High School Students' Peace Club
Hibaku Piano Concert
－Let's Express Our Desire for Peace Through Music－
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Hiroshima City and this Foundation have been running the High School Students' Peace Club since 2002, to nurture human resources for the promotion of peace.
This year the Club had 26 members, who learned about the truth of the atomic bombing, and were involved in exchange activities with young people from Nagasaki City and attended peace study sessions with high school students from other municipalities, thus communicating the importance of peace.
One of the activities this year was the Hibaku Piano Concert, which was held on November 24 last year in the underground area near the south exit of Hiroshima Station.
The concert was held to encourage more people to take an interest in nuclear weapons and peace.
The performers in the concert were Peace Club members' fellow school club members and friends who supported the aims of the concert, and the concert was an opportunity for them to show everyone the results of their daily practice.
The Peace Club members also made all the flyers and programs themselves, and prepared enthusiastically for the event.
On the day, there were as many as 300 people at the venue.
There was a guest performance by Hiroshima Jupiter Boys & Girls Chorus Group, exciting the crowd even more.
In his speech, Hiroshima Mayor Matsui spoke to the visitors, saying
"The starting point for peace is for young people to hold events like this all over the city, so that we can all think together about achieving peace.
This is how peace is born in the hearts of individuals.
This is what is meant by 'a peaceful city'".
He also thanked the High School Students' Peace Club members for their efforts.
At the end of the concert, all performers, the Mayor and the Peace Club members sang "Flowers will bloom" together, and the venue was filled with a harmony of peace.
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Chorus of "Flowers will bloom"
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In the questionnaire to participants, there were comments including
"This is precisely the kind of activity that Hiroshima City should support",
"I was touched by the passion of the high school students",
"This kind of activity should be continued in the future",
and "This left me feeling very good".
Young respondents in their teens and 20s commented,
"This made me think about the importance of peace, and what I should do to achieve it",
and "This must be passed on to the next generation".
Such comments indicate that the aim of holding the concert, to enhance awareness of peace among the young generation, was achieved.
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We would like to thank so many people for attending and providing such warm support.
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| (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Outreach Division) |
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