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Japanese and local YWCA learn from each other Representatives from the Japanese organization learned about the Peaceful Communities news site at the YWCA World Council this summer, thanks to Lynn Zimmer. Lynn, who is the executive director of the YWCA of Peterborough, Victoria and Haliburton, attended the event in Australia, where she met the Japanese contingent. The group was discussing peace-building options when Lynn told them about the site. “They thought it was quite facinating,” says Lynn. “They thought they might see what we’re doing and get some ideas.” Since then, members of the Japanese YWCA have perused the site, and, in an email interview, say they are impressed. Kyoko Ishida, who describes the site as “great,” is very interested in peace actions. “It is helpful for our activities such as (our) Violence Against Women project.” She adds the members were especially interested in articles they’ve read in the ‘At Home’ and ‘In the Community’ sections of the site. Kyoko went on to explain the importance of peace-building activities in Japan. “Concerns for peace have been very high after World War II in Japan. However, I think ‘peace-building’ activities started to gain attention from the public just over (the past) few years.” For example, Kyoko explains, in 1999, JICA (Japan International Co-operation Agency) and CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) co-organized a seminar on peace-building activities based on their mutual research. “However, we don’t know exactly how different the Canadian and Japanese governmental approaches are,” she says, adding she’d like to find out more. JICA is also drafting a Japanese Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment (JPCIA) based on the previous research with CIDA, says Kyoko. The networking goes both ways, as Lynn says she has learned a lot from the Japanese model of peace-building, which was discussed at the Council. “The Japanese are dedicated to using non-aggression,” says Lynn. “They explained how to demonstrate with integrity – they are silent, well-organized, and (for example) stand on street corners with signs that express something hopeful. Their methods fit their values.” Kyoko says she’d like her organization to keep in touch with the YWCA of Peterborough, Victoria and Haliburton to share ideas. “We would (also) like to continue to read
the website and to inform other people
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