from NEGAI Connection ML

Dear NEGAI friends,

On August 10, we had a meeting, reporting about the World Conference agianst
A & H Bombs in Kobe. About 70 people participated in this meeting, including
Mr. Ueda, Mr. Saito from Tokyo, Ms, Yabuuchi, Ms. Osaki and Ms. Nakai.
Maryam gave her first speech like the conference one, very powerfully. Ms.
Osaki and Ms. Yabuuchi helped interpretation. Thanks ! Gordon gave a very
smart speech concerned with globalization. Two of them were shining again in
this meeting among 5 foreign representatives. After that, we sang NEGAI
together and went to the party, celebrating the successful meeting. I was
really happy and relieved to accomplish this meeting following NEGAI
Concert, The World Conference in Hiroshima. We really made sure that Our
Wish is PEACE and Our Common Language is PEACE!

Suwako Nagata NEGAI Connection Coordinator
http://www.jearn.jp/2003conference/negai/index_j.html

Dear Negai friends,

Today Gordon, Maryam, & Suwako are now in Hiroshima again to join the International Anti-A&H Bomb Conferrence.

They already joined the conferrence yesterday,there they:Team NEGAI gave splendid presentation. There were so many oversea presenters that Gordon & Maryam got only 2 minutes for each presentation. But Gordon shouted his message so powerfully that all the participants got impressed.
After Gordon's performance Maryam made her speech."If you got hurt your hand, your pain is not limited partially:you will pain by all your body. I don't want any war at any part of the world!"
She presented her speech in much larger voice than usual.Both presentation were sooooo powerful!
Today Team NEGAI will join the conferrence to send all NEGAI friends' message on their song"NEGAI"!

That's all for the morning report from Hiroshima.
Reported by Hirochika Ueda.
Oh I, Ueda is not in Hiroshima. This report is based on Suwako's handyphone call to me!

Love,
Hirochika Ueda

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DSent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 8:15 PM

ear NEGAI friend,

Do you know that Kobe has a nuclear free port?  Kobe port has been nuclear
free since 1975. Tomorrow will be the 29th anniversary after it was
established. Every ship has to submit the nuclear free certificate to Kobe
Mayor before they enter the port. This formula has prevented the port from
entering nuclear loaded ships and warships. This formula was established
from the regret that during Vietnam War Japan didn't participate but
cooperated lending the port for sending weapons by US.　Later this formula
influenced New Zealand to adapt Nuclear free policy around the country.
Tomorrow there will be a 29 th Anniversary meeting after its establishment.
in Sannomiya Kobe. I will join the meeting and will promote "NEGAI" CD
there.
  As Mr. Horio wrote in the last ML, March 20 is the day when US attacked
Iraq 1 year ago. He will join some meeting in Kumamoto and protest against
the occupation of Iraq by US. He will use NEGAI for the campaign, too. On
the same day, there will be a protest assembly  in Sannomiya, Kobe, too. I'd
like to join and sing NEGAI with many people. Why won't you join together?

Suwako Nagata　（Kobe）

NEGAI Connection Project
By Yasushi Miyazaki
(Japan Education Resource Network/
Faculty of Humanities, Kansai University of International
Studies)

  A PEACE song called ‘NEGAI’ (‘Our Wish’ in English)
was launched on March 2002 by students of Ohzu Junior High
School of Hiroshima city, where an atomic bomb had dropped
for the first time of the world history. NEGAI Connection
Project, one of the learning projects of iEARN
(International Education and Resource Network), is
originally aimed at promoting  PEACE the
people around the world by this song. The project consists
of various activities: 1) writing new verses of NEGAI, 2)
translating original verses into various languages, 3)
organizing international mailing list (ML), etc. Now we have
developed this project, wishing world peace and have exchanged
our opinopns world-wide.
  NEGAI has now 150 verses. Lots of impressive new
verses are added to four original verses. New ones are
written by a lot of people around the world, who support
the mind of this song. Additionally, four original ones
are translated into 30 languages; Newest language
versions are German, Malay/Indonesian, Esperanto (an
artificial language invented as an international means of
communication), and Maori (a language spoken by Maori
people in New Zealand). We hope more and more people
will know this song through these translations.
  Thia project, NEGAI Connection Project, has another
aspect in addition to these collecting verses.: Exchange of message
 about PEACE activities andeducational matters around the world
 on an own mailing list of the project. It has now 70 members
from 16 countries and is run bilingually in Japanese and in English.
  Here is an example of a fruit of our collaboration. A
project member Mr. Gordon Ondiek Nyabade has often
reported a severe situation of Kenya to other project members on the
mailing list. He appealed to other members to donate to Kenyan
Children who have suffered from lack of opportunities to receive
education, and who have suffered from starvation.
Responding to this appeal, Ms. Suwako Nagata, a
facilitator of NEGAI Connection Project, gave him one
suggestion quoting from a saying
'The true volunteer is not to give a fish but to teach how
to fish'. Her advice for Gordon was to write a book about a
situation of Kenya and Africa. He agreed with her and
tirelessly worked on it. It was finished just in
a week and translated into Japanese by Ms. Nagata. This
is how this booklet was made.
‘Send Love to Kenyan Children!’ is now available on
http://www2.jearn.jp/fs/1031/ ], too.
  English is mainly used in our communication on Mailing List.
Of course some members help with translation. We exchange e-mails
not only for correspondence itself but also encourage each other and
cooperate each other, because everybody has a great awareness for world
peace. Sometimes we face the harsh reality like Kenya, then we learn
how to try to cooperate each other.
  Developing from a project of  introducing a PEACE song
'NEGAI', NEGAI Connection Project is now working as a
project of intercultural communication based on endless
hope for PEACE. We are going to hold NEGAI CONCERT in
Hiroshima on 28 July 2004. We intend to welcome NEGAI again to
Hiroshima, its birthplace, after spreading all over the world and
becoming much bigger. You can join us by various ways as
you like: making fifth verse, communicating on mailing list, etc.
 We will welcome all the people who are hoping PEACE with open arms!

Suwako Nagata　（Kobe）

Dear NEGAI friends,
    Greetings from Faye.

    I am sorry that I didn't get the chance to send you my Valentine wishes
because I didn't get on line for two days.
    However, I want to report what our students did for Valentine's Day.
Students in our school, Fenghsin Senior High School, initiated an action to
show our love and care for the needy children, who can not pay for their
tuition and lunch at school.  They sold 300 chocolate flowers and collected
almost 30,000 New Taiwan Dollars for World Vision in Taiwan.  A lot of
students and teachers would like to pay more for the flowers because the
flowers mean more than ordinary ones.  Many people would like to share their
love with those needy children on the special day.
    About our care for the earthquake in Iran, we sold about 200 CDs of
NEGAI in Chinese and Japanese and raised about 50,000 NT Dollars for World
Vision.  Students and teachers fromTaipei Dali High School, Kaohsiung Girls'
High School, iEARN society and of course Fenghsin Senior High School gave us
the most support.  We really hope that when they listen to our CD, the
song's verses would touch their heart and they would want more peace in the
world.  The students also send their concern about children of Bam in words.
I have posted in the forum of Children of Bam.
    Dear all NEGAI friends, I really appreciate all the members of this
mailing list.  We are like brothers and sisters in a big family.  Even if
you are the silent ones, we can still feel that the power of hope have
united us together.  Keep writing your book, Gordon.  Maybe we can have a
Chinese one published in Taiwan, too.

Love,
Faye　 (Taiwan)

Dear Gordon and NEGAI friends,

Yesterday and today are the coldest days in this winter in Kobe. It was
minus 2 degrees. But for Mika, it is nothing, right?  Today I received the
first e-mail this year from Gordon. From the beginning of this year, we have
a lot of troubles in the world. Even among our NEGAI member countries, the
big earthquake in Iran, and Japan sent the troops to Iraq though it is
against the Japanese constitution!
And again I became so sad to hear from Gordon. He wrote as follows.

Hello Suwako,
I am very sorry to have kept you away from communications this year!It is
because this year has
started with a lot of financial difficulties that always make me stay away
from the Cyber cafe.I used a lot of money to treat my mum and on food!Many
people
go without food in Kenya and malaria and other diseases are taking tolls
claiming lives and the
hungry are dying each day!I just long to come to Japan
soon.I will email you soon!

Warmly Gordon (Kenya)

People in Africa are always in danger. A few days ago Tommie also informed
about malaria in Botswana. What can we do? When Gordon came to Japan, he
energetically informed about the children in Kenya. All my students were so
impressed. Gordon, you are always with us.
You're strong enough to overcome these difficulties. We are looking forward
to seeing you again in Hiroshima! Best Wishes 

Suwako　(Kobe, Japan)

Dear NEGAI freinds,

Tomorrow is the day on which the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake hit Kobe
area. 9 years have passed! Now Kobe is almost recoverd and you cannot see
the trace well. But still in the depth of everyone's heart,
 there is some pain. In our school we had a guest who is a poet called
Tamagawa Yuka. She read her own poem concerned with the earthquake. Some
students were crying to be touched. I myself heard from my students about
their memory of the quake. Though they were 4 or 5 years old, they remember
about it clearly. They were scared, of course. One of my student said he
lost his words for several months after the quake because of the shock.
Another student tolde me that he was buried under the rubbles for a few
hours. Now a lot of Bam children are suffering like that or more!
Our school will begin collecting donation to Bam from next week

Sincerely Suwako
From Kobe

Dear Maryam

What  nice verses!! Of course can we put these verses into NEGAI? They  will
be 118,119, 120, 121. You did it!!! You are really a poet!!!

Dear NEGAI friends,

In Japan schools have started the third semester. We, teachers are happy to
see the students' cheerful faces after the winter holidays, aren't we? My
school students council also have decided to collect donation for Bam
Earthquake. It is the first job for our new counscil members who were
elected last December.

As for me, one year has passed since I met "NEGAI". I met NEGAI in the
teachers' meeting in Gifu last January. Mr.Yokoyama presented it at that
time as you know. I was so much moved by this song and his activity. NEGAI
has grown very big, worldwide thanks to you. Mr.Yokoyama and I also will
present about NEGAI, how it grew this big, to the teachers from all over
Japan on January 12 , soon, in Nagano. I hope NEGAI will be still bigger and
we will be able to connect with more people, wishing for PEACE.

Mika introdeced  GSN Online Shared Learning Awards. I will translate it into
Japanese below.

Warm regards, Suwako (Japan)

Decamp toward NEGAI

 
When, my stories were full of tears.

When, nobody put my loneliness in his poems

When, my lips were closed in front of the mirrors

When, my heart was broken of outrages, then

 

I wished to decamp toward NEGAI,

Where!! I can extend my words' wings for flying.

Where!! My breath, calls that dead bird, back to life,

Where!! The races are not different in their kind.

 

There! Doves are not alone, they amorously whisper,

The lovely words, not in dream, sure, in real.

Where!! This love bird can sings the songs of peace.

Where!! The swans make a heart by their kiss.

 

Where! The dried flowers can even grow in autumn.

Where, the cherry flowers, dance hand to hand,

by the music of rivers and the moonlight melody.

Where, none of the borders are not recognized.

 

Maryam Behnoodi

From IRAN-Tehran

Dear NEGAI friends,

Have you been wondering how to use ICT naturally in your teaching or find
interactive ways in learning? Are you interested in environmental issues and
global education? Would you like to improve your teaching, and meet colleagues
from all over the world? This could be your chance.

ENO-Environment Online© is a global web school for environmental awareness. Four
environmental themes ( dimensions of sustainable development ) are studied
within a school year ( Social, Natural, Cultural Environment and  a sustainable
way of living ) on a weekly basis. ENO Program is a strong and active network
of schools. It has been running since 2000 and it is administrated by the city
of Joensuu, Finland.

The main idea is to lay emphasis on local environment and see it in a global
aspect: act locally - think globally. Information will be gathered from local
communities and shared together in the website. Learning is student-centred,
both online and offline activities. At the end of each theme there is a
campaign week when students share their results and raise them up in their
local communities. They become eventually ambassadors for environment in their
respective local communities and regions and worldwide. Also in the developing
countries where we have many ENO schools.

ENO is a well-known program supported by the European Commission and National
Board Of Education. We have received many international awards, latest a "Cyber
Oscar" in GKP Youth Awards. Above all, this is currently a free service for
your school!

Sounds interesting? Why not become a member!! We will choose approximately
150-200 new schools (English only) to become members for the 2004 -2005 school
year. The deadline for applications is March 31st,  2004. Official ENO schools
will be announced on April 2003 in the ENO  website.
You can find the application form here:
http://cc.joensuu.fi/~vanhanen/application03.htm

warm regards,

Mika　(Finland)

Dear NEGAI members,

I know there are many great teachers in this NEGAI network. So I would like to
inform you about GSN Online Shared Learning Awards.  These awards  recognize
exemplary telecollaborating teachers, media specialists, and other school-based
educators and seek to promote the effective use of telecollaboration among
different classes and groups of students.

Nominations for 2004 are now being accepted ( deadline for this is soon, 14th
of January 2004).

Please read more here:
http://www.gsnaward.org

warm regards,

Mika　(Finland)

Dear NEGAI members,

a happy new year to each one of you!

I am wondering about the projects you do at school like NEGAI or other
projects. Or ideas like project for Bam children? Please note the information
below. It is focused on projects arranged or ideas by people under 18 yrs.
Please share this with your networks


Childnet Academy 2004:

Only 8 days to go!

* Have you created a great website or do you have an idea you want to develop?
* Would you like to win prize money to develop your project?
* Are you 18 and under?
 

Join the best young web developers in the world at the Cable & Wireless Academy
in London in Spring 2004.

Please enter here: http://www.childnetacademy.org/


regards,

 Mr Mika Vanhanen　(Finland)

I hope that you are all safe and sound.  The earthquake is certainly a great shock to all the people in the world.  Today Taiwan government also sent a group of rescuers to Iran in the hope of finding more people alive within the golden rescue time.   Four years ago, an earthquake in central Taiwan took 2000 lives.  We also got help of rescuers from many foreign countries.  It's good to see that the world is getting smaller and more countries are willing to share their resource.  We can focus our song "NEGAI" on the topic of world collaboration and hope, can't we?