Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour for Educators 2007
Rationale
The motivation for this program was derived from the events of WWII when the Japanese military perpetrated war crimes prior and throughout its invasion of China in 1938. Only in the past decade has an accurate reporting of this history been made available and until only recently has it impacted Ontario high school curriculum.
There are, however, issues concerning the historical record of this period that behooves further attention. More specifically, history textbooks have been recently introduced in some Japanese educational districts that contain historical revisions in which a less than accurate representation of these events is being presented. Moreover, unlike in other theatres of WWII, appropriate acknowledgement, restitution, and compensation for war crimes remain unresolved and a source of continuing rancor, particularly for the many surviving victims.
The purpose of this Study Tour is to offer educators a unique opportunity to learn about these events of WWII in Asia along with an exploration of these unresolved contemporary issues. This will be achieved through a Study Program which will begin in the spring of 2007 and will culminate in a guided educational tour of the principal sites in China where these events took place over 60 years ago. Participants will also have the opportunity to supplement their learning by hearing firsthand testimony by survivors as well as by collaborative discussions with Chinese scholars, professors, and political representatives.
Opportunities will also be made available to learn about modern China as it prepares for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, to enjoy the wonders of an ancient Chinese culture, and share in the mutual warmth of personal friendships with local citizens.
Sponsorship
This Study Tour is being made available through the efforts of the Toronto chapter of the Canadian Association for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (Toronto ALPHA). Established in 1997, its mandate is to foster education and racial harmony with a mission to promote public awareness, learning, and the preservation of an accurate historical record of WWII in Asia. Since 2004 Toronto ALPHA has been working closely with Ontario educators to integrate this important but relatively unknown period of history into Ontario educational curriculum across the province.
Toronto ALPHA puts forth intensive fundraising efforts in order to make this Study Tour possible. Through these efforts the individual cost to each participant is highly subsidized.
Individuals who work on behalf of Toronto ALPHA are all volunteers. Further information about Toronto ALPHA and an Application may be obtained at the following websites: www.torontoalpha.org and www.asia-wwii.org .
Approximately 20 educators will be selected for admission to this program. Most will be selected from among certified and practising teachers and students at faculties of education.
Interested individuals will be invited to an Information Meeting and asked to submit an Application. Each applicant will be invited to a private interview with the organizers to assess his/her suitability for the program. This will also give the applicant the opportunity to determine if the program serves his/her needs and interests.
Applicants will be selected based on the following criteria:
1. Commitment to the area of study.
2. Willingness to participate in the study program.
3. Cooperativeness in learning and traveling with a group.
4. Respect for new cultures.
5. Adaptability to new experiences and living conditions.
6. Application (available online at www.torontoalpha.org)
Ming Jarm Lau
Dr. Ming Jarm Lau (B.Sc., M.Sc., M.D., MTS) has been practising family medicine since 1983, first in Brandon, Manitoba ( nine years) and then in Toronto. He has been involved in church programs helping refugees from Vietnam in the 1970s and reaching out to scholars from mainland China in the early 1980s. He is currently affiliated with North York General Hospital and serves on the Hospital Continuing Medical Education Committee. Dr. Lau is also a Board Member of Ambassadors For Christ, Canada and speaks to various church groups, parenting groups, and visiting doctors' groups from China. He was an interpreter and volunteer in the 2005 tour.
Connie Lau
Connie (B.Soc.Sc., B.S.W., M.S.W.) was a social worker in Hong Kong, Toronto, and Manitoba, specializing in community development and organization, school social work, volunteer training , and personal counselling. She was an active member of the Education Action Group in Hong Kong and has been involved in social work research in Windsor, Ontario and St John's, Newfoundland. She is currently the office manager of a medical office in North York, Board Director of Pilot International Club in Scarborough and is President of her high school alumni association. She is married to Ming Jarm and they have two children, ages 17 and 19 years. She was the Ontario coordinator of the 2005 tour.
Colin MacNeil
Colin has taught for twenty years in a variety of programs and settings including Native Indian Reserves in Manitoba and schools in the Toronto area. He is currently a program leader and social science teacher at the Scarborough Centre for Alternative Studies. He has had a great deal of experience working with ‘at risk’ students and is actively involved in a number of school and board initiatives aimed at this end of the student spectrum. He was a participant in the 2005 Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour to China.
Robert Lato
Robert taught for 33 years in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. He received his doctorate in Education in 1993. In recent years he has been teaching an Additional Qualification course in Guidance at York University’s Faculty of Education, teaches English as a Second Language to new immigrants, and is active in high school guidance programs. He is a founding Director of Adventure Learning Experiences and has extensive experience in conducting Study and Leadership programs throughout the world. He has spent the last two summers in southeast Asia and was a participant in the 2005 Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour to China.
It is expected that all participants will take an active part in the pre-trip academic preparation. Please be assured that this component is not intended to be demanding nor onerous, but rather to provide all participants the opportunity to maximize their learning.
There will be 3 meetings prior to departure, scheduled as follows:
Sunday April 1, 2007 2:00pm-4:30pm
Sunday May 6, 2007 2:00pm-4:30pm
Sunday June 10, 2007 2:00pm-4:30pm
All meetings will take place at the Catholic Education Centre at 80 Sheppard Ave. East (one block east of the Yonge-Sheppard intersection and subway station, north side).
These meetings will provide practical details of the trip, health and safety recommendations, historical background, and introduction to the contemporary issues associated with the themes of the program. Participants will be invited to take an active role in all facets of the program.
There will be a suggested reading list provided. This list will be prioritized into essential recommendations as well as secondary recommendations. This will be available well in advance to give participants sufficient time to prepare.
Participants will be invited to explore more fully a single particular area of interest and to share this learning with the group. No written submissions are expected. A list of suggested topics will be provided.
Journaling: Many former participants have found that writing a daily journal was a very effective means to assimilate the experience, both in terms of the historical learning as well as the impact of many personal testimonials of survivors. In addition, a composite journal whereby participants are invited to submit a single day’s entry can provide a powerful commemoration of this shared experience. All journaling will, of course, be optional.
Meetings during the Trip: There will be meetings scheduled periodically during the trip. Some will incorporate guest speakers, and others will be for the purpose of debriefing and reflection within our group.
Travel Dates: June 30, 2007 until July 14, 2007 (or July 15)
This itinerary is intended to highlight the types of activities that will occur in conjunction with the locations that will be visited. You will receive a more accurate itinerary closer to the departure date.
Saturday June 30 Departure
Sunday July 1 Arrival in Shanghai
Monday July 2 Shanghai
Tuesday July 3 Shanghai
Wednesday July 4 Shanghai
Thursday July 5 Shanghai
Friday July 6 Nanjing
Saturday July 7 Nanjing
Sunday July 8 Nanjing
Monday July 9 Harbin
Tuesday July 10 Harbin
Wednesday July 11 Beijing
Thursday July 12 Beijing
Friday July 13 Beijing
Saturday July 14 (or 15) Departure
The activities that will comprise the itinerary are still being coordinated with the travel arrangements and so the final schedule has not yet been finalized. A sampling of activities from previous trips, and which will form the basis for the 2007 trip, are as follows:
Shanghai Comfort Station and Sexual Slavery, plus survivor
Heritage sites
Professor Su Zhi Liang
Mr. Chen Bing Rong
The Ohel Moishe Synangogue
Nanjing Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre, plus survivors
Nanjing Normal University
Burial sites
Massacre Historical Sites Tour
Nanjing International Safety Zone
Professor Zhang Lian Hong of Nanjing Research Society
Harbin Unit 731 Museum, plus survivor
Professor Bu: Beijing Academy of Social Sciences
Beijing Museum of War of Resistance against Japanese Invasion
Marco Polo Bridge
Garden of Relief Carving Tablets
Survivors of forced labour camps
Attorney Kang Jian: leading counsel supporting redress for Chinese victims in their suit against the Japanese government.
Professor Rong Wei Mu: Institute of Modern History, Beijing Academy of Social Sciences: the Japanese school textbook controversy.
Professor Lin Zhibo: Different approaches adopted by Japan and Germany in dealing with their war crimes.
Other Activities: A variety of activities designed to familiarize participants to modern China will also be planned. In the past these have included visiting the riverside Bund in Shanghai, the Shanghai Gymnastics troupe, Tour of the Great Wall, Tianneman Square, The Forbidden City, Sun Yat Sen’s former residence, Yu Garden, dinner and strolling the WangFuJing district of Beijing.
Transportation
Local transportation, usually in the form of charter bus, will be organized and provided by Toronto ALPHA. Local and international air travel will be provided by reputable regional and national carriers.
Accommodation
All accommodation will be arranged by Toronto ALPHA in conjunction with local contacts. All hotels will be selected based on safety, cleanliness, location, and reasonable and comfortable lodging. Participants will be expected to share a double room with another participant. For those wishing private accommodation, a supplementary fee will be added.
Participants will be charged a single fee of $1,600 Cdn ( a tax deductible receipt will be issued from Toronto ALPHA on this full amount) which will cover return airfare from Toronto to China, all travel expenses within the country, two meals per day, accommodations, and preparatory study program. This program is heavily subsidized by the generous fundraising efforts of Toronto ALPHA.
A single payment for the full amount will be expected by April 1st. Please note that this amount will be non-refundable since it will be immediately used to pay for your airline ticket.
Note: Participants are asked to submit a cheque for this amount payable to Toronto ALPHA.
Other Costs
The only costs that are not included in the above price are the following:
Passport (this must not expire within 6 months of departure)
Visa (single entry $50 Cdn, double entry $75 Cdn)
Out-of-country health insurance
Inoculations (depending upon one’s private insurance coverage)
Participants are invited to donate $30 Cdn to pay for gifts for the individual survivors who will be speaking to the group.
Single Supplement for private accommodation (optional)
Private expenses
Careful attention to sound health and safety practices will be an important component in the preparation of this program. This will involve mandatory immunizations, learning healthy eating and drinking habits, and understanding effective illness prevention practices. Some of the leaders have extensive experience in traveling to the developing world and will share their ideas throughout the program about effective health and safety habits.
Dr. Jarm Lau will be accompanying the group as one of the program leaders. Dr. Lau is a Medical Doctor with an established family practice in North York. Dr. Lau will provide preparatory medical advice and will be available for consultation during the trip.
For maximum benefit it is recommended that participants, in general, be in good health and achieve a sufficient level of fitness prior to the trip. Physical and dental check-ups are highly recommended prior to departure.
Immunization
a) The following are ordinarily administered through one’s family doctor in the course of normal Ontario health care. All participants are asked to ensure their protection with inoculations against the following diseases:
Tetanus – Diphtheria
Polio
Measles-Mumps-Rubella
b) Inoculations against the following may be required:
Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
The cost of these inoculations are not covered by OHIP but may be included in private health plans.
Travellers’ Diarrhea
The most common affliction that travellers experience is Travellers’ Diarrhea. We recommend that participants consider, in consultation with their physician, the following preventative and precautionary medications:
Pepto-Bismol Tablets
Imodium
An antibiotic, such as Cipro
Dukoral
Precautions
As indicated above, careful preparation prior to departure about safe eating and drinking habits and illness prevention practices will be undertaken. A highly regarded book that participants are advised to read as part of this preparation to is “The Travel Doctor” by Dr. Mark Wise (Firefly Books, 2002). Dr. Weiss is a family physician in North York whose medical practice includes a travel clinic. He is considered a leading authority in tropical and parasitic diseases.
It is expected that our group will greatly benefit from the local contacts which Toronto ALPHA has established in China in the event that specialized medical care in required. Each participant will be expected to purchase out-of-country health insurance and are advised to purchase a plan which includes evacuation coverage
. It is most strongly recommended that each participant seek proper medical advice for all potential health concerns at a travel health clinic prior to departure.
Each participant will be expected to complete the Consent to Medical Treatment Form in the event that urgent emergency care is required.