On November 30, 2024, the “Yokohama Youth Future Conference,” launched this fiscal year, was held by Yokohama City, inviting middle school students from the city. The theme for this event was learning from disaster recovery. It featured an exchange of opinions with Junko Yagi, representative director of the general incorporated association Umineko, and middle school students who have been independently operating a children’s cafeteria in Onagawa Town in response to her call.
Yagi, who has been engaged in reconstruction support activities for 13 years since the March 11, 2011 disaster, emphasized, “The first step is to connect with others. When we are connected, someone can complement what we cannot do ourselves, and we can move forward together. This applies to both human-made and natural disaster recovery.”
The middle school students, who successfully managed the children’s cafeteria by themselves when they were in the sixth grade of elementary school last year, shared their experience: “At first, we couldn’t even imagine running a cafeteria by ourselves, but once we took the plunge, we managed to do it. The words ‘Delicious’ and ‘Thank you’ gave us confidence in ourselves.”
Takao Toda
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Forum2050 operates under the concept of ‘Children of the World: Each Child’s Vision for the Future Shapes Humanity’s Destiny,’ collaborating with businesses, schools, educational institutions, and others. Together with children, we create opportunities for them to contemplate peace and development in the future human society, fostering partnerships.
