There are many social topics in this world that make me very happy, two of them being (1) East Asia and (2) the sharing of international cultures. Call me crazy, but I am automatically attracted to any article, news reel, television show, etc. that is somehow related to Eastern Asia or cultural exchange. I keep up with two online newspapers based in South Korea, one being conservative (동아일보) and one being liberal (한교레). One article that particularly caught my attention was published in the Donga Ilbo (동아일보) last week and was titled "한중일 어린이 눈짓발짓 소통 동화책 만들다," which translates roughly to "Exchange Program for Children from Korea, China, and Japan." I was so pleased to read about this unique program that brings together 100 young students from the three countries previously mentioned, all for the sake of writing children's books together.
There are many unique components that come into play in this program. The fact that the children are left to their own devices to pass creativity amongst students their own age that speak different languages than them is almost jaw-dropping. To an adult, this concept is probably rather terrifying. However, the students showed that with minimal help from translators, they could communicate in a way that efficiently and effectively allowed them to interact with each other. The concept of interaction between people whose relationships are threatened by language barriers is becoming a major concern in governments all over the world. The United States Government has devoted a large amount of time and money to sending potential translators and ambassadors to foreign countries for intense language immersion classes and camps, hoping to open doors to better communication with countries that require knowledge of the "13 Critical Languages" designated by the US Government. I have looked into taking part in one of these overseas experiences (since Korean is one of the critical languages), especially after watching an interview with a young woman who moved from America to Korea and was able to read the Harry Potter series entirely in Korean after a semester or two of being enrolled in a language immersion class.
The collective and creative learning experience discussed in the article goes to show that the United States is not the only country concerned with building bridges with other countries. Japan, Korea and China are all beginning to acknowledge the potential that the young citizens of their country have to make strong connections with foreign countries. There are two main reasons that elementary, middle school and high school students have the best chance of proving useful in such a difficult quest for communication. The first is because the younger the person, the less they are exposed to prejudices that might be a turnoff to foreign cultures. This is especially true in East Asia, where countries have long been connected only by necessary trade and brutal disputes that often involved war. The second reason is more psychological; younger students learn languages much faster than adults. Early exposure and interest in foreign languages makes for a student that quickly picks up these languages that are seen as critical to many governments around the world.
I hope to see more countries and programs that will use the China - Japan - Korea Children's Story Exchange Program as an inspiration for the exposure of foreign cultures and languages to children. I strongly believe that each student that takes an interest in creating communication between foreign countries and their own country is directly contributing to the creation of world peace.
(Here is the article in English: http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=060000&biid=2013082618978 )
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