Mar, 2023
On March 25th, 2023, at JICA Hiroba in Ichigaya, Tokyo, AAEE held the event titled "Exploring the Essence of International Exchange from the Perspectives of 'Self,' 'Others,' and 'Society'."
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA Global Hiroba, all attendees, as well as everyone who supported and cooperated with AAEE.
After the challenges of the pandemic, it was the first face-to-face event in nearly three years. Attendees included not only university students but also working professionals and highly motivated high school students, creating a real and fruitful experience that is unique to in-person interactions.
The event was divided into two parts. In the first part, three speakers delivered presentations on the essence of international exchange. The second part featured a panel discussion with three panelists.
In the first part, the first speaker was Professor Akinori Seki, the Executive Director of AAEE and a professor at Tokyo Keizai University. He discussed the essence of international exchange from the perspective of "self." His speech emphasized the message "Don't become shallow individuals" and highlighted the role that AAEE's international exchange programs play in the search for personal values, individuality, and one's core beliefs. He shared the significance of continuously engaging in dialogues with oneself and others to find both "differences" and "commonalities" among others. Through international exchange, he pointed out, participants could discover a new and deeper sense of self.
The second speaker, Hana Nozawa, a third-year student at Keio University's Law Department, talked about the deep connections with others that she gained through AAEE's exchange projects. She discussed the meaning of "sincerely connecting with others" which she experienced through AAEE's various engagements and encounters with others and with the unknown. She emphasized that as "just students," students involved with AAEE have the unique ability to strive to understand each other as equal individuals, leading to collaboration and shared awareness of social issues.
The final speaker, Fumiya Nagashima, a first-year grad student at Waseda University, spoke about "coexistence" as a form of social well-being that emerges from exchanges with others. He began with the question, "Why do we tackle social issues?" and shared that the keyword to this pursuit is "coexistence." He believes that "coexistence" is important when we think about building society together with others who are "different" from each of us, and through AAEE's programs students can have a kind of "virtual experience" of this coexistence. He also stressed the vital message that "exchange" is indispensable for achieving coexistence.
In the second part, we invited three individuals who had been involved in AAEE programs as organizers and participants to a panel discussion on "The Impact of AAEE's Activities on Your Subsequent Life." They shared their memorable experiences from the programs, including those in Vietnam and Nepal, and how these experiences influenced their lives. Each had a unique perspective and story to share, reflecting their individual experiences with different programs.
With numerous questions from participants, the second part was also lively and meaningful.
Through this event, we hope that participants gained an understanding of the importance of AAEE's vision, which is to cultivate the minds of youths who can collaborate with diverse others on issues that are shared regardless of nationality, region, or culture, within a multicultural society.
