TC Activities TCS Co-organized 15th China-Japan-ROK Children’s Story Exchange Program 2018.08.17 ~ 2018.08.23

The 15th China-Japan-ROK Children’s Story Exchange Program was held in Tokyo and Yamagata in Japan from August 17 to 23. The program was co-organized by National institute for Youth Education (NIYE), China National Commission for Wellbeing of Children (CNCCC), Seoul National University of Education (SNUE), and TCS. The host organizations implemented the program for child participants in grades 4 to 6, while TCS facilitated the implementation of alumni program.

During the opening ceremony, Deputy Secretary-General Han Mei delivered congratulatory remarks. Minister of MEXT Yoshimasa Hayashi, Mr. Kawamura Takeo, member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Ms. Guo Yan, Charge d’affaire of Chinese Embassy in Japan, Mr. Lee Hee-sup, Minister of ROK Embassy in Japan, and representatives from co-host organizations NIYE, CNCCC and SNUE attended the ceremony. As a side event, an exhibition coordinated by CSE alumni students took place.

TCS co-organized the alumni program in continuation with last year. CSE has been implemented since 2002 and now has a handful of former participants in college who once attended the event as a primary school student. Each year at CSE, approximately 30 of these CJK alumni students come back to the program to help sustain the community of participants who had early exposure to trilateral cooperation. This year, the alumni conducted multiple team-building activities including a post-it mosaic of CSE mascot and attended lectures on trilateral cooperation.

The closing ceremony of the program was observed by many esteemed guests, including Mr. Kenta Izumi, member of the Democratic Party for the People, Mr. Miyamoto Takeshi, member of the Japanese Communist Party, Mr. Ito Tadahiko, member of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Ms. Yasue Funayama, former member of House of Council. The CJK alumni students presented the outcome of their week-long program including discussions on strategies for way forward for the CSE alumni community, in front of representatives from NIYE, CNCCC, SNUE and the esteemed guests.

The 16th Children’s Story Exchange Program will take place in China in 2019.