January/February 1999

FSUN's Principal Office Established in 809 UN-Plaza Building, Right front of UN Headquarter

Remodeling Soon Starts

location

This location is one of the best in NY.

And Institute of International Education (IIE) (former owner) headquarter is well known among New Yorkers, especially concourse in the 12th floor designed by Finish architect is America's cultural assets. (Photo right; 809 UN-plaza seeing from UN building.)

Procurement Process

IIE has long managed the world famous Fulbright Scholarship.

In Japan also many young people had opportunity to study foreign countries thanks to this scholarship.

IIE initially negotiated with the UN Secretariat for Japan as a buyer. After failed the deal, it finally determined to sell to FSUN. FSUN will lease this building back to this former owner. (Photo, left; the UN Headquarter seeing from 809 UN-Plaza)

Our New Base

IIE

The activities include almost 300 programs such as international cultural exchange, training programs and technical support, which are conducted in place of each government, foundation, collage, and any other organization in the world, let alone in the US.

All kinds of information such as statistics, political study, and literature given by the foreign countries are shared with each other through this organization.

The source of the fund for educational and research programs are the Public Relation and Cultural Agency, International Development Agency, the governmental body for diplomacy, foundations and multi-national enterprises;

whereas higher education and activities for general people are supported by more than 650 collages and donations.

There are 280 American and 36 foreigner staff and 5600 volunteer workers are participating the activities.

The activities are; art and culture exchange, language education, home-stay, interchange of people among communities, and interchange of specialists, businessmen/women, teachers and students.

The subject of the program is undergraduate and graduate students, teachers in higher education, businessmen/women, specialists, and technical experts.

It also sends 1000 American to abroad and receives 9000 foreigners from abroad annually. (in 1991)

The Hidden Treasure Box--FSUN 809 UN-Plaza

This is one out of 4 architectures designed by him in the US. The 4,200 square feet meeting room is surrounded by beautifully decorated wall and divided into smaller rooms.

A part of the wall is covered with wooden sculptures and some ceramic tiles in dark blue.

The Finish architect also designed tables, chairs and even lumps and according to NY Times, it is "full of history" (Photos; the meeting room=right and its wall=left)

NY Major Magazine Praised it as "Creative Deal"

"Investors and a foundation related with the UN purchased the IIE building for $25 million and will rent it.

809 United Nations Plaza will secure good space for purchaser, FSUN, and at the same time for seller, IIE who will stay the building as a tenant.

This is great,' said the chief manager of IIE. The conditions include remodeling the building.

'This building is treasure for us and will be beautifully renewed.' The vice president of CB Richard Ellis Inc. shows his expectation.

Purchaser is a foundation well known for its activities such as establishment of school in Cambodia."

Essay Contest and Speech on "Nonviolence"

"Hoping we will have the society without any kinds of violence or criminals for American children who are increasingly subject to gun related violent crimes these days," she said, "we decided to have this speech titled 'Nonviolent.'"

Mr. Robinson, deputy lieutenant for juvenile in Orange County of California told about current circumstances in juvenile delinquency.

This is followed by announcement of contest winners. One of the essays argued that not only a school education system but also relationship within family largely has an effect on the formation of children's human nature.

We had media coverage here.

Awarded essays (summery)

"Some three years ago when we came to America, we had all sorts of difficulties such as difference of language and culture and at the time my mother was hospitalized.

When all family members began to think this was wrong choice; we should not have come to America, the members of the parish church helped a lot.

This meant a lot for me and changed drastically my view toward the society.

I really appreciate it. So I started to do volunteer job to show my gratitude. I believe that individual goodwill can change society."

Runner-up

"When my mother got sick and whole family tried to get over this difficulty, unbelievable thing happened......"

Third place

This middle school student described that she had sought for what is the best thing for her to do for better society and volunteer activities had taught her a lot of things and matured her human nature.

Speech, "Nonviolence Spirit of My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi" by Arun Gandhi

The behavior of the young is the reflection of our own society where violence deeply penetrates.
We have been very concerned the young tend to be so irresponsible and violent and sometime implicated in gangster related assaults.

We, however, do not see why. We have to think what makes them so violent.

The issues the young people are now facing are mere consequences of the culture we have made. We have to pay the cost.

We have to change our culture and review our everyday life if we want the young to be more responsible and keep away from violence.

I would like to show some statistics to let you know how violence has penetrated in our society. These statistics were conducted in Europe and the US in 1992.

They are more or less alike in the levels of their living, income, and education. Also I have another statistics showing the numbers of the gun related casualties. Thirteen (13) people have been gum down in Australia annually, 33 in UK, 36 in Sweden, 6 in Japan, 87 in Switzerland, 128 in Canada and 30,220 in the US.

What makes this difference?

Those killed are all in their 30s, 40s and 50s. This is the culture of the society where we live.

Also, according to the statistics Mr. Robinson brought, 40 percent of all children in the US live without father.

50 percent of 18 year-old children have experience that they lived without father.

The number of the single parent family has been increased every year. Many children being born in single parent family do not know who is their father and therefore remain illegitimate.

This is America's family all about. Breakdown of the American family has caused such tragedy that every year about 20 thousands children have been killed.

From 4000 to 5000 thousand children are left handicapped, 12,000 thousands are homeless, more than 1,000 thousands remain orphans and 1,000 thousands are victims of incurable mental illness.

Over the past 300 years more than half of all war victims have been civilians. During World War �U, two third of the war victims were civilians.

It is always civilians that suffer loss.

We are the ones that have allowed violence in our society. I myself lived with my grandfather when I was 12 to 14 years old.

Raised in South Africa where apartheid were still alive, I suffered racial prejudice.

Since I was a quite child, the color of the skin had meant great deal for me.

The colored had a lot of limitation; there were many stores, restaurants, grocery stores the colored were not able to get in, we could not choose the seat in a bus or train, there was no public rest room so I had to look for an Indian people who were kind enough to let me use it.

These were what I suffered under Apartheid in South Africa.

The most humiliating thing I have ever experienced was that I was assaulted when I was 10 years old.

The first time I was assaulted by Caucasians because of darkness of my skin color and next, by the black because of my fair complexion.

I had never been able to forget these humiliations I suffered.

During those days I had become so violent; I trained myself to fight back against those humiliated me with the idea "eye for eye, tooth for tooth."

My parents were concerned me who was so desperate and violent and sent me to my grandfather in India.

My grandfather first taught me how to deal with anger. He said, "Anger is like electricity.

"The electricity is so useful and essential for our life but at the same time it is strong enough to kill a man if you don't use it properly.

The same is true of anger. Anger itself is not malignant; we should not deny the feeling itself as it is natural.

"You could convert the anger to energy. You use the feeling as energy to seek solution, not to hate or hurt somebody.

My grandfather told me "Whatever the reason when you get angry, write what happened. Consume your energy of anger in your diary.

This diary, however, should be written to find out the solution."

Sometimes people who I advised to write such diary complain that writing the diary makes no difference.

Those who don't see the difference are just writing the diary without trying to find solution. You will get angry again at what you wrote.

I always say those people, "Don't forget you are writing it to seek a solution." I myself always tried not to convert the energy of anger into violence when I was 12 or 13 years old. (Photo: audiences listening to the lecture)

Contribution to Foreign Countries from Hokkaido

Michiko Watanabe, Director of the Board of FSUN, had a speech titled "21st Century is NPO's Era, Cultural Exchange and Contribution to Foreign Countries for the People in Tomakomai-City."

In the speech Ms. Watanabe called for positive participation in the activities after talking about her own experience such as support for Cambodia, comprehensive prohibition against anti-personal mine and medical support for Vietnam.

She also compared the American volunteer activists with those in Japan. There are so many the NPO groups and activists in the US and their view toward volunteer is flexible.

On the other hand in Japan not so many people are willing to participate the volunteer activities and are facing the world problems seriously.

Also she pointed out it is doubtful that "the Law for Non-profitable Organizations", enforced February 1, would be beneficial for us.

She concluded, "In Hokkaido people have frontier spirits and accordingly are willing to attend the volunteer activities.

Therefore there are seven international exchange groups which deal with a variety of problems.

I would like to encourage you to more and more aggressively cope with problems."

Opera Performance "Sumidagawa and Kusabira" (Tokushima Branch)

He created unique opera where two cultures from the West and the East are well harmonized with the image of Japanese traditional opera "Noh and Kyogen."

Tokushima Branch also successfully held Chinese Biwa (Chinese traditional instrument) Recital last September.

The branch has aggressively conducted a variety of events in the field of music, art and play.

UN Study Trip

This is from March 16 to 23, 1999 and mainly comprised of college students in Japan, who will visit the UN headquarter and be given some lectures by the UN staff.

Through this event the participants will have a chance to seriously think about problems the world facing now such as world peace and welfare.

Editor's comments

his means our FSUN's cultural activities are developing and expanding now in worldwide scale. In next issue we will report activities in each branch and establishment of new branches. (K)