Current Programs

Hiroshima Stories and Youth Arts New York sponsored school visits December 5-9 of 2011. Each school will be visited by one or more Hibakusha— survivors of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in the summer of 1945. Visits provide students with a rare opportunity to hear eyewitness testimonies of one of the most significant events in human history and introduce the students to the concepts of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. The two-period visit includes a brief introduction to nuclear issues, first-hand accounts from the survivors themselves, small group discussions, and a final sharing from each group.

The School Visits also introduced students to the concept of Remembrance Responsibility. The Hibakusha entrust the students with the legacy of their story so that more people will be dedicated to seeing that nuclear weapons will never be used again. Students learn to see that nuclear war is not only a war against the present but also, because of the genetic effects it has on all living things, a war against the future.