Asia Youth Leaders Exchange Program hosted by Aeon 1% Club

Four students in Class 24 participated in the exchange program above from August 18th to 23rd.  High school students from nine Asian countries gathered in Hanoi, Vietnam and worked together on the topic: Diet in Vietnam and how to improve it. This was our third time to join in the program. Once they were in a group of people from different cultural backgrounds, the four participants from our school were overwhelmed and somewhat disappointed to learn how incapable they were compared with other Asian students, even though they had expected it. They matured mentally during the week; they acted voluntarily, listened carefully to others, and never gave up. They learned many important things which are helpful in their school and social lives.
【Voices from the Participants】
At first, our group had a lot of disagreements and a hard time. We had no meeting at night just because our leader said that he was tired. The four Japanese members were worried and worked until midnight.  I suggested that we should meet to talk at breakfast time, but nobody came. I was sometimes annoyed and other times, I felt frustrated that we were not able to communicate with each other because of our poor English and cultural differences. However, we won the first place in the final presentation on the last day. Why? It is because we never gave up despite the barrier in language and culture.  In discussion, conflicts arise between people who have different opinions. Those who are shy and are not assertive like me tend to give in to people who have strong opinions.  Other Japanese members had their own strong opinions and tried to make themselves understood in English to other Asian students, who spoke English more fluently.  On some occasions, they clearly said no, which led to severe arguments, but the members from other countries gradually respected our opinion, which resulted in a better group discussion. That is why we succeeded in making a good presentation.