JASH Junior Ambassadors Wrap-Up the 33rd APCC

From August through October, our four Junior Ambassadors (JAs) participated in the 33rd Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention BRIDGE Virtual Summer Camp (APCC BVSC), which connected 10-12 year-old students from Japan and throughout the Pacific via Zoom. Traditionally, the APCC is a two-week homestay and international camp held in Fukuoka, Japan, but the program was transformed into a series of virtual meetings due to the pandemic.

JAs were divided into small groups with members of other delegations. In addition to icebreaker games and cultural exchange activities, their groups were also tasked with identifying how they could support one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their own communities. While the JAs were busily working on their projects, chaperone Sandy Takeda observed their progress and also connected with the other chaperones and APCC staff to share the status of health and travel in their respective countries, and give feedback on how to improve the program.

On the last day of the BVSC, each group presented on the actions they took to further one of the SDGs. Hawaii JAs Jackie Furuta, Loch Moorman, and Rhegen Villarimo were all in groups that addressed SDG 14: Life Below Water by reducing their use of single-use plastics, recycling, and picking up litter at the beach. JA Willa Stack’s group focused on SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy by commuting by foot, bicycle, or public transportation, turning off lights, air conditioning, and other devices when not in use, and researching alternative energy sources.

All of the JAs were very interested in the UN SDGs, especially those relating to the health of the natural world. Their presentations showcased how simple it is to make adjustments in our daily lives that reduce our footprint on the environment… In fact, many of them had already been making these earth-friendly choices! It was inspiring to see how passionate this young generation is for caring for the environment, and we are even more motivated to do our part as well.

JAs Rhegen and Jackie present their groups’ SDG projects