Carson Hansen, left, a junior at Zama Middle High School, discusses a project with his teammates during the student educational exchange and dialogue event, or SEED, Dec. 15 at Zama Middle High School. (Noriko Kudo)
CAMP ZAMA, Japan – An event here brought about 50 American and Japanese teens together for two days of cultural exchange activities meant to cultivate diverse perspectives and enhance mutual understanding.
The student educational exchange and dialogue event, or SEED, was held Dec. 14 and 15 at Zama Middle High School and was a joint effort co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The students were divided into small groups and given a variety of tasks to test their team-building, communication and problem-solving skills. One of the main projects was to develop and present ideas for hands-on events or product development to promote the attractiveness of Zama City, where they currently live.
ZMHS Principal James Rippard said the aim of the SEED event is to create cultural exchange opportunities for students at the school to allow them to befriend Japanese students while working, communicating and connecting with them.
“We’re planting the seeds for future partnerships and future cultural understanding between [our] two communities and cultures,” Rippard said.
The SEED event also gave the participating students the chance to share their unique values and backgrounds with each other, which allowed them to further connect, Rippard said.
“I think the kids did amazing,” the principal said. “I am very proud of our young people — both the Japanese students and our Zama high school students.”
Carson Hansen, a junior at ZMHS, said he joined the event this year at the encouragement of his Japanese teacher at the school and recommendation from a friend who attended it last year. He said he thought it would be interesting to get to know some Japanese students who were interested in communicating and expressing ideas in a unique setting.
Hansen likely wasn’t the only participant worried that communication would be a challenge — and it was, at times, he said. But if he learned anything, it was that most any challenge can be met by working together.
“I thought that even despite some language issues, we were able to overcome those problems and accomplish whatever task we were given,” Hansen said. “This definitely was a challenge, but [it] also boosted my confidence.”
Alicia Brinegar, a senior at ZMHS, said one of her primary goals in joining the SEED event was to meet and make friends with Japanese children her age. She said she experienced a breakthrough moment in her group when she made a joke. Because humor is universal, she said, seeing her group all laughing really brought them together.
“This was a very interesting program because it gave me the unique experience of learning how to communicate in ways that aren’t always verbal,” she said, “and it taught me that you don’t need to learn a [second] language to be able to communicate with people.”
Brinegar recommended the SEED event to any students who are interested in joining it next year, calling it an amazing and unique opportunity for DoDEA students.
“You need to put yourself out there and take risks because … you’re never going to learn anything new if you don’t,” she said.
Soma Obayashi, a 7th grader from Zama City, just started learning English and said he was not confident in his proficiency before attending the event. But it ended up being a great way to push himself and was a fun opportunity to interact with American students in his same age group and overcome challenges together, he said.
“I was nervous at first, but as I got to know the other participants … it became easier to communicate with them,” Obayashi said.
Through the quizzes and games offered at the event, Obayashi said he learned a lot about American culture. Seeing not only the differences but also the similarities between American and Japanese teens motivated him to improve his English skills, he said.
“It was a privilege to be able to be a part of this cultural event,” Obayashi said. “It showed me what the power of learning can do for us.”
