An online Winners’ Gathering was held on 12 November, 2022, with the first, second, and third prize winners of the 2022 International Essay Contest for Young People taking part.

15 winners from 10 different countries—Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine—joined the online Winners’ Gathering, where they shared their positive visions for a better world, learned from one another, and nurtured their friendships and mutual understanding.

Touching on our most cherished values

The participants introduced themselves and chose one word that they felt best represented their most important values, in accordance with the 2022 essay theme, “My Values”.

Next, Ms. Maki Kawamura, Executive Director of the Goi Peace Foundation, offered her congratulatory remarks on behalf of the organizer:

“The values you shared in your essays were so diverse and so wonderful. If you cherish your values and respect the values of others, I believe you can create the kind of future that humanity has not yet been able to create. We received many beautiful messages from people in all corners of the world who were touched by your inspirational essays. Your essays are a gift of inspiration and learning to the many people who have read them. My hope is that you will keep thinking about how you can bring out your inherent wisdom and abilities to create a better future.”

Nurturing friendship and mutual understanding through dialogue

The participants were split into small groups to engage in dialogue on two topics.

Topic 1: “What was inspiring or memorable about the essays of other members in your group?”

Participants read the essays of the other group members in advance and shared their thoughts.

To a winner from Canada:

• I think millions or billions of people will resonate with your essay. Thank you for writing so beautifully.

To a winner from Russia:

• It was a beautiful gift, and I really loved reading your essay.
• I was very moved by your courageous writing.

To a winner from Ukraine:

• I honestly can’t imagine what it is like to live in Ukraine right now, but it was really inspiring that you were able to appreciate life and what you have instead of focusing on what you have lost.

Topic 2: “Have you ever been surprised or inspired by a difference in values between you and someone else?” 

Participants shared some unique personal experiences:

• I am the middle of three sisters in my family. I found it interesting to see how each of us reacted with different values when an earthquake took place in our area. My elder sister was optimistic and I was calm, while my younger sister was frightened.
• When I came back to Malaysia from the U.S.A., where I used to live, it was a very competitive environment and everyone was fighting to get good grades with so much pressure. It was like a war.
• When I came back to Japan from Singapore, where I used to live, I was really shocked because there is so much less diversity in Japan. In Singapore, train announcements are made in four different languages. But in Japan, there is less diversity. I think it’s because Japan is an island country and there is less opportunity to interact with people outside of Japan and around the world.

At the end of the sessions, the participants shared their thoughts:

• The small group sessions and time were really eye-opening. And it was really fun. I am really grateful for this opportunity to meet such wonderful people, and we offered different ideas.
• It was really exciting to meet all of you, especially because we are all in different countries, with different ethnicities. It is really fun meeting new people and learning about each other’s perspectives on peace in the world.
• I was really pleased to talk to many people, share my stories and discuss interesting topics. I really will never forget this.

One of the facilitators of the program, Anjali Sarker (first prize winner in the Youth category in 2012, from Bangladesh) said, “I thought that it was not just an exchange of words. I felt as if we were exchanging gifts with one another.”

After the gathering, many of the participants expressed their wishes to join future exchanges like this one, where they can share diverse values and experiences with young people from other parts of the world and discuss various topics, such as sustainable development, harmony, love, inner peace, and culture.

The Goi Peace Foundation will continue to organize programs that enable young people from around the world to connect with one another, and to respect and learn from each other’s differences in order to co-create a peaceful world.