Workshop5　

Forum for Youth

Shinya Kohno (Coordinator)

Introduction
In the sense that it is the young people of today who will lead the movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons in the future, when considering the problem of continuation, it is important and necessary that young people move into action for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Sixty years was said to be an important juncture, but it seems that the efforts of the young generation are attracting even more attention in the sixty-first year.
The reason is that even after the sixtieth anniversary, there are many problems still remaining today that must not be overlooked. I believe that the young generation definitely does have a responsibility to carry on the efforts that many people have made so far. However, it is necessary to obtain cooperation from as many people as possible so that young people participate in activities to tackle these problems. Also, it is necessary to show our feelings through some kind of action. Furthermore, rather than being satisfied with single activities, we must reflect on our experiences and continue our activities accordingly. On the occasion of this forum, we planned the event by setting several objectives designed to develop it. These objectives were (1) to spread the movement both inside and outside the prefecture; (2) to move in the direction of concrete activities; and (3) to aim for continuous activities.

Overall Flow
In making this report, I would like to begin by explaining the overall composition of the workshop. Unlike the other workshops, the Forum for Youth did not especially designate any speakers. This was because we wanted young people themselves to talk about their thoughts. About 50 young people therefore participated in the forum as speakers.
First of all, after affirming and enhancing everyone's knowledge about nuclear weapons through a presentation, talks were given by two atomic bomb survivors that heightened the participants' feelings of opposition to nuclear weapons. Finally, discussion groups announced their conclusions regarding concrete and continuous activities.
People of both sexes in their teens and twenties, including high school students and university students, took part in the discussions. There were also participants from outside the prefecture and from overseas, and many members of the general public attended as observers.

Presentation
In order for young people to be active, what is necessary first of all is a sound knowledge about nuclear weapons. This includes not only knowledge about the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki and the resulting damage but also knowledge of the threat of nuclear weapons that exist around the world today. So this was the content of the presentation. The objective also was to share information among the participants in the forum and facilitate discussions. Two of the forum coordinators, Ryoma Kayano and Tomoko Masunaga, gave the explanations using PowerPoint.
The first thing that was emphasized was the importance of us being involved in the issue of nuclear weapons. The speaker said, "People who notice the problem raise it as a problem, and only then does it become a problem of society." After 60 years, if memories continue to wear thin, there is a possibility that nobody will take up the problem in the future. The reason is that if the number of people who do not see the problem increases, people will cease to feel the problem as a problem. Behind the problem, however, there are definitely people who are suffering from the problem or such people who will be born in the future. If the participants were able to sense and realize the problem at this forum, then young people must actively raise the problem as a problem. This means positively expressing the problem in action in our own lives. Maybe herein lies the significance of activities by young people and students.
Furthermore, there was also an explanation of the special nature of nuclear weapons. The question here was, Why is it necessary to take up nuclear weapons as a special case? In connection with this, the explanation focused on the three energies of nuclear weapons: the blast, the heat rays, and the radiation. The problem of nuclear weapons is always involved in the issue of achieving peace, and especially in Nagasaki and Hiroshima ,the problem of nuclear weapons is taken up prominently. That shows just how terrible nuclear weapons are. Unlike guns, it was explained, nuclear weapons have such special characteristics as their aftereffects, the damage that lasts through many generations, and the indiscriminate effects.

Talks by Atomic Bomb Survivors
Next, in the sense of enhancing the feeling of opposition to nuclear weapons, two atomic bomb survivors talked about their experiences. The speakers were Sakue Shimohira and Yoshiro Yamawaki. We asked them to talk not only about the atomic bombing itself but also about their own youth---namely, their teens and twenties---and what they hope for from young people today. Although the time was short, these were extremely valuable talks indeed.
Speaking about the postwar hardship of children who survived, Shimohira talked about her younger sister and about how the basis of the wish for peace lies in memories of the family. "I chose the courage of life," she said. "My younger sister chose the courage of death." Yamawaki talked about the difficulty of obtaining food after the war, including exchanges with American soldiers, and his requests of young people.
In response to these speeches, many young speakers commented that "it was good that the wishes of atomic bomb survivors were sincerely shown." The existence of atomic bomb survivors teaches us many things, but at the same time, conversely, young people do have the feeling that since they have not actually experienced an atomic bombing, they cannot easily talk about it. In these talks, however, the speakers urged the young participants "to speak out" and "to speak about your own feelings in your own words," and the opinion was given that "I felt that the atomic bomb survivors drew closer."

Discussions
Following the presentation and the talks, the discussions, which are the main feature of the forum, took place in an atmosphere of heightened knowledge and emotion. The young speakers divided into groups of around 10 persons each, and the moderator in each group summarized and announced the opinions that had been given. Finally, the group moderators made statements about "what young people can do" from a concrete, long-term, and continuous perspective.
Various views were stated, from the cautious opinion that "We mustn't simply draw a conclusion here" to "We must spread the circle of cooperation," "We must send out messages, even starting with just ordinary ones," "We must continue something, even if it's just little by little," and "We must talk through dialogue."
Among them, many opinions stressed the importance of building and spreading the network among young people themselves. That is one of the objectives of this workshop. The workshop attracted participants from Hiroshima, Tokyo, and overseas, and some participants expressed their opinion that discussions with these people had been a good stimulus. One impression seemed to encourage both the activities of the participants and the speakers: "It is difficult to speak out by yourself. However, I feel that the objectives and wishes of the members gathered here at least are the same and have been shared. So, rather than doing it alone, I have been motivated to act jointly with others. From now on also, I want to do my best and place importance on mutual understanding."
There were also many opinions on the issue of "knowing." Since we have not experienced atomic bombing, we cannot know everything. But there seems to have been a desire to get as close as possible to the feelings of survivors by continuing to get to know about the situation. The opinion that, even in Nagasaki, there are a lot of things that we do not know attracted empathy as an opinion that made participants look at themselves.
Regarding continuity, this opinion was given in reply to the question of what young people can do. Since this is a question that cannot be answered simply, such replies seemed to be frequent. Talking and building unity are important, of course, but first of all it is necessary to carry on the feelings that you have at present for a long time and search for more effective activities.

Questionnaire
Since the workshop lasted for only a short time and the speakers did not have the chance to say everything they wanted to say, we also conducted a questionnaire. I wanted to introduce as many opinions as possible in the main text, but it is impossible to mention all of them, so I would like to take this opportunity to introduce a few.
Regarding their impressions of the workshop as a whole, almost all of the respondents answered that it had been good. Reasons included "It was a good opportunity to think carefully about things that I do not usually think about," "I was able to hear various opinions," and "It was good that young people were able to discuss among themselves." Among the replies, however, the impression was also given that "It was hard listening to so many painful stories." This raised a problem that deserves attention as a point of reflection for the implementation of these workshops from now on.
The opinion was also often given that the presentation of the program had been easy to understand. Another opinion stated that taking up questions that are not usually mentioned, such as why nuclear weapons are given special treatment, had been refreshing.
Regarding the talks by the atomic bomb survivors, an extremely large number of respondents welcomed the fact that the requests of the survivors to young people had been frankly conveyed. The opinion was given that "This was a guidepost for young people."
Regarding the discussion, despite the fact that the program had been the longest among all of the workshops, many respondents expressed the opinion that "There was not enough time." While this is material for reflection, I am also pleased that the discussion was so substantial. Many respondents also replied that the presentation and talks prior to the discussion had been good reference material for the discussion.
Regarding changes in feelings after the workshop, opinions such as "I must do something" and "I want to do something" accounted for a majority, so we were able to affirm the desire of most speakers to participate in activities from now on. Some participants had already made the decision to move out of the prefecture in order to work or study and so on, and their response that "I want to continue participating in activities even outside the prefecture" was encouraging. The coordinators of the workshop wish to engage in various activities from now on also as a continuous movement. Hopefully those activities will take advantage of the conclusions of this forum.

Conclusion
I think that student activities have two meanings. One is doing what you can while you are a student. The other is using activities in your student days as nourishment and linking them to more developed activities in the future.
Regarding the former meaning, various activities are being undertaken in Nagasaki, such as the peace volunteers, the high school peace messengers, the 10,000 high school student's signatures, and the August 10 meetings that are being continued every year. However, it cannot be said that the spread of these activities is adequate yet. Regarding the latter meaning, activities in one's student days are sometimes brought to a halt upon graduation, and it is hard to continue them. Young people are engaged in activities every year with the support of many people, including seniors, but it seems that quite often the importance of the problem is not conveyed, or, even if is conveyed, this does not develop into activity.
What is the problem? The coordinators discussed this question for several months. No doubt there is the opinion that the topic is not interesting or is boring. Among the reasons, I think that one involves the height of the threshold. The idea of "doing something big" or "doing something good for peace" gives onlookers the feeling that the young people participating in these activities are a special existence. In fact, however, the young people who are active are not a particularly superior existence and are not doing anything big. Young people take part in the movement because, when they look at the problem of nuclear weapons with ordinary feelings, they realize that they cannot permit nuclear weapons. Maybe it is not very interesting, but they realize that they must do something. We wanted to spread this simple motivation.
In this workshop, we wanted participants to feel and think about nuclear weapons as much as possible with sincere minds and thoughts. The idea was that then the meaning of action would definitely be awoken in their minds.
In order to support activities in people's student days, it is necessary for us to further widen the circle of activity. People who are active must not be a special existence. In order for the world in which most people feel that nuclear weapons cannot be permitted to be a more normal world, I believe that first of all it is necessary to expand the movement. And then, I hope, young people will place importance on that feeling even after they become adults in society and treat it as their life work wherever they live and in whatever way they choose.