Online Workshop with Elementary School in Kochi Prefecture

On 25 April 2024, at the start of the new school year here in Japan, REI hosted an online workshop entitled “Let’s Look at What’s Happening Around the World – from the perspective of the Refugee Issue” for 4th to 6th graders at Tosa Jiyu Gakko in Kochi Prefecture.

REI intern Rena Shingai prepared and presented the workshop to introduce the young students to the issue of displacement and talk about REI’s approach to supporting refugees. The presentation took place during the “Global” class time at Tosa Jiyu Gakko where students learn about issues outside of Japan.

In one exercise Reina prompted the kids to think about what they would take if they were suddenly forced to flee from their homes. This gave the students an opportunity to think about the difficult choices that refugees must make.

The students actively participated in the discussions and engaged in meaningful conversation.
After the presentation, the students reflected on the experience. Some of their comments are below.
“I was so surprised to find out that more than100 million people are forced to flee from their homes!!!”
“I learned about refugees for the first time. I thought it was hard to be a refugee.”
“I realized how lucky I am.”
“There were so many things I wanted to take with me, I realized how hard it is to take everything.”

The workshop provided a rare opportunity for the young students to see the world from a different perspective and become aware of the issue of displacement that is happening in the world today.

REI offers presentations and workshops for elementary, middle school, high school and university level students in English, Japanese, or both. If you have any questions or would like to book a session, please feel free to contact yasuko@rei-npo.org