In order to create opportunities for the youth of Hiroshima, who will lead the next generation, to learn about the importance of peace and to convey the "Spirit of Hiroshima" to people in Japan and abroad, this Foundation has been implementing the "Youth Peace Volunteer Program" from 2019. The Program supports the activities of volunteer guides who communicate the reality of the atomic bombing in English to foreign visitors to the Peace Memorial Park.
　In 2022 fiscal year, a total of 49 students (27 high school students and 22 university students) participated in the program.

Pre-training for guiding activities

　Prior to the guided tours, from May to July 2022, the participants deepened their understanding of the reality of the atomic bombing through three training sessions, including a peace study course at the Peace Memorial Museum, listening to a lecture on the A-bomb experience by hibakusha, and a tour of Peace Memorial Park led by Hiroshima Peace Volunteer guides. The participants also learned about the knowledge and attitudes required to guide visitors through the Peace Memorial Park in English.
　The Youth Peace Volunteers who participated in the training said that they wanted to convey what they learned in the training in their own words, and that they wanted to be guides who could clearly communicate with others, and each was motivated to become the kind of volunteer guide they aspire to be.

Guided tours in Peace Memorial Park

　Since August, the guides led 156 tourists from 21 countries and regions, including the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., through seven guided tours held once a month until February of this year.
　The Youth Peace Volunteers who guided the tour said, "It was good to hear their thoughts on the atomic bombing and peace in conversation with foreign tourists", "I thought it was necessary to communicate in my own words, not just read from a script", and "I wanted to communicate more actively by talking to them during the tour." In reflecting on their activities, they seemed to realize the results of the training and the guiding activities they have been engaged in, as well as to discover issues to be addressed in the future.
　The foreign participants who took part in the guided tours commented that the explanations given by the guides helped them deepen their understanding of the A-bombed city and gave them an opportunity to think about Hiroshima again, and that the efforts of the younger generation to convey the reality of the A-bombing were very meaningful.
　Through their activities, the Youth Peace Volunteers realized both the joy and the difficulty of conveying their thoughts to others in English while keeping the hibakusha's thoughts firmly in mind, and they have renewed their determination to make further efforts.