On June 2nd, Table 1 of ISC65 has had a small meeting with Mr. Nakano from the NPO Piece of Syria! Let's all hear what they have obtained through this meeting from the brief report by Mina of Table 1.
What did your table do during the recent study meeting?
For our first study group meeting, four Japanese participants, including myself, attended, together with our subtable chief Remi and table manager Towa. Our table chief Ming and a participant from Pakistan, Wassim, joined through Skype. We were joined by Mr. Nakano, founder of the NPO "Piece of Syria" and listened to his self-introduction and activities, highlighting his experiences supporting Syrian children's education and giving a vivid recount of life in Syria before and after the conflict started. For our Q&A session, we asked him about his thoughts on Japan's policy on refugees and immigrants, identifying the complexity of the issue and political limitations involved in the subject. It was very refreshing to hear a first hand perspective on the issue of refugees, and I was inspired by the passion Mr. Nakano had for his work. For the remainder of the meeting, each of us participants presented summaries of our previously assigned reading tasks and exchanged thoughts on them. I was struck by the scope of themes related to our table topic, ranging from culture and identity to politics and economics. The first meeting for us served as an opportunity not only to set the ground for working together as a team, but also to further our research through the stimulus and insight we gathered from the session.
Do you have any encouraging words for your table-mates as well as your fellow ISC participants?
To my table-mates, I'm so happy and honored to be in the same team and grateful for the new knowledge I have gained from you today. I am looking forward to our future meetings and excited for the new discoveries we'll make together! And to everyone, I just want to say that our table topics are complicated, multi-faceted, and difficult to make sense out of sometimes. That's why we study them. I am learning so much from the preparations, but often times I am frustrated by the issues I am studying because there seems to be no end to them. However, I realize that this process is also very empowering, because it reminds me that we, ISC members, all have the similar intention of helping make the world a better, more peaceful and more sustainable place. That is why we signed up. It sounds really cheesy, but I'm happy to be joined by other people who are passionate, hardworking and above all, open-minded and kind-hearted. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Mina! Stay tuned for other updates on ISC65!
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