ALPHA’s Past Projects:

• Peace & Reconciliation Study Tours to China for Canadian Educators: ALPHA has organized and sponsored five annual study tours, where over 120 Canadian educators visit important sites in China and Korea and witness first-hand evidence of the long-hidden human tragedies and atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII in China.
   
• Study Tour Educators’ Initiatives: Upon their return, many Study Tour educators have committed personally and professionally to promoting the cause of ALHPA. The educators have brought ALPHA’s educational materials into their classrooms and produced supporting audio/visual materials to share with other teachers. They have also written papers, published articles and made public presentations at conferences, school-board curriculum meetings/workshops, professional groups, universities, and schools – for example, on Remembrance Day.
   
• Incorporation of Asian WWII history into the Ontario Grade 10 history curriculum documents: In January 2005, Ontario became the first jurisdiction in the Western world to have officially incorporated the Asian WWII history into its Grade 10 World History and Social Studies curriculum. Historical events, such as the Nanjing Massacre, have been formally included as suggested topics in the 2005 revision of the Grade 10 history course - a compulsory secondary school course in Ontario.
   
• Publishing the first Ontario teachers’ resource guide on Asian WWII history: The Search for Global Citizenship: The Violation of Human Rights in Asia, 1931-1945 (A Resource Guide for Ontario Teachers of Canadian and World Studies, Grades 10-12), which is available online at www.asia-wwii.org, provides secondary school teachers with valuable information and easy-to-use tools for their classroom teaching.
   
• Promotion and dissemination of teachers’ resource packages to all Ontario Secondary Schools: In 2006, Toronto ALPHA promoted a variety of resource materials at professional conferences and school-board workshops. At the same time, over 800 sets of comprehensive resource packages (worth $300 each) were shipped and donated to all secondary schools across the province for their school libraries and social science departments.
   
• Production of docu-drama: “Iris Chang: and The Rape of Nanking”: This $1.5M budget film (funded through donations and charity foundations) was produced and directed by a Canadian independent film production house. The film is geared for global audiences, particularly those in the western world where the Asian WWII history is rarely known. Through the depiction of Iris Chang’s determination and courage to unearth this hidden chapter of history, the film reveals the inhumanity of the Nanjing Massacre. This film also functions as a tribute to Iris Chang and a reminder to the world of her passion for justice and peace. The docudrama was filmed in various places across the world including: Nanjing, Japan, California and other cities in the United States, as well as Ontario Canada.
   
• Publication of “70 years of Amnesia – the Nanking Massacre” in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre: the book provide wide spectrum of information including historical background of the atrocity, people who gave us hope, original artwork and essays in memory of all victims of the Asian WWII atrocities, the making of the film “Iris Chang- the Rape of Nanking”, education work of ALPHA, the ‘comfort women’ issue and worldwide response. The book is the only commemorative book for the 70th anniversary of Nanking Massacre in the world.
   
• Commemoration Concert for the 70th Anniversary of the Nanking Massacre: Toronto ALPHA organized a high caliber concert to honour the 300,000 victims of the Nanking Massacre. Music Director and Conductor Mr. Tak Ng Lai and many top-notch music talents of Toronto participated in this event.
   
• Motion 291 ‘Comfort Women’ Campaign: Working jointly with Korean, Filipino and Indonesian communities, and endorsed by many other organizations and communities including the National Association of Japanese Canadians, ALPHA undertook a massive petition campaign in support of Motion 291, which calls for the Japanese government to officially apologize and compensate the victims of military sexual slavery during WWII. During this campaign, ALPHA collected 50,000 supporting signatures and submitted to the Canadian Parliament. To arouse awareness and provide more information on the issue of “Comfort Women,” a full page appeal in The Globe and Mail was posted on May 29, 2007.
   
• Resource Centre: Toronto ALPHA has set up a resource centre and hub for volunteers. The resource centre will serve educators, students and members of the general public who wish to learn more about the history of WWII in Asia or who desire to offer their help in righting the wrongs of the past.