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Jul 2005 - INDEX - *Reports* - Yumi, Chief Executive Director's monthly note - Toshi, Chief Techinical Director's monthly note - What's up in Pangaea's Playground? (Activity report) ----------------------------------- Yumi's monthly note ----------------------------------- Toshi and I traveled to Seoul, Korea at the beginning and the end of June! (First time visit, yet visited two times in a month!) We were there to find partners and a location to do simultaneous Pangaea Activity between Seoul and Tokyo in August. Fortunately, we have found someone who offered a help for place to do activity. Sonokong Co. Ltd., HQ in Seoul, the largest toy company in Korea, CEO has been very understanding and generous to help Pangaea. In recent months, we see lots of news about Korea-Japan relationship going in bad direction. However, this is the 40th anniversary year for Korea-Japan Relation, it is called Friendship Year. So perfectly suitable for Pangaea I thought, on my way back from Seoul on the Asiana Air to Narita. When we see children in Seoul and Tokyo are connected by internet, and playing together, maybe there are lots of things we can learn from children. Our first visit at the beginning of this month, filled up our schedule very quickly with help from Pangaea advisors and Boardmember who have friends and connections in Korea. As usually the case, Pangaea is always welcomed every country we visited. This has once again reminded me the importance of our attempts for creating Universal Playground for Children. From University Professor to Coporate Executives, everyone we have met was hoping to have good Korea-Japan relations. Oh, by the way, I have got interviewed by Doa Newspaper. They took our photo and said they will write an article about it. I will travel to Nairobi's Pangaea Africa who has been so patiently waiting for my arrival in last year and half. Also the same goes to Zoom at Vienna, Austria. I have not had business travel to overseas in last yalf year, which has not happened in last 10 years!! So thanks for that time. Now we have activity menu in Japanese and English, facilitator package, many new activities. Please wait for our arrival very soon, and please help us to have a great global launch in this November. Yumi ----------------------------------- Toshi's monthly note ----------------------------------- Though it started rainy season in Tokyo from the beginning of June, NPO Pangaea made a lot of progresses without being beaten by the rains such as getting three corporate members, finishing the arrangement for August Pangaea event between Korea and Japan, and conducting Pangaea activities at schools in Shibuya, Tokyo and children house in Suginami, Tokyo every weekend. The new corporate members are Elab Experience Inc., OKWeb Inc., and Reveal-laboratory Ltd. Elab Experience Inc. in Mie prefecture in Japan is a hard core engineering B.T.O. company that designs and implements electronic devices such as wireless network devices and ubiquitous sensor network devices as well as device middleware, firmware and application software. We are now seeking to apply Elab's environment sensor systems and web-services of worldwide environment & weather data to Pangaea bonding activities. As we have weather and environment in common around the world, I'm looking forward to having fun activities in Pangaea that foster bonds among children around the world. OKWeb Inc. is a IT star-up company in Shibuya, Tokyo that provides web-based Q&A community portal and FAQ system which is used by various companies like Sony and Japan Airlines. It was very generous of this company that NPO Pangaea got the user account of their system for free. I would like to make the maximum use of these systems by applying to Pangaea core member, volunteers, members, and children in the end. And Reveal-laboratory Ltd. is a startup company in Tokyo that has a hobby robot and edutainment in the business domain. Mr. Taisei Tanaka, COO of this company, is one of my esteemed confidants invited me to his office the other day and I found it full of vigor and cheerful space and there were lots of young staffs with strong and fun personalities. I was impressed by their hobby robot system which would bring fun activities for Pangaea children. Pangaea R&D team has got so excited as there are so many possibilities of collaborations with these corporate members! By the way, I'm writing this note on the airplane from Seoul to Tokyo. At this trip to Seuol, Yumi and I arranged the network activities between Seoul and Tokyo in this August. Thanks to some Pangaea advisors who introduced us to splendid people in Seoul such as professors, corporate people, and press people, we were able to set it up very smoothly and effectively. We have been running Pangaea activities for children every week from this year, though we had them every other weekend last year. It's much busier and tougher than last year because we have to prepare every week. But it is more than welcomed to Pangaea R&D team as we've been able to accumulate more and more know-how of software usability and ideas from children. Feel free to give me your comments if you have any technical or activity ideas. Let's make Pangaea more fun together! ----------------------------------- What's up in Pangaea's Playground? (Activity report by Seiji) ----------------------------------- June, the rainy season, has come. May, a month of first meeting, has gone by and a month with a deeper research has started. Children choose what they wish to do among the four plays. Each activity's ambience seems relaxed and warm. What we are planning to do from this month is to do Viscuits in group. That is to accomplish a work by a group of three. Middle school participants successfully achieved a work in group and they have got a different delight that cannot be obtained by a solo work. We received a comment, "it was more fun than playing alone." At elementary schools, we do not come to facilitate well for a group activity … but it has only begun, it is too soon to tell. Create together in group, not individually. This is what the Pangaea appreciates. Another big theme is "pangaea cards". We are now preparing for a coming event with Korea on August 21 by expressing themes in photos or illustration varied by card numbers. Each country or region takes a responsibility of each mark and this is how the cards that appreciate differences are accomplished, moving around a school yard or neighborhood with camera, taking a picture or drawing an illustration… This month, we are going to get into a next step, considering how effectively you can carry down expressions showed in photo or illustration to those who are from different cultures. The favorites map gives a reconfirmation of your favorites. It is also a comment mark that realizes a universal comment. A research to enjoy leaping across the difference is progressing step by step. July's activities are held on 2, 9, 10, 16, and 23. We are always waiting for you to join us. Please contact us. Seiji Mukai nonbiri@panggaean.org ****************************************************** Please check for details at Pangaea homepage. Non Profit Organization PANGAEA: http://www.pangaean.org/ For inquiries, E-mail: info*pangaean.org (Please change "*" to "@".) [Registration/Termination of Subscription] This e-newsletter is delivered to *Registered Pangaea activity supporting members *Pangaea advisors *Pangaea fellows *Registered Pangaea volunteer staff *Anyone who supports Pangaea activity and has contacted to Pangaea President Ms. Mori/Vice-President Mr. Takasaki If you wish to change your e-mail address or to terminate, please contact us from the following site: http://www.pangaean.org/common/english/newsletter/change.html ****************************************************** Non Profit Organization PANGAEA TS building 4F, 2-14-3 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0047, Japan TEL: +81-3-5298-1551 / FAX: +81-3-5298-1552 E-mail: info*pangaean.org (Please change "*" to "@".) Copyright (c) 2003-2004 NPO PANGAEA. All Rights Reserved. ****************************************************** |