Joint event promotes education, dialogue exchange between US, Japanese students

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Nearly 50 U.S. and Japanese high school students participated together in an event here meant to foster communication and promote the exchange of ideas among the two communities.

Known as the Student Educational Exchange and Dialogue, or SEED, the event brought together students from Zama Middle High School those from the neighboring cities of Zama and Sagamihara Dec. 2 and 3 at the ZMHS campus.

The Department of Defense Education Activity Pacific Region and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan jointly hosted the event.

Sonya Gates, community superintendent for the DoDEA Pacific East District, said SEED is a cultural exchange meant to enhance the development of the U.S. and Japanese students in a variety of ways.

“I hope [this event allows] the students to have a lot of fun, make some friends they can cherish, and gain a better sense of understanding and appreciation for each other’s cultures and beliefs,” Gates said.

The host students at ZMHS provided their Japanese guests with a tour of their campus. Elsewhere during the two-day event, the students formed teams for games and activities such as collaborating to create a mascot character.

Logan Jackson, a junior at ZMHS and a first-time participant in SEED, said the team-building activities with their Japanese guests taught him a lot about the differences and similarities between their two cultures and led to him forming friendships with them. He recommended students who have never participated to join the event next year.

“It was a great way to interact with the Japanese students and get involved a little bit more in their culture,” Jackson said. “I hope we can have [this] event at a Japanese school sometime.”

Asaki Noda, a second-year high school student from Sagamihara City, had so much fun at the event last year that she jumped at the chance to participate again. This year she said she learned the importance of being proactive with her ideas and input when doing a group project.

“By interacting with others my age, I got to know more about the American students’ way of thinking and learn things I didn’t know before,” Noda said. “I felt like I was able to expand my worldview through my participation in this program.”

Feedback like that from Noda and other students reinforced that the SEED event met its intent, said Natasha Anderson, assistant principal at ZMHS. Most of the students expressed their hope to learn more about Japanese culture, and that their guests would likewise gain a better understanding of the academic and social life of American teens.

“[The students] want to basically show that they can work all together regardless of their nationality, which speaks volumes,” Anderson said. “This is an opportunity for students of different cultures to interact socially and understand [those] differences and similarities while building communication and team-building skills.”