Coventry Young Ambassadors Cities of Peace Schools Projects

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

The aim of this project was for five Primary Schools in Coventry, UK, to work collaboratively with pupils in Japan with a focus on peace and reconciliation. The participating schools are Broad Heath Primary School, Finham Primary School, Howes Primary School, Park Hill Primary School and Stivichall Primary School. The project has been facilitated by the Japan Society London, in collaboration with the Between the Stones Project.
Students from Coventry had workshops to learn about traditional aspects of Japanese culture with a Noh theatre specialist based in the UK, Ms Jannette Cheong. They explored her new story ‘Between the Stones’ which explores the theme: ‘from tragic loss to recovery’; and as a result they were inspired to work on three peace themed projects:
In 2018, the children wrote peace poems on tanzaku that were shared with the City of Coventry in Coventry Cathedral and the Embassy of Japan in UK.
From January – July 2019, they worked on locally relevant travel stories using aspects of Noh storytelling to think about the wartime and post war history of their city. Pupils from the five participating schools had the opportunity to have a videoconference with a Hiroshima survivor. This extremely moving event was also attended by representatives from the Lord Mayor’s Peace Committee. Children wrote drama pieces which were performed in Coventry Cathedral as part of the Hiroshima Commemoration event.
From 2019-21, children learned about ‘karesansui’ gardens, reflecting upon qualities of peace and beauty inspired by Japanese traditional gardens. This enabled the children to show their understanding of peace and reconciliation and the connection between Coventry and Hiroshima.
One of major achievements of this project was the design and installation of the Islands of Peace Japanese Garden in Coventry’s War Memorial Park. This garden reflects the importance of peace and reconciliation to both Coventry and Hiroshima. This is a garden for peaceful contemplation and intercultural understanding.
The ‘Cities of Peace’ project is part of the Coventry Young Ambassadors programme which is a city-wide cultural and sporting programme. As part of a major bilateral UK-Japan Season of Culture from September 2019 in the run up to the Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, they have undertaken a series of cultural activities, culminating in a city-wide Japan Arts Festival in Coventry in July 2021. See also: