Have you ever heard about Peace boat? (Probably most Japanese people know it.)
"Peace Boat is a Japan-based international non-governmental and non-profit organization that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment. "
Their main activity is travelling all over the world with chartered ship where passengers join educational programs and various kinds of activities for positive social change in the world.
みなさん、ピースボートってご存知ですか？平和について学び、行動しながら世界を航海する日本のNGO団体です。ずっと前からこのブログで紹介したかった団体です。
"Peace Boat`s 66th Global Voyage for Peace will pay its first visit to Scandinavia, including the first time ports of Stockholm and Helsinki. Sustainability will be the keyword of this voyage, with on board and in port programmes focusing on various related themes.Learning about northern European welfare and education systems will provide an opportunity to reconsider the true meaning of a “rich” society – going beyond economic wealth and efficiency, and instead focusing on the wellbeing of humans and the environment alike. Examples of natural conservation and environmentally-friendly economic policies around the world will be explored, as participants on this journey reconsider how to make our lifestyles and policies truly sustainable. "
ピースボート第66回目の航海のテーマは「Sustainability（持続性）」。スカンジナビア諸国に寄港し、経済成長や効率性では測れない、人間の本当の豊かさとは何かを考え直す、という大きなテーマです。
Can you guess what is going on the ship? They made the first Montessori kindergarten on ship! Children have Montessori environment during the journey and it makes it possible for the parents to travel with children! Here is the first report. My friend, Takako, has been leading the Montessori program and as soon as I hear from her again, I'll update more detailed information.
http://www.peaceboat.org/english/voyg/66/lob/090508/index.html
今回の航海では、なんと世界初！船上モンテッソーリ幼稚園が開かれています!！
http://www.peaceboat.org/info/kodomo/
"Education for Peace（平和のための教育）"を唱えたモンテッソーリのアイディアとピースボートの趣旨がぴったり重なっています。こんな風にモンテッソーリと他団体、人がつながっていくのは本当にうれしく思います。
I've liked the idea of Peace Boat and how cool that Montessori is now connected to it! If you are interested in getting onboard, please check the website!
http://www.peaceboat.org/english/index.html
上のリンクは英語ですが、船上モンテッソーリプログラムを率いている友人、深津高子さんからの記事です。また日本に帰国してから詳しくお話を聞くのがとても楽しみ！また詳細をお知らせします。
P.S; Sorry, this info is only in Japanese, but there is one nice article about this Montessori school onboard in web-magazine, GREENZ. Though you can't probably read this specific article, the magazine itself is super-interesting! Have a look!
http://greenz.jp/en/
"Launched in July 2006 (English site launched in Sep 2007), greenz.jp is the first bilingual web-zine based in Tokyo dedicated to designing a sustainable society with optimism and creativity with its unique editorial perspective. The Japanese website introduces positive and intriguing stories, and best practices from around the world, acting as a learning and interactive platform — offering examples of socially responsible behavior and global exposure to help Japanese audiences think out of the box. The English website provides international exposure for Asian and Japanese wisdom and traditions, and details of sustainability activism which are often untold in the global media landscape."...
追伸；WebマガジンGreenzで船上モンテッソーリ幼稚園についての記事が読めます。
http://greenz.jp/2009/02/17/peaceboat_montessori_02/
是非ご覧ください。Greenzは「21世紀型の持続可能でわくわくする世界の実現を目指す行動するグリーンメディア」です。地球の明るい未来へワクワクすると同時に、自分もそこに参加していくのが楽しみです！