APCC Workshop Update

Since their selection at the beginning of this year, our 2021 Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC) Junior Ambassadors (JAs) have been busily preparing for their Virtual BRIDGE Summer Camp. The virtual summer camp will be a series of international Zoom workshops which will run from August through October. Although they will not be travelling to Fukuoka this summer due to the pandemic, our JAs have had their hands full learning about Japanese culture, daily life, and language, and also researching the cultures of other participating regions throughout Asia and the Pacific.

April’s workshop held via Zoom featured the curriculum from our Japan-in-a-Suitcase educational program, introducing the JAs to the daily life of Japanese elementary school students. They were surprised to learn that many students their age commute to and from school without an adult.

May Workshop

From L: Takako Miyazawa, Chaperone Sandy Takeda, JAs: Jackie Furuta, Willa Stack, Loch Moorman, and Rhegen Villarimo, Lynn Lethin-sensei, and Christianne Ono

In May, our monthly workshop returned to the JASH office! We were joined by Lynn Lethin-sensei, who has taught students of diverse backgrounds at schools such as Hawaii Tokai University, the University of Hawaii Outreach College, and most recently, Island Pacific Academy. The JAs learned how to do jikoshoukai to introduce themselves and talk about their likes and dislikes through a fun, interactive lesson. Mahalo to Lynn-sensei for the special lesson!

June Workshop

From L: JAs Rhegen, Willa, Loch, and Jackie work on a team-building activity

For June’s workshop, our JAs learned about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); thought critically about sustainability in the three major spheres of the environment, society, and the economy; and applied these new concepts to their observations of life in Hawaii. To relax, the JAs and program chaperones played a variety of team-building games!

To round out their dive into the SDGs, in July, the JAs and chaperones will travel to the ʻAkahiao Nature Institute to spend a weekend at Hue Hue Ranch in Kona. There, the JAs will have hands-on experiences learning about sustainability as it relates to our environment here in Hawaii. We’re very excited for this long-awaited off-island excursion!

If you know a young leader born between August 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011, they could be in our next group of Junior Ambassadors! Join our APCC listserv to be the first to know about future programs. For more information, contact Program Coordinator Christianne Ono at cono@jashawaii.org.