Aoi Yokokawa, 17, who lives in Aikawa Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, was selected for the "JCI JAPAN Global Youth UN Ambassador" program, a youth development project run by the Japan Junior Chamber since 2017, and has been active since April this year.
The program aims to let junior and senior high school students experience the world's cultures and values and build their ability to think about solving global challenges and achieving peace. Ten students were selected from across Japan.
After domestic training, Yokokawa visited the United Nations in New York in August and discussed peace. In October she reported on her activities to the town mayor, and she plans to hold peace-related classes at a local elementary school.
Key points
- Students get the chance to visit the UN and discuss peace
- She plans to bring what she learned to classes at a local elementary school
- The Junior Chamber continues to support youth in the community
Why we are paying attention to this news
It conveys a young person's effort to connect global issues with activities in the community where she lives.
Sharing UN experiences with peers and children is a helpful example of how interest in international cooperation can spread.
Editor's comment
I was struck by her determination to bring "positive peace" to familiar places in her own words.
Challenges by young people like this can nurture connections from the community to the world. I hope you will also keep an eye on international cooperation efforts close to you.