Our collaborative project, the fourth 9.11 to 3.11 Tohoku Outreach to Japan will take place this summer and the project has been featured as one of the four “Innovative disaster responses in Japan that are worth emulating in future disasters around the world” by the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE).
Why worth emulating? By Atsuko Geiger et al.
“They put a great deal of consideration into how to address core issues in an effective way…the program brings healing to both the 3/11 and 9/11 families and survivors while creating strong bonds between the two groups”
“The exchanges between the survivors of 9/11 and 3/11 induce survivors to deal with the psychological trauma by sharing their feelings, not by taking the direct approach of asking them to share their feelings, but by creating a situation in which they feel comfortable doing so.”
“The 9/11 and 3/11 exchange was initiated by organizations in the United States, but they worked closely with local Rotary clubs in Tohoku to carry out the trips… they adapted as the situation on the ground evolved… because they were rooted in the local communities”
“It has made a great difference to those who are involved in or have been touched by this program.”
JCIE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan policy institute that works to encourage deeper international cooperation in responding to regional and global challenges.
For more information, please visit: http://www.jcie.or.jp/books/
