various specialists who gather from all over the world, team up and provide medical care beyond their national borders. This is Doctors Without Borders.”

Along with the introduction of Doctors Without Borders, she also told the audience about the circumstances in each country where she worked as a medicine specialist.

“Have you ever heard of South Sudan?”, “Have you seen a picture like this?” she asked the audience. She showed pictures of the local clothing and food which were very different from those in Japan. The students focused very clearly on her as she explained about these things.

Ms. Inoue chose a career as a pharmacist when she was a high school student planning on what to study in university.

“At that time I was dreaming of working with people from various countries in international organizations.
I believed that special skills were necessary to be active in international organizations. I decided to focus on pharmacological skills, which I was interested in at the time “.

After Ms. Inoue studied pharmacology at university, she then worked at the university hospital for seven years. After that, she registered with the overseas aid group Doctors Without Borders. She was first sent to Malawi. From there she has been involved in activities in South Sudan, Papua New Guinea,
earthquake-stricken areas in Kumamoto, and other places.

During her time working in various countries, she began to feel more aware of the importance of experts working in teams, cooperating with each other.

“At the Doctors Without Borders clinics, there are not onlymedical staff involved in medical treatment but also various people invloved in other indirect ways. For example, people who procure supplies, set up the Internet, and do assessments on effectiveness and safety. Everyone involved has an important role and the organization can’t succeed without all of these people.”

“The general image of a pharmacist is a person provides medicine prescribed by doctors, but there is more to it than just handing out medicine. ” Team medicine ” means that the doctors and nurses work as a team treating each patient. Pharmacists make proposals on ways to help patients from the viewpoint of a specialist. In addition, the pharmacists in Doctors Without Borders cooperate with each other on a variety of jobs, such as importing drugs and managing pharmacies.”

Ms. Inoue has been cooperating with specialists from various countries and they have been solving problems together on a daily basis. Ms. Inoue, while talking about the working in such conditions, was clearly full of pride in the work done and felt it was rewarding.

However, Ms. Inoue said that there were lives which even a well built team can not save.

A girl with pneumonia died in a few minutes after Ms Inoue’s team thought her condition was stable and moved on to the next patient. A girl with diabetes passed away while team went for a short nap.She witnessed many people die suddenly and unexpectedly.

“In Japan where medical treatment is in place, such things don’t occur. I thought that it is unfair. Mr. Hiroyuki Kato, a pediatrician with Doctors Without Borders, spoke after taking a position in South Sudan “I felt that a lot of lives were falling from the palm of my hand.” I empathize with that sentiment very much”

She continues to work in spite of facing a tough reality because the mission of “wanting to save lives” drives her. The students, who were touched by her commitment to her mission, listened quietly.

“I sympathized with the vision of solving global issues through medical care and participated in Doctors Without Borders. I think that the challenges in the world could no longer be someone else’s affair. I hope you look at global issues somehow and find something that you can do. ”

Ms. Inoue has accepted the weight of the life at clinical sites where life and death meet. Her message echoed in the students’ hearts with its reality.

“Please tell me the age group of the patients who are going to be treated. Are there still many small children?” “Have you not been hesitant to go to dangerous areas?” Ms. Inoue answered the questions the students asked with a warm smile.
The students gave a big round of applause as the lecture ended.

Ms. Inoue had not forgotten the brightness even in such harsh places. She worked with her team as a specialist and been devoted to solving medical problems. The students attitudes resonated with her sense of duty and her facing the challenges of the world.

Tomoyuki Hatai, who participated in Doctors Without Borders and has been active in emergency missions around the world, told them about what is important in building a career, through his own experience.

“Good morning.” He said. “Well, everyone seems down. Please give out a louder, GOOD MORNING!”
At the beginning of the lecture, the atmosphere in the venue was built by the booming voice of Mr. Hatai and the students straightened up to listen.

“Do you know Doctors Without Borders? What is the organization doing? ” ” How many liters of water are you using a day? How many liters of water are necessary for people to live?” were questions he asked them.
First of all, he introduced the activities of Doctors Without Borders and the circumstances of the countries the organization is dispatched to, while showing the local images and asking questions.

In addition, Mr. Hatai walked around the hall and sometimes talked with the students in their seats. The students felt his ability to communicate and take action, which was cultivated through numerous overseas experiences, such as emergency on-site trips.

When he was a high school student, he became interested in the world outside of Japan. That was an era when waves of major changes were coming around the world, like “The collapse of the Wall of Berlin”.

Although Mr. Hatai had decided to go to university, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. While watching overseas news on TV, he started to have a strong desire to see the world with his own eyes. And after graduating from high school, he dared to venture out overseas. Backpacking for 4 years, he worked for NGOs in Europe and Asia.

In 2001, he reached a turning point. He learned about the “Western Indian Earthquake” with the loss of 20,000 lives and 166,000 injured in India.

When he realized he didn’t know how to help people in need, he thought “I want to work to save someone’s life rather than volunteer to survive and wander.” Then Mr. Hatai decided to go back to work and returned to Japan. He worked as a nurse for eight years and gained experience.

It was when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011 that he decided to go abroad again. At that time, he participated in on-site medical activities as a part of a medical team “DMAT”, which rushes to sites of
large-scale disasters.

He reflected on his experiences working at the forefront of this emergency medical care. He felt ” It’s time to go overseas now ” and decided to participate in Doctors Without Borders.

Since that time, he has carried out emergency mission activities in more than 10 times. He started in South Sudan in 2013 and visited other areas such as Nepal and Kumamoto where major earthquakes occurred. He has also visited conflict areas in the Middle East and refugee camps throughout Africa.

Currently, he is involved in the “Ship for World Youth program” which carries out multilateral exchanges onboard a ship, the “Pura Vida Japan”, which supports people with visual impairment. While expanding the scope of his activities in situations like that he continues to search for new experiences.

“I have had many experiences and learned through trial and error. I visited a lot of places and hit a lot of walls. Once you overcome a challenge, you will find another one. In that way, your career will develop. Look for what you want to do work hard toward that goal! ”

Mr. Hatai’s powerful message carried considerable weight he has recounted his own experiences. His words stayed firmly in the students’ minds.

In the Q & A session, students asked questions like, “Did you have any objections from your parents?” “I want to be a nurse in the future, but is there a difference between a Japanese nurse and a nurse in other countries?”

To the question “Where does your motivation to always face your challenges come from?”, he answered “To have curiosity and the desire to help people. In addition, to know there are new discoveries out there to study and experience every time we go to another country. ”
The refreshing smile of Mr. Hatai was reflected in the faces of the students.

He demonstrated his communication skills on the global stage and showed a strong commitment to saving people in harsh environments and overcame a lot of challenges.
The students’ minds were opened by seeing an attitude like his. They were motivated to experience the world according to their own feelings.

“First of all, let’s all imagine a college life by closing our eyes a bit. What kind of classes do you want to take? What kind of campus is your favorite? Are you excited? Now, please open your eyes. How was it? Drawing your ideal image is very important.”

The students were attracted to her from the beginning after imagining an “ideal university life”.

Ms. Motosugi, who had opportunities in various overseas experiences at Tamagawa Gakuen since her time in kindergarten, became particularly interested in Africa since she experienced a short exchange program in South Africa when she was in her first year of high school.
Originally, she was not very interested in South Africa but it was what the school offered, but later she received a great shock after witnessing the realities of life after the apartheid system.

She remembered her feelings at that time. “I spent many days looking at the slums for three months, but I could not do anything for those in need. I began to wonder strongly if I could do something someday.”
Based on this experience, Mrs Motosugi began to think of “Working for something related to Africa” and set that as a goal and her ‘ideal image’.

After returning to the school, she actively participated in the Model United Nations and Roundsquare activities to build her knowledge of Africa, she entered Sophia University, which provides a program to send university students to UN agencies. She realized the importance of getting “knowledge”, “experience” and “confidence” as she got involved in activities every day in order to get closer towards her ‘ideal image’.

Ms. Motosugi said that deepening her “knowledge” and “experience” by participating in overseas volunteer work and taking lectures on international politics and economics and gaining “confidence” by meeting with various college students and sharing stories of their activities lead to more “knowledge” and “experience”. She could feel the accelerated pace of her own growth.

“I think you can create “something only you can do” and “values which only you can make” my multiplying knowledge, experience, confidence.” She said..

“In Zimbabwe, to where I was dispatched as a volunteer, hyperinflation has caused great confusion in the lives of people. I felt the failure of national economic policy hitting the people’s life directly.”

From that experience, she learned the influence of the “economy of the country”. She began to focus on learning about harmonizing the social structure from the perspective of “economy” while considering learning development studies at graduate school.

“Although it may be difficult to imagine the future now, imagine as it is a tentative plan. I am excited about being involved in Africa, but if you draw a future image that you are excited about, it will become the driving force of your own actions. I want to be really conscious about this while enjoying my university life without regrets. I hope you all spend a life without regret.”

The real feeling she explained her stories included in the message at the end were echoed by the students.

They asked questions like,
“What is the most interesting thing in Africa for you right now?”
“How can study in IB classes be helpful at college?”
“How can we improve our English skills?”
After the lecture, hands come up from a lot of students. Ms. Motosugi gently and politely answered them including those not only related to Africa but also to their career, taking account of her own experience as alumni.

Students seeing their senior who drew her own ideal image helped them to draw images of their own. They were able to think about their future life course and career choice, and gained “courage” to advance to their own ideal future.

Tomomi Sekioka, who is a senior public relations manager at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was welcomed as the first lecturer.
She talked about the role the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plays in the world and her work in public relations.

At first, she explained about the history of the IMF and its role in the world. She was talking while asking questions and giving examples, which made it easy for students to understand and therefore it attracted their attention.

“The finance by the IMF to the countries in fiscal trouble is paid by member countries such as Japan. This means, it is not irrelevant to you all.” She said.

The Students learned that they are impacted by the IMF from things like commentary on surveillance (economic surveillance) to loans to technical cooperation. These are all roles that the IMF plays in the world. They listened to the lecture while being conscious of the relationship between the IMF and themselves.

In addition, Ms. Sekioka told of the importance of thinking about “how we are being seen from outside countries” based on the viewpoints she gained in her experience as a reporter and in public relations in her previous job.

“Even if there is no such mandate in an organization, if you do not know the history, religion, or culture of that country, you may hurt people you are trying to help.”
As an example, she spoke of an advertisement that a creator made which attracted a lot of negative attention due to an unintentional expression of discrimination and using inappropriate data, she told the students of the importance of “thinking about how people seeing things will receive them” and “considering objectivity and reliability” when communicating something to many people.

Also, when looking at “the viewpoint of objectivity and reliability”, she told she continues to feel “strangeness” often at seminars and conferences organized by Japanese organizations.

For example, there are times when the conference speakers, at conferences promoting the success of women, consist only of men. From this point of view, it remains questionable whether the opinions of women are truly respected.
Meanwhile, international organizations have chosen participants considering many attributes of participants such as gender and nationality. They invite speakers from Asia to meetings discussing Asian economic conditions.

“It is very important for the public to think about how the audience sees from outside when we say “we will hold a conference with such participants.” said Mr. Sekioka.
The words that she used, taken from her real life feelings experiences were clear to every student and were very persuasive.

In the question-and-answer session after the lecture, students asked questions frankly. Ms.Sekioka answered their questions based on objective facts gently, and students were able to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of the lecture.

The students were greatly inspired by the presence of a person who is active at the front lines of international organizations. Ms. Sekioka’s eyes shone with strength polished by her experience and her viewpoint of “as a public servant” backed up the experience the students had and expanded their view of a “global career”.

“Recognition of people with disabilities is changing worldwide right now. The keyword is ‘an inclusive society’.”
Mr, Takehiro Hozumi of the Association for Refugee Assistance (AAR JAPAN) said as he began speaking. He explained the circumstances that led to his present work and told of actual experiences he had supporting activities in Afghanistan.

Mr. Hozumi studied English at university with the aim of working in international aid in the future, and he started a career in international support activities with JICA (International Cooperation Organization). After working around the “world” with JICA, he chose to start studying again at graduate school with desire to learn more about the world.

“I want to work building international cooperation with everyday people rather than the government.” He thought after writing his master’s thesis on comparative culture. He started working at AAR JAPAN after that. Since then, he has been working on landmine issues in Tajikistan and Pakistan, support for people with disabilities, and support for refugees.

“Right now why are there not many people with disabilities around us? Please think about this with everyone.”
Mr. Hozumi asked to the audience. Mr. Hozumi himself also realized that there were no persons with disabilities around when he started to work in AAR, and he felt confused as to why he was indifferent to disabled people.

“An inclusive society is a society that recognizes people with disabilities as people and persons with individuality. People with disabilities often said to me when talking with them, that “We do not want people to decide what to do with us by themselves only.” I think it is important to treat people with disabilities as ordinary people.”

Until now, there has been a social trend to isolate and handle disabled persons specially, but now that the flow of acceptance in society as a whole is spreading globally. He delivered these words along with the voice of the site.

The students listen seriously and were drawn into his story, thinking about disabled people who they do not have much opportunity to meet with usually.

“While there is a trend in the world that creates an inclusive society, in Afghanistan that disabled people are in a difficult situation, and I am currently focusing on support activities there.”
In Afghanistan, there are many families who do not go out from their houses or go to school. He told the students about the reality of prejudice against disabled people that remains strong.

At AAR, they visit each house to encourage families to understand that it is important to have people with disabilities out in society and at school and to persuade the teachers to accept them. With his tenacious work, families and teachers who were embarrassed at the beginning started to understand a new reality, and the situation gradually started to improve.

“I think that a society in which something is excluded is a weak society. It is a ‘strong society’ when any person can pursue happiness. Although the situation is still improving, I want to try harder to make people around the world, including in Afghanistan, happy. ”
The students listened attentively to Mr. Hozumi’s powerful talk.

“Isn’t it hard for everyone to be happy?” “How should we work hard to build such a world?” Were examples of questions from the students

“There is not much to be done to save everyone. There are variations though that can help. There are still lots of problems. However, I think that it is important to make a “strong society” by creating an environment where these parties can speak out and children with disabilities can be treated as human beings.”
Mr. Hozumi answered sincerely to the students’ questions during the question and answer session after the lecture.

“Each one of us has a different personality, and it is important for people with disabilities to deal with differences the same as with our differences.” He said after one question.

What is a society where people understand correctly about people with disabilities and live together with cooperation? What is necessary to create a “happier” strong society? This last lecture became a lecture about the power of human beings.

“I first thought about international cooperation when I was in the second grade of junior high school, after seeing the TV drama of Chinue Sugihara.” Mr. Sakurai was moved by Chinue Sugihara saving lots of lives and thought “I will get an international job in the future!” This familiar motive attracted the students’ attention.

Mr. Sakurai got interested in NGO activities after having the opportunity to hear stories from AAR JAPAN when he was a university student, but after graduation he got a job at the Nuclear Safety Research Association. His interest in international cooperation did not disappear though and he went on to work at AAR JAPAN.

AAR JAPAN works in five fields; emergency support, support for people with disabilities, countermeasures against landmines, countermeasures against infectious diseases, and enlightenment. In 1997, this organization received a Nobel Peace Prize as a major member of the ICBL, the Landmine Prohibited International Campaign.

Mr. Sakurai has been mainly engaged in “support for people with disabilities” from AAR’s five fields.

“All children and students should receive an education according to their own characteristics regardless of the presence or absence of disability, it is what ‘inclusive education’ is.”

Mr. Sakurai, who has been promoting “inclusive education” as part of support for people with disabilities in Tajikistan, aims to transform society to be more inclusive. He explained the current situation to the students illustrating with photos, images and stories.

Tajikistan was a country that originally formed the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union at that time, disabled people who wanted to get an education were forced to live in a dormitory in the deep mountains and it was the only place for them.
In addition, as there was a maximum capacity in the dormitory, most disabled people were not able to be educated at all.

In Tajikistan, Mr. Sakurai trained school teachers about “education for people with disabilities” and talked to the community about the importance of educational activities.

“All right, I want to show a school right now.”
When he visited families with children with disabilities and persuaded their parents to let their children attend a special support school, the parents responded so immediately that he took them to a school nearby and enrolled the children there.

“The goal in supporting people with disabilities is not to change the system but to change consciousness. The important thing is that people with disabilities are with us. If you become a disabled person in the future, you will come to think of things like ‘I wish there were railings here’ when you are going up the stairs.”

Mr. Sakurai told students that it is the same as saying that a disability is a part of “personality” like being good at running, or being good at studying.

“It is the most important thing that each and every one of you is interested. If you are going to live with a disabled person, please do not settle for less and face them like a friend.”

The students felt Mr.Sakurai’s sincere and straightforward personality and the significance of supportive activities that seeped out from every single word from episodes helped them to receive the message clearly.

After the lecture, the question and answer session became a place for exchange of opinions between Ms. Sakurai and the students regarding a better way to change people’s consciousness. It was an opportunity for students to deepen their ideas and the answers he gave were deliberate and thoughtful.

Mr. Sakurai makes international contributions by acting on the feelings he embraced when he was a boy. From seeing that way of life, the students learned that each of their own thoughts and behaviors can create a “better society”.

The Tamagawa UNESCO Club was founded in 2003 with the objective of “developing an international perspective in students and letting them interact with people from all over the world”. Since then, it has organized and managed events centered on “cross-cultural exchange”, “educational support” and “regional contribution” in order to help promote a peaceful future. In 2012, it was registered with the Japan UNESCO Association of Japan and UNESCO Liaison Committee of Tokyo, and its activities have been highly regarded, for example, winning the Tamagawa University Cultural Association Excellence Group Award for 3 consecutive years.

Currently, Ms. Sakurai is actively engaged as an administrator at the Tamagawa UNESCO Club. However, she said:
“When I was a high school student, I was the type of person who does not talk much with people. I did not have confidence in myself. I had no experience in being a leader in classes and club activities. ”

“Some people choose a club according to their friends’ opinions, but I thought I want to do what I want to do. I wanted to change myself as I couldn’t speak well. I tried to do this by joining this group that allowed me to interact with people.” Ms. Sakurai decided to join this organization soon after entering university.

Her life at university was very busy. Study tours in Gifu and Nepal etc, exchange meetings with students of Evergreen State University in the United States, workshops with organizations from other universities, nationwide summits, etc…. She was very active with many groups.

“People who are actively participating, energetic students from the same generation, seniors who were in charge of planning the UNESCO club… the environment to talk with the various people constantly was completely different from my time in high school. Every day brought something new.” The students were drawn more and more into the story from their senior who was further on in realizing her future as a university student.

Ms. Sakurai explained the greatest influence in her activities until now, which was the “Peace Book Project” that she worked on during her Nepal Study Tour.

It was a project in which students create picture books created based on the theme of “peace and sustainability” to be given to schools and Terakoya in the area hit by the Great Nepal earthquake in 2015 and the sent messages of support in return as well.
Even though it was her first overseas visit, Ms. Sakurai carried out the project with her colleagues while also experiencing some culture shock. When the children who looked at the picture books and began to write back letters, she felt a warm connection between the affected countries seeking to comfort each other.

It was a project in which students create picture books created based on the theme of “peace and sustainability” to be given to schools and Terakoya in the area hit by the Great Nepal earthquake in 2015 and the sent messages of support in return as well.
Even though it was her first overseas visit, Ms. Sakurai carried out the project with her colleagues while also experiencing some culture shock. When the children who looked at the picture books and began to write back letters, she felt a warm connection between the affected countries seeking to comfort each other.

The respect she had for the strength of the people living Nepal and the feeling she got by actually going to the area was conveyed to the students.

Ms. Sakurai gained a lot of experience through her conversations with the Tamagawa UNESCO Club and the local people on her study tour.

“I learned to speak better after entering university and putting myself in that environment. I told myself that I changed from when I was a high school student, who could not speak well in public. I did not understand that back then. People around me were also surprised at my change.” Her confidence was evident despite her past hesitations.

“I am just me though I’ve had a lot of experiences in the years since I left high school. There is something I want to tell you though. When you think about what kind of university you are going to go to and what you should do about your future job, if there is something you can not do now, please do not give up, and please overcome any challenges you come across. Please have a life that lets you do what you want to do without being swept around by others around you.”

The message of breaking out of her shell from Ms. Sakurai moved the students in the audience.

Students gained an insight into the future from Ms. Sakurai ‘s attitude. She had overcome a challenge that she had faced. They learned the importance of courage and taking the first steps into the future.