2012 International Essay Contest for Young People
List of Winners
No. of participating countries: 151
No. of entries: 11,857(Children’s category: 4,033 / Youth category: 7,824)

1st Prize
Children's category (1 entrant)Youth category (1 entrant)

Predictable FutureElisey Biryukov (Age 13, Belarus)

Counting the Uncountable
Anjali Sarker (Age 21, Bangladesh)

2nd Prize
Children's category (2 entrants)
Youth category (2 entrants)

Mon héritage



Lebouvier Achille Yalamoussa

Stella Tu (Age 18, U.S.A.)(Age 11, Burkina Faso)

Creating the Future We Want

Giving Children a Voice in Creating a Peaceful

Hacia la evolución intencional de lahumanidad

World

Oscar Arley Chacón Fúquene

Ogenrwot Jerome (Age 12, Uganda)(Age 24, Colombia)

3rd Prize
Children's category (5 entrants)

Youth category (5 entrants)

Ren Watanabe (Age 8, Japan)

Kyoko Takeuchi (Age 17, Japan)

Rachel Renli Prud’homme van Reine

Anistya Rachmawati (Age 23, Indonesia)(Age 11, The Netherlands)



Shadrack Osei Frimpong (Age 20, Ghana )Melchior Tamisier-Fayard (Age 12, U.S.A.)

Miyuki Nogi (Age 20, Japan)



Riku Kinoshita (Age 14, Japan)Andhyta Firselly Utami (Age 20, Indonesia)Eriko Onuki (Age 15, Japan)

Honorable Mention
Children's category (25 entrants)

Youth category (25 entrants)



Hiraya S. Marcos (Age 8, The Philippines)

Nada Safira (Age 9, Indonesia )Eunike Setiadarma (Age 10, Indonesia)

Tanya Gupta (Age 15, India)Maiya Delyth Naya (Age 10, Japan)



Arisa Kanda (Age 16, Japan)Ayazhan Utegen (Age 11, Kazakhstan)Akane Kono (Age 16, Japan)

Swasamon Jaidee (Age 11, Thailand)Tran Huyen Chi (Age 16, Vietnam)

Shekainah Shamma Liong Santiago(Age 15, The Philippines)1

Oshin Bhuiyan (Age 12, Bangladesh)

Kylie Patience Buscemi (U.S.A.)

Saho Yamanaka (Age 12, Japan)

Jaime Costa Centena (Age 17, Spain )Yoshinao Asanuma (Age 13, Japan)

Yoshie Isomura (Age 18, Japan)

Erika Ushimaru (Age 13, Japan)

Josephine Parol (Age 19, Germany)Elaine Joyce T. Ang (Age 13, The Philippines)

Koto Mineo (Age 19, Japan)Haruka Kawada (Age 13, Japan)Yvan Gaetan Guenoue Noubissie

Kirtas Aidana (Age 13, Kazakhstan)Juhi Saxena (Age 13, U.S.A.)

Palina Karpava (Age 13, Belarus)Madeline O’Connor (Age 13, U.S.A.)

Paola Cruz (Age 20, Dominican Republic)

Artem Maryin (Age 14, Ukraine)

Robby Soeyanto (Age 20, Indonesia)

Kana Iwabuchi (Age 14, Japan)Kevin George Barrios

Maho Kanamaru (Age 14, Japan)Emi Kamio (Age 14, Japan)



Sharma Sanchit (Age 21, India)



Nur Iylia Fathin Binti Ahmad SubkiJoshua Ochieng’ Wera (Age 21, Kenya)(Age 14, Malaysia)

Denisa Samková (Age 21, Slovakia)



Mladena Peeva (Age 14, Austria)

Cristina-Elena Pestrea (Age 22, Romania)

Laura Marcela Aguirre Martinez



Ayodeji Oluwole Ojo (Age 23, Nigeria)(Age 14, Colombia)



Veranika Buracheuskaya (Age 23, Belarus)

Eri Komatsubara (Age 15, Japan)



Rafael Timoteo Corro Perez (Age 23, Mexico)Taiwo Orogbangba (Age 24, Nigeria)



Lilian OmafodeziLeyah Christine Dizon(Age 16, The Philippines)(Age 20, Cameroon)

Norbert Gastardo Germano(Age 20, The Philippines)(Age 21, The Philippines)(Age 24, Nigeria & Germany )Manas Panda (Age 25, India)

Recognition for Effort
Children's category (25 entrants)＜若者の部＞ 8 点

Not applicableClare Wu (Age 16, New Zealand)Charley Ren (Age 16, U.S.A.)

Muhammad Haziq Absyir Muhammad Fauzi(Age 16, Malaysia)

Nozomi Aida (Age 17, Japan)



Saaya Kitajima (Age 17, Japan)



Nijesh Upreti (Age 17, Nepal)



Jesús Andrés Villasana Álvarez(Age 18, Mexico)2Adriana Borja Enriquez (Age 21, Ecuador)

Best School Award (1 school)

Ichikawa Junior & Senior High School, Chiba (Japan)

School Incentive Award (26 schools)

Atomi Gakuen Junior High School, Tokyo(Japan)

Chicago Futabakai Japanese School-Saturday
School (U.S.A.)

City Montessori School, Lucknow (India)

Fuji Sacred Heart Junior High School,
Shizuoka (Japan)

Ikubunkan Senior High School & IkubunkanGlobal High School, Tokyo (Japan)Japanese Language School of Cleveland(U.S.A.)

Japanese School of Toledo (U.S.A.)

Japanese Supplementary School in Middle
Tennessee (U.S.A.)

Japaniche Schule in Zurich (Hoshuko)(Switzerland)

Kamikawa Junior High School of Kamikawa
Town, Hyogo (Japan)

Kashihara Municipal Unebi Junior High School,Nara (Japan)

Kinki University Wakayama Junior High School(Japan)

Kokugojuku KURU, Tokyo (Japan)



Kokushikan Junior High School, Tokyo (Japan)

Kyoto Gakuen Junior and Senior HighschoolMatsumoto Shuho Secondary School, Nagano(Japan)(Japan)Miyagi Prefectural Hakuou Senior High School(Japan)Numazuhigashi Senior High School of
Shizuoka Prefecture (Japan)

Omori 6th Junior High School of Ota City,

Osaka Communication Arts (Japan)

Saint Mary's International School, Tokyo

Tokyo (Japan)
Port of Sacramento Japanese School,
California (U.S.A.)(Japan)Shigakusya, Tokyo (Japan)

Showa Women's University Senior HighSchool, Tokyo (Japan)Sugiyama Jogakuen University Affiliated

Primary School, Aichi (Japan)

Tokyo Gakugei University International
Secondary School (Japan)

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children's Category - 1st Prize]

Predictable Future(Original)
Elisey Biryukov(Age 13, Belarus)
Gymnasium 1, Minsk

I have never really thought about the future until Until two months
ago an announcement wasmade at our school about one girl. She

was seriously ill. She had cancer. A very aggressive form of it. The
doctors in our country did everything they could for her. Still she wasdying. Her only hope was the treatment that she could get inGermany. She needed minimum of 50 thousand Euros to be able togo and soon. The price of the human life. It's a lot of money here. So
her parents started raising funds wherever they could andeventually came to our school. Nowadays we have almost got used
to such stories because after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station accident the rate of cancer
among children in Belarus has increased 13 times. This power station is situated almost at theboarder of our Republic and right after the accident the wind was blowing north and carrying
radioactive clouds in our direction So there are articles in newspapers, announcements on TV,
Internet about kids dying of cancer who need urgent help.

But this girl was special. I understood it when I saw her picture. She was bald after
chemotherapy, very pale, hollow-eyed and SMILING. She had such a radiant smile! This
impressed me greatly. And not only me. I saw that most of my classmates brought money forher the next day. How courageous must she be to be able to smile in that situation! Then fora moment I tried to imagine myself in her place. How scary must it be to know that your life
might end in a day, a week, a month But she seemed not to be afraid. Then suddenly I got an
insight – I will also die, all people die. The only difference was that she knew it could happen
soon. Death became real to her but for me it used to be unreal, like a phantom. I becameaware of part of my future, the part that is common for all of us.

4That day when I was doing my Math homework I imagined that our lives on the Earth aren't
half-lines, they are intercepts, as they have the beginning and the end. Some of us have longer
intercepts, others shorter. Anyway time is too limited to spend it on trifles, to waste it. Whensurfing the Net I came across a book "Death: The Final Stage of Growth" by Doctor Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross. It gives a lot of examples of what changes people undergo when they learn thatthey will die soon. They experience a great leap in their spiritual development and findthemselves much happier than they used to be before when they were enjoying the boons oflife thinking that they would live forever. I believe it is true for me as well. Not because I am
going to die soon, on the contrary I hope to live long. But that girl and her attitude made me
appreciate and treasure what I have. Now to have simply a long life is not enough for me, I
wish to have "the fullness of days" as it is called in the Bible. Now I try to manage my days
putting important things first – developing good relations with people around me, spendingtime with them, showing care, listening to them. It is SO hard. Nevertheless I believe that if I
manage to build my days around these priorities, I won't consider my life wasted when thepredictable future (death) comes.

What a paradox – I decided to improve my life when I started thinking about death! How wise
the Romans were when they said: "Memento more". This expression shows that we shouldn't
take our life as a rough book thinking that one day in far away future we'll be able to rewrite it.
No, we only have a fair copy. What is done is done. And what is not done might never be done.
The chance to behave correctly we have today, not in the future. Death is a great motivator oflife. Not the fear of death that terrorists try to impose on people and this way make them dowhat they want. No, I mean the recognition of it that motivates us to be good now and here,
thus leading us to better future.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 1st Prize]

Counting the Uncountable(Original)
Anjali Sarker(Age 21, Bangladesh)
University of Dhaka

When I was born, my complexion was quite dark and that made myparents worried. In Bangladesh, everyone prefers girls having fairskin color. Relatives and neighbors used to tell that my father would
need to pay a large dowry in my marriage. I grew up hearing suchcomments. I felt sad, worried, and even ashamed. From a very
young age I was desperate to make up for my not-so-beautiful lookthrough my works. I studied hard; I tried singing, dancing, painting,
and what not. I tried frantically to be the best, so that no one canlook down on me because I lack beauty.

Eventually, all those hard works started to pay off. Successes rushed in my life, one after
another. When I was 18, I got admitted into the most prestigious business school in mycountry, which made me even more desperate for achievements. However, things started tochange gradually. Earlier my world was very small; school, home, family and a few friends. In
university, I met hundreds of people, who were hankering after achievements, jobs, money
and social status. I talked with many of my school alumni whose lives were full of pride, status
and prestige. I observed their so-called "successful" lives. Surprisingly, successes could not
make them happy. Deep inside, they were depressed. They cursed their bosses, felt
dissatisfied with work and could not spend quality time with their families.

I was confused. What do we really expect from life? What should we do today to build our
future tomorrow? I observed carefully and sensed a lack of positivity in the air. Dissatisfaction,
intolerance, and cynicism were whimsically growing everywhere. I felt something was wrong.
Statistics says our country is progressing, but what is about our people? Are we happier than
before? Or, are we happy at all?

6

I talked with more people and tried to discover the exceptional things, events and people
around me who are different from the crowd. I looked for people who were living happily,
working hard to fulfill their dreams, helping others and contributing to the society. Gradually I
realized what kind of future I want.

Nowadays, we are driven by material pleasure in life. Money, property, salary, luxury - thesethings matter most to us. We often forget the value of little things; small gifts that have madeour lives truly blessed. Things like health, relationships and family, that we consider as given
and never consciously think about, are the most important things in our life. We need to thinkbeyond numbers and objects, care about numerous intangible gifts that are surrounding us.
Our values, thoughts, dreams and beloved ones are taking our lives forward, not the food we
eat or the money we spend.

I was a typical business student, waiting to work in giant multinational corporations, earn a fat
paycheck at the end of month and live a luxurious life. But when I realized what really matterin life, I choose not to follow the crowd and design my own destiny. I decided to be a social
entrepreneur and established a startup that provides rural poor with safe sanitation.

When I learned to acknowledge the small blessings in life, I understood that to achieve true
success, we should cooperate, not compete. So I started motivating my classmates andjuniors. I shared my thoughts with my teachers. At first everyone considered my wish to workfor the poor a short term fantasy. They advised, forbade and even ridiculed me. But I followed
my heart. As I set my priorities right and gave importance to the small things that matter,nothing could discourage me. The idea of following one's heart is not new, but I have learnt
through my experience why so many people fail to do that. We often forget to acknowledge
value of the most precious things and crave for the not-so-valued ones. Small things matter,but we often ignore those.

Now I am 21 years old. My heart is full of passion, my eyes sparkle with confidence. No more
confusion, no more inferiority complexes, no worries for not being a beauty queen. I am readyto do something for my country and the world through what I love- social business. Everysocial business aligns people, planet and profit simultaneously. I love to work in my social
business, but I love even more to help other entrepreneurs to establish their own ones! That's
how happiness is created in a community and spreads itself. I inspire young girls to come out

7

of their cocoons and see the world, as I am doing now. I am a free bird and now I am
encouraging other birds to break their cages!

Future is nowhere, but in our own hands. Enough running after petty material things; let's
start counting the uncountable!

8

2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children's Category – 2nd Prize]

Mon héritage(Original)
Lebouvier Achille Yalamoussa(Age 11, Burkina Faso)
St Exupéry de Ouagadougou

J'ai 11 ans, et j'ai de la chance.

Je suis africain. Je suis né dans le nord de la Côte d'Ivoire dans un petit village au joli nom
musical de Kokoton. Je suis un garçon qui a de la chance car j'ai été adopté bébé à l'orphelinat
de Khorogo.

J'ai de la chance et je suis très heureux, parce que j'ai 4 parents. Mes parents de vie, Bakary
et Yéo, qui m'ont mis au monde et mes parents adoptifs que j'appelle mes parents d'amour.
Papa et Maman, Serge et Annie qui m'élèvent. Je suis très aimé, j'ai aussi un petit frère adopté
comme moi Hamza et une petite soeur aussi adoptée, Moïe, d'ailleurs dans sa langue duCongo son nom veut dire Soleil et elle le porte très bien car elle aussi belle qu'un vrai soleil.

Maman m'a souvent raconté mon histoire, j'ai perdu ma mère biologique deux mois après êtrené, elle était très jeune et avais juste 14 ans, presque mon âge. Mon père Bakary lui avait 19
ans, c'est un sculpteur d'Art traditionnel et je suis l'enfant de l'amour parce que mes parents
de vie s'aimaient . Je suis né le 19 octobre 2000, et je suis sénoufo, mais je me sens de partout
dans le monde parce que dans ma famille d'amour nous sommes tous différents. Moi je suisnoir africain, Mon papa est blanc européen, ma mère est noire antillaise, mon frère est métisde l'Afrique et de l'Europe, et ma petite soeur est caramel de l'Afrique aussi.

Je me sens tout cela à la fois, parce que à la maison nous partageons toutes nos différences.
Je suis Ivoirien quand je dévore du Foutou de bananes plantains accompagné de sauce graine,quand je suis en Normandie avec mes grands parents, je me sens normand, surtout quand
Mamie nous prépare de la poule à la crème, quand je déguste des accras de poissons et que
maman nous chante des berceuses antillaises, je me sens martiniquais, et je suis aussi du9Congo comme mon frère et ma petite soeur et métis parce que pour moi le monde n'est ni
blanc ni noir mais métis. Nous sommes tous dans le monde différents, et de partout parce quenous communiquons tous à travers le monde ensemble, surtout grâce à internet. Nous nous
rencontrons tous à travers le monde, et nous nous mélangeons.

Mais ce que j'aimerais surtout dire aujourd'hui, c'est que je voudrais que d'autres enfantscomme moi, puissent être adoptés pour grandir dans l'amour de parents de vie même s'ils
sont différents. C'est l'amour qui compte, et j'ai la chance d'être aimé de mes parents, grandparents, oncles et tantes, frère et soeur.

Voilà ma famille, c'est un monde entier, même de quelques personnes. Africains, Antillais,
européens, et même de l'Asie d'un autre grand père, Ils essaient tous, je le sais de nous faire
grandir dans l'amour, et le respect de nos différences et de ce que nous sommes.

Quand je pense à mes parents, et à toute ma famille, même celle de vie Que je ne connais pas
encore, j'ai parfois l'impression d'avoir pu avec mon frère et ma soeur, réunir toutes ses
personnes autour de nous, et j'avoue que j'en suis très fier.

Pour moi la vie, c'est d'être avec tout le monde sans se sentir différent, Je souhaiterais qu'il ensoit ainsi pour tous les enfants du monde, et que ceux qui n'ont plus de famille de vie puissentêtre adoptés par des parents d'Amour. Je n'ai jamais caché mon histoire aux autres, car jeveux la partager, c'est un atout pour moi et une grande fierté d'avoir plusieurs familles qui
forment une grande famille Internationale. Voilà comment je veux continuer à grandir pourmoi, pour mon frère Hamza, pour ma petite soeur Moïe et pour d'autres enfants dans lemonde.

J'ai un secret à dire: être adopté est un acte d'amour, et parfois être abandonné aussi parceque mon père de vie n'aurait pas pu me garder, j'aurai pu mourir car il était trop pauvre pourme garder.

Avec ma mère nous avons un jeu ensemble, elle me dit dans le creux de l'oreille, Achille, j'ai unsecret pour toi, je m'approche et elle me souffle «Je t'aime». C'est vrai, ma mère Annie ne m'apas porté dans son ventre, mais elle est, restera pour toujours ma maman d'amour.

10Je souhaite à tous les enfants comme moi de pouvoir vivre et grandir dans la paix et dansl'amour d'une famille, même si elle n'est pas celle dans laquelle ils sont nés et de toujours
transmettre cet héritage pour rendre le monde plus beau.

My Heritage(English translation)
I am 11 years old and I am lucky.

I am African. I was born in the northern part of Cote d'Ivoire in a little village with the beautiful
name of Kokoton. I am a boy who is lucky, because I was adopted while I was a baby at theorphanage of Khorogo.

I am lucky and I am very happy, because I have 4 parents—my birth parents, Bakary and Yéo,
who gave birth to me, and my adoptive parents, whom I call my parents of love. This Dad andMum, Serge and Annie, are raising me. I am loved, and I have also a little brother who isadopted like me, named Hamza, and a littled sister called Moie. In her Congolese language,
her name means "Sun," and her name fits her very well, because she is so pretty like the realsun.

Mum has often told me my life story, that I lost my biological mother two months after I wasborn. She was very young, only 14 years old—almost as young as I am now. My father Bakary
was 19. He was a sculptor in traditional fine art, and I am a child of love, because my birthparents truly were in love with each other. I was born on 19 October 2000, and I am from the
Sénoufo tribe/clan, but I feel that I belong to the entire world, because in my family of love weall have different backgrounds. I am a black African, my father is a white European, my motheris black from the West Indies, my brother is métis (half white/half black) from Africa andEurope, and my little sister is caramel coloured, also from Africa.

I feel myself being all this at once, because at home we share all our differences. I am from
Ivory Coast when I eat some foutou made of bananas with sauce graine. When I am inNormandy with my grandparents, I feel that I am a Normand, especially when grandma is
cooking some chicken with cream. And I feel that I am a citizen of Martinique when I enjoy
eating some delicious fish specialities of the region and my mum sings some West Indies songs

11

for me. And I am also from the Congo, like my brother and my little sister. And I feel like amétis because to me, the world is neither white nor black, but mixed. We are all different in theworld and we belong everywhere, because we can all communicate with each other across theworld, especially thanks to the internet. We all meet from across the world, and we mix witheach other.

But what I want to convey today is that I hope that other children like me will be adopted inorder to grow up in an environment of love, even if the parents are not their biological ones.
Love is all that counts, and I am lucky to be loved by my parents, my grandparents, my uncles
and ants, and my sister and brother.

This is my family, an entire world, even though it is only a small number of individuals. We are
Africans, West Indians, Europeans, and another grandfather is even from Asia. They all try, I
know, to raise us in an atmosphere of love, while respecting our differences and who we are.

When I am thinking of my parents, and of my entire family—even my biological family—I
sometimes have the impression that together with my brother and sister, we were the reason
for bringing all these people together, and I must confess that I am very proud of this.

To me, life consists of being together with everybody without the feeling of being different, andI wish that every child on the planet could feel this way, and that all those children who do nothave their family anymore could be adopted by loving parents. I have never kept my story asecret from anyone, because I want to share it. My story is an asset for me and I am very
proud of having many families, which all form a great big international family. This is how I
want to continue growing up, and I wish the same for my brother Hamza and my little sister
Moie, and for many other children in the world.

I have a secret to tell: being adopted is an act of love, and sometimes being abandoned is, too,because my birth father was not in a position to keep me. I could have died because he was toopoor to keep me.

My mother and I have a game that we play together. She tells me in my ear: "Achille, I have asecret for you." So I come next to her and she whispers in my ear: "I love you." It is true, mymother Annie did not carry me in her womb, but she is and will always be my mother whom I
love.

12

I wish that all children like me could live and grow up in a family in love and in peace, even if
the family is not the one they were born into, and that they could always be proud of andspread their heritage in order to make the world more beautiful.

13

2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children's Category – 2nd Prize]

Giving Children a Voice in Creating a Peaceful World(Original)
Ogenrwot Jerome(Age 12, Uganda)
Lira Central Primary School, Lira

My name is Ogenrwot Jerome, a pupil of Lira Central Primary School in Lira, Uganda. I'm 12
years old and in primary six. As today's dream is tomorrow's reality, I want to make adifference in the world and I am just focused on making it a reality. By giving my best,
unleashing my potentials for excellence and doing my best in school I believe I can make it.
The most important thing is giving my best because if I give my best in everything and to
everyone, I can as well achieve the best for myself. My dream is to create a peaceful andprosperous future for my country and the whole world. This I gain from my personal life
experience earlier in 2002 when I was just about 2 years old.

My mum and I were involved in a motor accident caused by the Lord's Resistance Army rebels
led by Joseph Kony. We were travelling in a mini cargo vehicle. Two hours into the journey weentered an ambush laid by the rebels who started firing bullets. I and my mum were on thefront seat. The driver lost control and the vehicle overturned twice and I broke through thewind screen and fell outside. This is unbelievable but true! A bullet shot my mum on her leftarm. The passenger besides us died on the spot. After the firing had stopped me, my mum andother casualties who were also in critical condition were rushed to the hospital.

I stayed in a comma for almost 2 weeks before being transferred to the national referral
hospital. There I was given serious treatment but even the doctors who were working on me
could hardly believe that I would survive because when an x-ray was taken it showed that myskull had fractured. By the grace of God I was rescued from the claws of death but for the next
one year I was still close to the hospital so that the doctors could monitor my recovery. I did
enough physiotherapy and I learnt to walk again- thanks to my physiotherapists; Freidis andEspaland from Norway.

14

At the moment I have both right leg and arm paralyzed but I can walk, write using left and do
many other things on my own. I'm glad that my mum also recovered well. I started mynursery education with four years but I'm grateful because much as the incident damaged theskull, my brain was not much affected that has kept me wise and academically sound. My
whole story was told to me when I was 10 years old.

My story shows how totally innocent people especially children are affected by war and politicalinstability in a country. I do not want other children to go through my experience. I want toachieve this by giving children a voice in matters concerning peace and unity. In future whenI grow up I would like to be a radio and television presenter so that I can open up peace talkshows. Through this I could invite not only children but some leaders if possible the president
himself to discuss with them the best ways of creating peace and unity for people and for
ensuring political stability. I would even open a children's program where the children
broadcast, share ideas and educate people just like I'm currently doing in a radio station in myhome area. There are very many children out there who have the character to speak andeducate people but they just lack someone to bring them up and develop their talents- I want
to be that someone. I don't mind of what I can get for myself but the most important thing iswhat I can give the world.

Fellow children, minutes are worth more than money so spend them wisely and believe in yourdreams. Focus on achieving your goals and believe with God everything is possible. Whenever
you are doing anything and you face a challenge just look forward to overcoming the challenge
but not giving up or quitting the fight; remember "winners never quit and quitters never win."
Believe that whatever good anybody else can do; you can as well do it- only you can do it
better.

As my conclusion I dearly wish to appreciate the organizers of this competition for their
willingness to reach out to young people and for considering us as crucial for the shaping of the
future of the world.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 2nd Prize]

Creating the Future We Want
(Original)
Stella Tu(Age 18, U.S.A.)

In the future I envisage, every child would play an instrument. This may sound trivial: a peaceaccord has never been composed in the form of a musical score, and never have world leaders
come together for a jam session. Yet upon further consideration, one realizes that music
provides the key to a brighter future. Playing music teaches values and skills that are critical totackling the socioeconomic and geopolitical crises that future generations currently face.

Playing music teaches an appreciation for the nonmaterial. Music can neither be bought nor
sold and does not know the limits and boundaries of possession. For me, learning how to play
Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 was much more rewarding than a Coach handbag I coveted formonths. In a broader context, our global culture is largely based on consumerism. Currently,
many of our problems come from overconsumption. Cars that run on fossil fuel, cheap goods
produced in countries with lower environmental standards, and large houses that are
constantly air-conditioned contribute to environmental degradation that seriously threatens
life on this planet. In the future, people will have to give up some of their consumerist desiresin order to reduce these dangerous emissions to sustain the planet. Learning to play music isa small but critical step towards this goal.

Playing music also teaches sacrifice and delayed gratification of personal satisfaction.
Mastering a complicated rhythmic section on the cello can take months, and acquiring the skills
and artistry of music making is a lifelong rather than a yearlong endeavor. There is no quick oreasy acquisition of musical talent and skills. As we look around the world, many global
problems can be attributed to impatient national desires and immediate satisfaction. For
example, both the global debt crisis and the current crippling budget deficits represent a lackof restraint and forethought. I hope for a future in which governments are willing to make thesacrifices now in order to benefit the next generation rather than pushing responsibility onto
the future. This a lesson that most musicians learn early on.

16Playing music teaches appreciation of subjectivity. Each piece of music represents an infinite
number of possibilities and variations. Through sharing the story of the music, a musician
explores the multiple interpretations and perspectives of the piece. Similarly, each individual
person has a unique perspective about the world we share. Throughout history, humans havefailed to respect the veracity and worth of those viewpoints that they perceive as different
from their own. At the turn of the 21st century, the global community suffers from conflicting
ideologies that have resulted in unnecessary bloodshed. If people could view the divergent
perspectives of others as beautiful interpretations of a musical piece, there would be much
more respect for one another in the world.

Playing music teaches harmony and cooperation. Through music, a musician has theopportunity to meet other people and communicate not through words, but through notes.
When I traveled to the Czech Republic for a chamber music camp, I discovered everyone wasfrom different countries. Yet although our spoken languages differed, we shared the mutual
language of music. Music is about harmony, notes, and chords, which compose a sum that isgreater than its parts. In the future, we will need to create a global community in order totackle today's most challenging issues such as gender inequality, widespread poverty, and thethreat of pandemic disease. We will need a language that can bring us together. Music shows
us that this is possible.

In order to make this dream a possibility, I will continue the work I have started with theStarlight Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that I founded with accumulated prize
money in order to support artistic expression among young people. Through the StarlightFoundation, I have encouraged youth art and writing. The Starlight Foundation has alreadysponsored art and writing competitions and exhibitions, and in the future, I hope toincorporate music as well. I would next like to tackle the project of collecting used instruments
and distributing them to children in communities that lack sufficient funds to provide that
opportunity to their youth. The Starlight Foundation emphasizes the notion that having money
is far less important than realizing its impact on others. If others have the opportunity to playmusic and internalize its many lessons, the global society will benefit greatly and the future will
be much more filled with possibility.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 2nd Prize]

Hacia la evolución intencional de la humanidad(Original)
Oscar Arley Chacón Fúquene(Age 24, Colombia)

Soy de Susa, un pequeño municipio en los Andes de Colombia donde vivimos de la agricultura
y la ganadería. Mi país es tristemente célebre a nivel mundial: narcotráfico, violencia, pobreza
y corrupción parecen males intrínsecos de un destino ineludible. Todos los colombianos
nacemos en ese ambiente hostil.

En el campo la problemática se agudiza dadas las brechas existentes respecto a la ciudad, poreso, casi nadie de mi generación veía su futuro en el campo, por el contrario decidieron irse ala ciudad a trabajar o a estudiar para en el futuro emplearse en el gobierno o una granempresa. Confieso que yo pensaba igual, nos importaba ganar dinero y nunca reflexionamos
sobre los problemas del pueblo ni mucho menos en la responsabilidad que teníamos como
jóvenes en su solución.

Mi padre, que es un dirigente campesino, me convenció de estudiar Administración
Agropecuaria, carrera elegida inicialmente por la falta de cupos en otras licenciaturas. Sin
embargo, con el tiempo fue despertando en mí la curiosidad por conocer más el sector rural ysobretodo de acercarme a los campesinos. No fue fácil, pues lo que aprendía en la Universidad
difería mucho de las tradiciones locales. Llegué con mi computador tratando de aplicar mis
puntos de vista y conocimientos técnicos por sobre la sabiduría popular. Después aprendí aescuchar y valorar estas costumbres que componen el patrimonio más importante de mipueblo. Compartí con ellos y entendí su manera de pensar y actuar. En las tardes de cosecha
interrumpidas sólo por el canto de los pájaros o el silbido del viento en medio de bosques ycultivos entendí lo que parecía absurdo a los ojos de los economistas ¿por qué siguen
cultivando si no es rentable económicamente?, lo hacen porque es parte de sí mismos, loscampesinos tenemos el cuerpo hecho de maíz parido por la madre tierra.

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Me apropié de su paciencia, de la forma como preparan el suelo, lo siembran, lo cuidan yesperan la cosecha que siempre es considerada una bendición sin importar los precios deventa. Su organización comunitaria y el liderazgo ejercido siempre por la persona más servicial,que vale por su seriedad y servicio y no por la ropa que usa.

Este acercamiento me llevó a retomar elementos propios de la cultura campesina asistiendo aclase de la universidad luciendo ruana, sombrero y alpargates. Hace 4 años trabajo con ellos yhoy hemos sido elegidos entre 12 municipios de toda Colombia para implementar una
estrategia japonesa de desarrollo local llamada OVOP "one village, one product" con el apoyo
técnico de la Agencia de Cooperación Internacional del Japón JICA. Soy exbecario JICA y líderde esta iniciativa que además fue mi tesis de grado.

Cuando veo nuestros avances para que los campesinos recuperemos la confianza en nosotros
mismos, concluyo que el potencial humano es ilimitado.

Imagino la evolución como una escalera infinita por la que ascendemos todos los seres
buscando la perfección. Los humanos también vivimos en constante cambio y si hemos sido
favorecidos con la racionalidad, esa capacidad nos da la opción de decidir hacía dondequeremos evolucionar como especie. Mientras en la naturaleza los seres cambian por laprevalencia del más fuerte en un ambiente competitivo, los seres humanos podemos tenerconciencia de especie, mirando a nuestros semejantes como compañeros y no como
adversarios; es decir buscando un proyecto de vida colectivo más que individual.

Creo que la próxima transformación evolutiva que podemos tener es la de la HERMANDAD. Y
lo maravilloso es que a diferencia de las adaptaciones de los seres vivos, suscitadas por
factores externos, este cambio lo realizaríamos de manera premeditada, es decir una
EVOLUCIÓN INTENCIONAL.

Superando nacionalismos y afanes de acumulación, los humanos podemos llevar existencias
más austeras con humildad y encontrando el sentido de la vida en la vocación de servicio, es
decir en el bienestar de los demás.

Para esta EVOLUCION INTENCIONAL es necesario interactuar más entre nosotros, en el caso
mío nunca hubiese crecido profesionalmente de no haber escuchado a los campesinos de mipueblo, que terminaron enseñándome más de lo que yo a ellos. Por eso sueño con un mundo19

en el que valoremos el trabajo del otro intercambiando roles, donde el gerente pueda ser
jardinero y el corredor de bolsa piloto de avión, la cocinera ser cantante y el científico
campesino.

Viviendo la realidad del otro no sólo a nivel personal sino internacional los problemas dejaránde ser de cada país, y se conviertan en retos de la especie.

Como joven camino hacía esa dirección y creo que el mundo que yo quiero para mis hijos es
uno en el que hallamos evolucionemos en la dirección de la paz, la justicia y la sustentabilidad.
Donde sean innecesarios los muros entre los pueblos y se derogue la clasificación de países
desarrollados o en vía de desarrollo.

Towards the Intentional Evolution of Mankind(English translation)
I am from Susa, a small town in the Colombian Andes where the economy rests on agriculture
and animal breeding. My country is sadly famous worldwide: drug smuggling, violence,poverty and corruption seem to be part of an inescapable fate. Every one of us Colombians areborn in that hostile environment.

The problem grows deeper in the field, given its gaps and differences with the city. That is why
almost no one in my generation saw their future in the field; on the contrary, they decided to
go to the city and work or study in order to find employment with the government or some big
enterprise in the future. I admit that I use to think the same way; we cared about making
money and never considered the town's problems, not to mention our responsibility as young
men to work on a solution.

My father, who is a rural leader, convinced me to study Agricultural Management, which I
chose initially for the lack of openings in other majors. However, in time, I grew more curious
for the rural sector and I wanted to get closer to the farmers. It was not easy, since what I
learned in college was very different from the local ways. I came with my computer, trying toimpose my point of view and technical knowledge over the popular wisdom; then I learned tolisten and value these methods that are part of my town's most valuable heritage. I sharedwith them and understood the way they think and act. On those harvest evenings, interrupted

20

only by the birds' songs or the whistle of the wind amidst the forests and crops, I understood
what seemed absurd to the eyes of economists: Why do they keep farming if it's notprofitable? They do it because it's who they are. We farmers have a body made of corn, calved
by Mother Earth.

I adopted their patience, the way they prepare the soil, plant the seed, look after it and wait for
the harvest, which is always considered a blessing, no matter what the selling prices are. Theircommunitary organization and leadership is always exercised by the most helpful person, who
is worthy of this responsibility because of his seriousness and service, and not the clothes hewears.

This approach led me to readopt elements of the rural culture, and I started wearing 'ruana','sombrero' and 'alpargates' to college. I have been working with them for 4 years now, andtoday we have been chosen among the 12 towns from all over Colombia to implement a
Japanese local development strategy called OVOP ('One village, one product') with technicalsupport from the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). I had received a scholarshipfrom the JICA before and I'm the leader of this initiative, which was also my grade thesis.

When I see the progress we have achieved in returning self-confidence to the farmers, I knowthat the human potential has no limit.

I imagine evolution as an infinite stairway where all living creatures climb towards perfection.
Humans also live in constant change, and if we have been favored with rationality, it gives us
the ability to choose how we want to evolve as species. While other creatures of nature changeby the prevalence of the strongest in a competitive environment, human beings haveconsciousness and can look at their pairs as partners and not only as rivals, they can look fora more collective life project instead of just fighting for themselves.

I think that the next evolutionary transformation that we can go through is BROTHERHOOD.
And the wonderful thing is: unlike the other living beings' adaptations, which are caused byexternal factors, this change would be premeditated, which means an INTENTIONALEVOLUTION.

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If we overcome the nationalisms and accumulation desires, we humans can exist in a more
austere and humble way, finding the sense of life in a vocation of service, which means thewell-being of others.

In order to achieve this INTENTIONAL EVOLUTION, it is necessary to interact more with otherhumans. Personally, I would have never grown professionally if I hadn't listened to the farmers
in my town; they ended up teaching me more things than I ever did to them. That is why I
dream of a world where we value each other's work and exchange roles, where a manager can
be a gardener and the stock broker can fly an airplane, a cook can be a singer and the scientist
can be a farmer.

If we live each other's reality, not only at a personal level, but internationally, all the problems
will stop being just for one country to solve, and become challenges for the entire species.

As a young man, I walk on that direction and I believe that the world I want for my children is
one where we evolve in the direction of peace, justice and sustainability; where it is notnecessary to build walls around cities, and no need to divide the countries between developed
and underdeveloped.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children’s Category – 3rd Prize]

The Future I Hope For(Original in Japanese)
Ren Watanabe(Age 8, Japan)
Kamiasa Elementary School, Imabari, Ehime

The future that I hope for is a future with no war, where everyone can spend their days with abeautiful smile.

My own daily life is very peaceful and happy. Every day, I eat meals, study at school, and have
fun with my friends, and I don't think much about it. Especially in Japan, we have everything
we need for living.

I learned that in countries that are at war, every day people are frightened of bombs falling on
them. They can't get enough to eat, they can't get medical treatment, and they often go
hungry.

I have never experienced war. I have only learned a little about war from reading a book. I
learned that war takes away everything, it resolves nothing, and it destroys lives and breaks
families apart. Nothing good comes of war. It only leaves wounds of sadness and hatred inpeople's hearts. Homes are destroyed, towns are left in chaos, and plants cannot grow in thedevastated land for a whole generation. Children who lost their mothers and fathers are forced
to live on their own.

It is very sad that even though we are all human beings and were born on the same earth, ourlives are so different depending on where we live. When I read that book, I felt that I would liketo create a brighter future for people who have suffered from war.

Why do wars take place? When I thought about my house, my school, and my town being
destroyed, and my family being separated, I felt like crying. Just thinking about it is terrible,
and so, in the future, I want to do away with the tragedy of war.

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Rather than arguing and fighting with each other, I would like to see everyone cooperate andcreate something together.

When all the students at my school sing a song together, it is a wonderful feeling. I am in grade
2, and when I sing with the sixth graders, their gentle voices combine with mine, making abeautiful harmony.

If just one school can create such a moving harmony, imagine how powerful it would be if all
the people of the world sang the same song together. I feel excited just thinking about it! And
if just a song can make me feel so happy, I think that by having children and adults share moreideas, we can do much more than I could imagine.

Right now, I cannot stop wars. What I can do right now is to study more and think about how
to create a more livable world for everyone. What kinds of words can I offer to children who
have lost their parents in a war? How can we grow plants and flowers on land where bombs
have fallen? What can we do for people suffering from an infectious disease due to their injury?
There is a lot to study and think about. I believe that we absolutely can have a future withoutwar. I want people to realize as soon as possible that hurting each other will not bring us
happiness. The joy of flowers blooming, the joy of eating delicious food, and a future where
everyone in the world is smiling every day—this is the future I hope for.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children’s Category – 3rd Prize]

Creating the Future I Want
(Original)
Rachel Renli Prud’homme van Reine(Age 11, The Netherlands)
Daltonschool Rijnsweerd, Utrecht

Dear Fellow Citizens of Our Earth,

What future do you want for yourself and for the world?

I know the future I want. Learning from the birds that share our townhouse backyard, I wanta future of freedom and happiness. Free like the birds, free to come and free to go, free fromhunger and free from thirst, free to play and free to learn, free to laugh and free to cry, freefrom war and free from traffic jam and most of all free to be myself. The birds have not only
shown me the future I would love to have, they taught me ways to make it come true. Theytaught me:

SHARING: In the winter, all trees and shrubs in our backyard had no leaves. The ground wasfrozen, the birds worked very hard to search for food. There was not much food but there wereplenty of hazelnuts under our hazelnut shrub. The Flemish jays tried, the blackbirds tried but
they cannot crack the hazelnuts. Woodpecker had a brilliant idea, it took the nut to the plumtree and lodged it between the stem and a strong branch. There, woodpecker was able to peckthat nut as if it was a tree. It pecked through the hard shell and pecked its way to the tasty
kernel. As it pecked, bits of the kernel fell over, blackbirds, sparrows and blue tits gathered
under the plum tree and enjoyed the fallen bits. Woodpecker did not mind sharing, when one
nut went empty, it went to get a new one. Our nut tree had produced plenty to share. Thanks
to woodpecker's wisdom and generosity, the birds can still enjoy a hearty meal of hazelnuts inthe cold winter.

CARING: Robin redbreast visited to announce the spring and blackbirds gathered dried twigs
and leaves to build their nests on our neighbour's giant yew trees. From late spring through25

summer blackbird families made our backyard their day time home. Papa and mama blackbird
visited daily with their chicks. All day long they fed, taught and protected their chicks. The
chicks were taught to fly and to differentiate between food and pebbles. Prowling cats saw thebirds as interesting toys. Preying Flemish jays and black billed magpies saw the chicks andsmaller birds as tasty food. Papa and mama blackbird stand readily on guard against these
dangers. At the first sight of enemies, they will sound their siren. At the sound of siren, thechicks hurried to take shelter and the small birds flew away. Papa and mama blackbird had nofear, even cats many times their size were not spared if they dare to prey on the chicks.

NOT TO BE GREEDY: In all seasons, the pigeons had very big appetite and cannot stop eating.
In the winter, they ate up all the food we put out for the birds to share. In the spring, it pecks
on our cherry blossoms. In the summer and autumn, they gobbled up the berries on our berry
shrubs. They grew very heavy and sometimes break the branches of our shrub on which theystand. They too were frequently hit and rundown on the street because they were very heavy
and cannot takeoff efficiently. In their takeoff they cannot fly fast enough and or high enoughto avoid the moving cars.

TO BE THRIFTY/ UNWASTEFUL: In autumn, our apple tree was full with red and delicious
apples. The crows came to visit. Unlike the starling, the crows do not peck on every apple.
They chose the best and position themselves strategically to have the apple hang as long as
possible on the tree. When they had eaten enough, they flew away and returned to feed on thesame apple when they were hungry. The crows are thrifty and will not peck on a new apple
unless its previous choice is hollowed or had fallen.

BE HAPPY: The sparrows and blue tits enjoy themselves in all seasons. They entertained us
with their chirpy tunes. The song thrushes lovely melodies were music from heaven. All thebirds that share our backyard are free and happy. Rain or shine, cold or warm they always
have something to sing about and enjoy themselves.

The future I want for myself is one modeled by these birds, a future of freedom and happiness.
I hope you too will share this future with me. May peace for you and for me prevail on earth.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children’s Category – 3rd Prize]

Beyond the Power of Money(Original)
Melchior Tamisier-Fayard(Age 12, U.S.A.)

To make a long story short: the economy is destroying humanity. Now, by destroying, I don't
mean bombs and grenades, etc. I am talking about our sense of humanity. This world is basedon money. If someone doesn't have money, they are put on the streets or cannot achievemuch. And to whom do we owe this all? Money. I don't have a simple and easy solution but I
would like to plant some seeds for reflection, hoping that some will grow.

Right now as I type people in Greece have developed their own type of currency and a barter
system. Why this? Because they could not depend on their own economy and thus they
developed their own unit of exchange. In fact, they ended up developing a new economic
system that was more transparent and did not rely on banks or other intermediaries. I also likethe fact that people help each other and decided to find creative ways of living when life isdifficult and there is no money. Of course, one can say that if every country was starting a new
system like the Greeks, we might end up with similar problems as today. Also money has beendeveloped because trading systems were not sufficient. So what should we do? I can't say. I
can only point out today's economy and its weaknesses. And one is how unfair it is. Now, you
all say this is childish! The world is unfair! Yet, even being unfair, the world can still givechances but with today's economy, there are no chances! There is only the brutal truth of howmoney has become our life source. It is equal to water and food, if not even more important.
Think how humans now depend on pieces of metal, scraps of paper and swipes of plastic cards
in ATMs. Where will this get us? Nowhere I say!

Think of the Native Americans and other populations who lived close to nature. They knew thebalance of life and death. They hunt, weaved, or crafted just enough for them to live and be
happy. You did not have to work in an office all week long, dreaming of holidays, always too
short. You did not have to try to get more money to buy more of this or that, accumulating"stuff"! Some philosophers, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, have developed similar thoughts.

27

Rousseau was very critical of society and money. He argued that money has corrupted
humanity in creating inequality. He opposed this state of corruption with what he called the"natural state". When Rousseau talked about the natural state he referred to something similar
to my Native Americans example: a period where people lived from fruit gathering and hunting,and even doing a little bit of farming, getting what they needed and no more.

I can imagine you nodding and thinking, "What a young utopist! Does he want to go back to
the Cave men? Would he want to live with no electricity, no iPod, and no computer to surf theInternet?" I can imagine you but you are wrong as this is not what I am saying: the future I am
dreaming of is not a world where we would all be hunting and picking up fruits from the trees,
although I personally like the countryside. The world I am thinking of is a transparent andfairer world.

Why couldn't we live in a fairer and more transparent world? Let's go back to the example ofGreece and how Greeks decided to react by developing a barter system. Let's also think ofRousseau's analysis showing the negative role of money. Money introduced inequalities by
allowing some people to produce extra things they did not need, in order to get more money.
Then banks came in and people started leaving their money in the banks giving power to thebankers and the economists. The people of Greece felt that they had no power and that they
were like puppets in the hands of bankers and economists. Instead of being angry, theydecided to design their own life where the result of their work was transparent and allowed
them to have access to the things they needed – food, babysitting, classes, etc. They showed
us a way, maybe not the best one, probably not the only one, to start thinking differently andmake things more transparent. This is what I would like the future to look like: a world where
people feel they have their word to say and where money is not the ruler.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children’s Category – 3rd Prize]

Creating the Future We Want
(Original in Japanese)
Riku Kinoshita(Age 14, Japan)
Ichikawa Junior High School, Chiba

We don't know the future. We don't know what will happen in one hour, tomorrow, or next year.
Even if you have something planned, you don't know if you will be able to carry it out. Youmight be involved in some kind of disaster, or on the other hand, you might have some sudden
great success. For better or worse, the future stretches out with infinite possibilities. Without
a doubt, all of us would like to create a 'good future.' Then, how do we go about creating this'good future'?

When I hear the phrase 'good future,' the words 'peace' and 'environment' come to mind. But
I feel that the most important word for creating a good future—the future we want—is'happiness.'

Naturally, each person has a different definition of happiness. For some people, happinessmight mean economic wealth, while for others, it might mean a high standard of public safety.
But for poor and disadvantaged people, it seems like happiness might simply mean being able
to go on living at a basic level.

In that case, however, the future will likely be no different from the present. At present, we cansay that the world is filled with conflict, poverty, hunger, discrimination, and environmental
destruction. Under these conditions, even if some people are happy, others may not be happy.

To realize 'the future we want,' we need to create a society where all of the world's sevenbillion people can think, "I am happy"—a society where we can work together to make abrighter future for everyone on earth, even for those who have given up hope for their society
and environment. To make this a reality, each and every person needs to be aware of their'right to the pursuit of happiness,' which our predecessors worked hard to obtain. There are29

still countries where people are not even allowed to be aware of that right. The people in thosecountries need to work together with their neighboring countries to gain that right forthemselves. However, there should be no bloodshed. Through dialogue, the people of theworld can come to accept one another. To accept others is to recognize our own weaknesses.
As all people become aware of their weaknesses, we will be able to abolish nuclear weapons,end discrimination, and resolve environmental and economic problems. Then, I think we will
begin to see the future we want.

There are many languages spoken in the world. But all people can sing "La, la, la" with acertain tune. My idea is to have all seven billion people sing "La, la, la," and make recordings
and compile them together, then present them to the whole world. Even in places where theinfrastructure is poor, people would come out, build what is needed, and gather together tosing in chorus and record it. Then, we could make a 'seven billion person chorus.'

When people sing, they feel some emotion, and they put it into their song. Even themeaningless phrase "La, la, la," when it is sung, can carry hopeful feelings of happiness and joy,or it can carry hopeless feelings of sadness, anger, and hatred. The meaning changes
depending on the person. Therefore, the 'seven billion person chorus' might sound rather
chaotic.

When we sing our happiness to each other that happiness is amplified, and when we share oursadness, it is diminished. Therefore, within that chaotic song, we will amplify the happinessseven billion times, and diminish the sadness to one seven billionth, and we will accept all ofthese feelings. This is the purpose of this plan. This plan cannot be realized if the world cannot
communicate. Therefore, when this plan is realized, we can say that the peaceful future wewish for has been realized.

For as long as we human beings are living, sadness will not disappear. But everyone can still
feel happiness. I am sure we can create a happy society and a happy future, where we canshare our songs and our feelings. In order to fulfill this dream, we need to constantly think ofand seek happiness for all people on earth. Let us all work together to make this dream a
reality.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Children’s Category – 3rd Prize]

Creating the Future We Want
(Original in Japanese)
Eriko Onuki(Age 15, Japan)
Ichikawa Junior High School, Chiba

In our present world, many countries are at odds with one another. As human beings living onearth, we are like pilots of the Earth. We are responsible for the lives of a great many animals.
And yet, we do nothing but wage war and produce tools to hurt each other. Originally, theearth is supposed to be our first priority.

With this in mind, I would like to see a world that is all one country-a world where we can go
anywhere without a passport. We would be able to communicate with each other, there would
be no war, and peace and public order would prevail. Because we would all be one country,
there would be no need to think about gains and losses. We could use resources effectively,
and it would be possible to operate industries in the most suitable environments, without being
restricted by national boundaries. This would help to solve environmental problems, andwould also help to prevent resources from being depleted. It would also be unnecessary tobuild up the military in case of disputes with other countries. This energy could be put to moreconstructive uses that would benefit the earth as a whole.

However, we could not create such an ideal country instantly. One important reason for this is
our 'mental walls'-our discriminatory views of people from other countries. People's way of
thinking cannot be changed so easily, not even by force of law.

I believe that education is essential for breaking down our mental walls. Discriminatory views
are naturally passed down from parents to children, through their speech and their attitude.
Children should be educated at a very young age, before discriminatory views take shape. One
possible method is to make classrooms representative of the world's peoples. In a classroomof forty students, eight would be Chinese, seven Indian, two American, one Indonesian, and
0.8 Japanese. The ethnicities of teachers would also be distributed similarly. Then, students

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would gain a global sense of ethics and values, as well as the knowledge needed for goodmanagement of the earth. In this kind of classroom, children would never learn to feelawkward toward people of other nationalities, and they would not develop discriminatory
views. They would grow up as global human beings, able to easily accept the cultures of othercountries.

Adults, too, would need a transformation in consciousness to become 'citizens of Earth.' I think
the reason why most people today think only of their own country is that there are too many
people who do not realize that the Earth is one of a kind, and that human beings have tocoexist with all the other living things on earth. It is not so easy to change the minds of adults,
but even still, I think that all people should learn the knowledge they need to become 'citizensof Earth.' If all human beings learn about the present state of Earth and what they need to do
as its citizens, perhaps a transformation in consciousness can be achieved. In time, the day will
come when people naturally put the interests of the planet before anything else.

In Japan's Warring States period, many small states fought with each other in a struggle tocontrol territory. But today, Japan is united, and there is no one who thinks of themselves as aperson from Musashi or Shimousa. While retaining the unique cultures of our different regions,
we all identify as Japanese people.

The world today is much like Japan in its Warring States period, with countries at odds overtheir own interests. The time has come for the whole world to unite, and for us to embrace ashared identity as citizens of Earth. And just as different regions of Japan still retain their local
color, becoming citizens of Earth does not mean that we have to lose our various cultures. Even
while maintaining our own customs and cultures, I believe that the people of the world can be
united in consciousness.

The Earth is but one tiny planet in the universe. How foolish it is for us to fight with each otheron this tiny planet!

If we look back on human history, our awareness of 'the world' has expanded from the village
to the universe. Similarly, our sense of belonging should not extend only from our family to ourcountry, but should expand to include the whole world. Perhaps we will enter an era when wenaturally think of the Earth in relation to the rest of the universe. We are the crew of the single

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ship called Earth, and this is why it is absolutely vital that we work together as one body, witha shared consciousness as 'citizens of Earth.' This, I feel, will lead to the future we want.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 3rd Prize]

Making Society A Home: My Activities in Support of the Homeless(Original in Japanese)
Kyoko Takeuchi(Age 17, Japan)
Shôkei Gakuin High School, Miyagi

The society that we live in faces all kinds of different issues. By stopping to examine those
problems that we usually overlook, I think we can better see the true nature of our society. If
we ignore these issues, it seems, we cannot talk about 'the future we want.'

Since I was very young, I have been involved with a group that distributes food to homelesspeople. We provide hot meals to people living on the streets, with the wish that it will help togive them hope in their lives. One by one, we ask them, "How are you doing?" and we convey
to them the message: "You are not alone."In Sendai City, where I live, there are estimated to be about 120 homeless people. Every day,they face dangers like freezing to death, dying without anyone knowing, and being assaulted
by youth. They became homeless in various ways—by losing their job due to the economic
recession, or by damaging their health under harsh working conditions. With no one close tothem to give them help, they eventually could no longer pay their rent and had no choice but
to live on the street. Due to their economic situation, they often hold multiple debts, and inmany cases, out of despair, they fall into a dependence on alcohol or drugs. What they all havein common is that they have lost the people and places that supported them—in other words,
they literally are 'without a home.'

However, it was not easy to share with my peers the issues around homelessness in our society.
I realized that the indifference and the prejudicial views toward homeless people—that they
are 'dirty' or 'scary,' they 'like living that way,' they 'have nothing to do with me,' and soon—are more deep-seated than I imagined. In addition, I heard many people argue that
homeless people are responsible for their situation—that they didn't work hard enough, or34they couldn't adapt to society. Day after day, I anguished over how to get people to face thisproblem of modern society.

During that time, the Great Tohoku Earthquake of March 11 took place. We experienced aviolent trembling like nothing we had ever felt before, and instantly we were cut off from foodand utilities. The homeless support group that I work with immediately began distributing foodto people in the region. Since my school was closed, I also joined in this work. The aftershocks
continued, the volunteers were themselves all affected by the earthquake, and there werelimited amounts of food and fuel. Despite this, we went to the areas around our office, to cityparks, and to evacuation centers in areas struck by the tsunami, and over the course of one
month we were able to provide four thousand people with some ten thousand meals. Duringthat time, many of the volunteers were homeless people who up until then had been the ones
taking assistance. Despite concerns, supplies and materials kept coming to us from both insideand outside the country, so we never had a shortage of anything.

Through my experience after the earthquake, I learned that even amidst harsh conditions,
supporting and encouraging each other gives people hope to go on living. The wall between
assisting and being assisted was broken down, and we were all members of the same society,sharing the same vulnerability and scarcity. The society I had envisioned, where we all live
together, became reality for a brief time.

I felt that by sharing my experience with many people, I would help to eliminate the prejudice
and indifference toward homelessness, and to get people to engage with others and work
together to build a better society. Whenever I have the opportunity, I give presentations at myschool, or at joint seminars or exchange meetings with other schools, and I hope to continue
to do so in the future.

Homelessness is something that is never far removed from us. This is because the issue ofhomelessness is nothing more than a problem with the way people relate to each other inmodern society. To solve the problem of homelessness, we need to be the ones to create asociety that is a 'home.' Together, let us clear the way for a future society where everyone canlive with peace of mind, where everyone can start over again and again, where no one isdisregarded or ignored, and where each of us can live our life the way we wish.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 3rd Prize]

Great Expectation for the Educated Generation(Original)
Anistya Rachmawati(Age 23, Indonesia)

What are we without education? Could we feel what we feel now without it? Education plays acrucial role for us to get to live in this modern era now. We just can learn that with the powerof knowledge, a country used to be left behind can be a very powerful country, but by ignoringit, that country can only wait for its decline. To see such cases, we just can learn from the past,e.g. the rise and the fall of Romans and Moslem civilization. With education, they created great
countries with formidable civilization. People from all over the world could only awe theirelevated society and only wished that someday they would be like them. But once theyneglected education, destruction was ahead of them. Therefore, seize the advantages it brings
for the society welfare, so that we can create and develop many inventions for the better
future of human race as Bacon says "Knowledge is Power."

As I am a teacher, the thing called education really concerns me, especially when I notice thatto get this is not that simple in my country. Education seems like a luxurious thing. One shouldhave large amount of money to be able to get the standard education and for those who do not,they could only just get it as much money as they have. Could you imagine for the pennilessstudents, they study under the broken roof and in very small and dirty rooms, or even in thetunnel, sometimes each class is only separated by a blackboard you can hear what otherpeople in the next class say? Even worse many children have to give up school at early ages
since their parents cannot afford the tuition. As the effect, they prefer to find money on theirown and end up as beggars. How do you expect them to dream high if their dreams are evenlimited by their economy?

I wish that I could be an Education Minister, which I believe is one of the ways to realize mydreams. I really want our country budget is allocated more on education so the people all overthe country can have affordable school tuition with complete facilities they require, and evenprovide the fully funded scholarship for the best students which will increase the competition36

atmosphere among students. I really want all people to get the best education equallyregardless of their family background at least until they are graduated from a university. For I
believe that it is the country that will be the consumer of the educated people and not theparents, paying the tuition, since they can contribute more to develop their country.

However, as the country has helped them, they also have to help the country by contributing
more to the society. I want all graduates of every university have to conduct a social service atleast for two years before they are seeking for a job. While some countries oblige their people
to do conscription to defend the country, I will do the same through education. The country
will pay for their living expense, but they have to teach students in the particular area, i.e.
where the people still live under poverty line and are illiterate, and have to help the local
government to develop the area. For this kind of service, they will learn at least two things.
First, since they will teach and manage students, it will become an experience for them inmanaging people. Second, since they will see and feel directly the live of poor people, they will
embrace the poor instead of neglecting or manipulating them. Thus, it can reduce thecorruption tendency for the subsequent generation and can increase their awareness indeveloping the country through the people.

Moreover, if the graduates are able to help the local government to develop the city by sharing
knowledge and creating something useful, the people will feel the benefit and it can makethem realize how great it is to have education and be able to develop their own city. Besides,
it can help them to reach their future and have a high dream because they will see the modelfrom the graduates. People will never notice that a job is very appealing and promising until
they see the model.

Those are my dreams for the future. Actually it is not something that I can contribute for thewhole world, but it is something that I want my country to have since without my country
being better, I just cannot see where my world will lead me as my world starts and spins here.
As I really want someday my country will be one of the respected, influential, and powerfulcountries in the world, and I believe we can start from the basic thing which is education.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 3rd Prize]

A "Sane" Africa—My Dream(Original)
Shadrack Osei Frimpong(Age 20, Ghana <Living in U.S.A.>)
University of Pennsylvania"His vital organs have stopped functioning, but for now, he's sedated. Why was he drinking
that much?" demanded the physician. As he spoke, I noticed the color draining from mymother's face. This was terrible news about her only living brother.

On the other side of the hospital through the louver blades and across the consulting room, I
could see Uncle William. There he lay in an upright hospital bed, positioned just the way heslept on the swing back home. It was his second week in a coma, a coma that probably scoreda seven on the Glasgow Coma Scale. My heart was broken. Where was the virile Uncle Willie
who went fishing with me and would catch crabs for me every day on his return from the farm?
I couldn't hold my tears back when the doctor told us that since my poor family couldn't afford
the surgery, we would have to watch helplessly as his health worsens each passing day. My
uncle's drinking habit had cost him valuable months of treatment against a life threatening
brain disease. Unfortunately, he lost the battle and died at sunset on December 23, 2000.
Although his loss was heartbreaking, I feel his presence every time I advise people about therisks of excessive drinking and its dire neurological effects. This is the lesson of care for humanhealth that I try to practice today.

In my volunteer work at Matthew Walker Clinic over the past three months, I was excited tolearn that the clinic provided free quality medical services to many of theeconomically-disadvantaged of Nashville. Sadly, I have had to accept the reality that there isno such health center in Ghana to meet the medical needs of similar underserved healthpopulations. Just like my deceased uncle, thousands of lives are lost every year through brain
disease cases. While the effort of the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation (KBNF) to establish aneuroscience center in Ghana is laudable, the center cannot singly meet the neurologicalneeds of over thirty million people. With only four neurosurgeons and two neurologists in the38

country, how quickly can thousands of patients be attended to? Even if rural settlers can afford
treatment, how easily can they access the center? My heart has been aching for answers tothese questions and I have since resolved to help in eliminating financial barriers to healthcare
in Ghana and Africa as a whole.

It is this resolution that led me to establish the African Neuroscience Initiative (A.N.I).
Together with other African students who are studying in the U.S, A.N.I is currently raisingfunds on several college campuses to provide assistance (in cash or in kind) to patients at
Ghana's major hospitals who are suffering from neurological disorders. In the long term, it isour goal to help in the building of the first neurological research institute in Sub-Saharan Africa
through the creation of partnerships with organizations such as KBNF. Additionally, A.N.I seeks
to partner with micro-finance organizations in the future, to provide loans with low interest
rates to low--income patients. This way, we believe most, if not all, families in Africa will havethe means to afford treatment. Governments will then be able to shift focus from poverty
reduction to building neuroscience centers to train more minds to meet the pressing need ofneurologists and neurosurgeons in their respective countries.

Even as I write this essay, we are using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter topublicize a competition that the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation has entered, in a bid toobtain funding to progress neurosurgery in Africa, specifically in Ghana. If they win, they plan
to use telesimulation, connecting two remote NeuroTouch simulators via Skype, such that local
medical personnel in Ghana can interactively train with experienced Canadian surgeons. In a
country where there is approximately one neurologist for twelve million people, one
neurosurgeon for 2.7 million people and a dire lack of equipment and trained personnel, I
firmly believe that this initiative will help to enhance the state of neurological care.

Sad as the realization is, the issue of poor neurological care has not been given much attention
by many African countries as well as international bodies. It was therefore a great joy for me
when in March this year; I was selected by former President Bill Clinton's Global Initiative (CGI)
program to share with others, the current state of neuroscience in Sub-Saharan Africa. As anaspiring neurosurgeon, I envision an Africa where neurological care is accessible to all
residents and I hope to someday put the smiles back on the faces of critically ill patients, andhelp them reclaim their former lives. I will always keep my uncle in mind as I help others
recover from diseases similar to the one that caused his death.

392012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 3rd Prize]

The Facility I Want to Create(Original in Japanese)
Miyuki Nogi
(Age 20, Japan)
Sendai University, Miyagi

I have two older brothers who are disabled. The older one has a slight mental disability, andthe younger one is both mentally disabled and autistic. In their daily lives, they have often
experienced prejudice and discrimination, and sometimes complete rejection. And when I wasin elementary school, I was teased about my brothers. Having grown up in thesecircumstances, I decided to go to university and major in education and self-reliance support
for people with disabilities. In the course of my studies, I began to reflect on the current stateof facilities for disabled people, and the kind of facility that I would like to see.

In particular, what I have in mind is a facility for people who are mentally disabled and forpeople who have multiple disabilities. Especially in the latter case, there are very few
establishments that accept them. In addition, the various facilities that presently exist fordisabled people—job assistance centers to encourage self-reliance, treatment and education
centers, group homes where they can live on their own, and daytime care facilities—are all
separate entities. I am envisioning a facility that integrates all four of these functions.
Whatever kind of disability a person has, the facility would be able to support their efforts
toward self-reliance, and also to support their family. Furthermore, in order to end prejudice
and discrimination, the facility would allow people with disabilities to be integrated with thelocal community. This is the kind of facility that I want to create, and it would fulfill the threerequirements outlined below.

The first requirement for my facility is that it can help each disabled person deal with theirunique situation. Depending on the particular nature of their disability, a person may feel
panicked at times, or may require special assistance. Care for such disabilities takes time andeffort, and that is why people like my second brother are not accepted at most establishments.

40

I know it is difficult to offer appropriate support for all kinds of disabilities without turning
anyone away. However, it is essential that my facility find a way to do this.

Secondly, my facility would provide a space where more disabled people and non-disabled
people can come in contact, in order to increase people's understanding about different kindsof disabilities. Most non-disabled people do not have much interest in people with disabilities.
One reason for this, I think, is that we do not learn about disabilities at any stage in our
schooling. This is why I want my facility to provide a space where people can interact and learn
together. I want to plan casual drop-in events to attract people who otherwise would not beinterested in meeting people with disabilities.

Thirdly, my facility would be able to support both disabled people and their families. For people
with a severe disability or multiple disabilities, special needs education is often not sufficient tohelp them become self-reliant. As I mentioned earlier, each disabled person has their own
particular characteristics, and these are often linked to hidden talents and abilities. At present,
it seems that these unique traits are not being allowed to blossom. And for families, I would
like to increase the awareness of social service programs. Up to now, families have not been
informed enough about these programs, and thus they do not make use of them even though
they are legally entitled to do so. For this reason, I would like to have the government offer
programs that are easier to utilize, and I feel that we need to train skilled people who arecapable of explaining the programs in a way that is easy to understand. In this way, I want tocreate a place where people can come to discuss questions and concerns that they cannot
discuss with anyone else.

This is still just an abstract idea, and I realize that it will be difficult to see it take shape. But nomatter how long it takes, I have my sights set on seeing it through, and I will work hard to
make it a reality. In order to attain my goal, after graduating university I am planning to gain
practical experience at a special-needs school or a facility for people with disabilities, and work
toward becoming a certified social worker. Unless someone achieves what I think isneeded—even if it means going against national policies—it will be hard to create happinessand a good future for disabled people. That is why I feel so strongly about building the kind offacility that I envision—one where disabled people and non-disabled people alike can cometogether and become happy. No matter what kind of disability a person has, they should be
able to live together in harmony with non-disabled people who do not discriminate against or
reject them, but understand them. They should be able to work toward self-reliance in their41

own individual way. I believe that fulfilling these goals will lead to a society in which everyone
can live a happy life.

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2012 International Essay Contest for Young People[Youth Category – 3rd Prize]

A World Without States(Original)
Andhyta Firselly Utami(Age 20, Indonesia)
Universitas Indonesia

In a planet where opinions are openly contested—although not necessarily valued—everyone
appears to disagree upon everything: environmentalists refuse the expansion of industry,
liberalists oppose regulated markets, and technocrats always opt for continuous progress
above other options. Deep inside, these people have an ideal picture about the future theywant to live in and, despite the apparent dissimilarities, all of them are united by acommitment to the quest of accomplishing their visions.

I, too, have my own aspiration about how a perfect world should be.

For one thing, power tends to corrupt. The idea of social contract where abundant control is'voluntarily' given by the society to a group of chosen individuals, therefore, has its intrinsic
gravitation towards fraudulence. In many parts of the planet, this nature materializes in theform of strong soldiers killing innocent people for an invisible cause called 'nationalism', terrible
misconduct use of budget that actually belongs to poor people, as well as limited freedom ofspeech over various means, justified merely by the paranoia of government officials. The mostpowerful ones ironically claim that they strive towards obtaining international peace when the
only tools they use are guns and grenades.

The good news is, these conditions are not given; they are rather the products of a concept
invented by the emperors and kings of Europe almost four centuries ago. Like any otherinvention, I believe that 'nationstate' also has its expiration date. Today, this process is further
accelerated by globalization and technology, both of which have been escorting the global civilsociety to be stronger than ever. Just in the last few decades, transnational solidarity andtolerance have proven itself to be so powerful it can change the decisions taken by world
leaders. It is therefore possible that in less than a hundred years, states' dominance will be

43replaced by a network of restless efforts and voices of the people. When the time comes, wemight also overhaul the current system and recreate the foundation of this planet—because
human beings deserve a better future, a completely different world from what we have now.

In that world, the only spoken language will be the language of unity. The disappearance of theword 'nationality' will be accompanied by the extinction of 'gender', 'race', 'class', as well as'ethnicity'. All of them will no longer be printed in dictionaries of any tongue, replaced by
vocabularies of equality and justice. As the consequence, the level of misunderstandings
between humans will greatly decrease.

In that world, the only visa required will be your birth certificate. Every newborn baby will bea citizen of the world, and one day he/she will settle down in a territory that needs him/her themost, regardless their blood relation. No one will be able to prohibit any individual fromtravelling and experiencing the journey of their life for one-sided political grounds.

In that world, the only valid money will be in the currency of love. When power is no longer atransactional commodity, it should be distributed equally to the people who need it.
'Empowerment' will become the main jargon of the next generation's civilization, as theyrealize that leaving behind marginalized groups will equal the beginning of their own
devastating loss. The economy will not be run under forced egalitarianism, but rather
constructed upon the essential awareness that—at the very least—one shall not become aburden to the others.

In that world, the only prevailing religion will be humanity. Yes, everyone will still hold to theirfaith in different gods and rituals, but they all perceive one another as one big family. Whilesafeguarding an even richer diversity of beliefs, conscience will speak louder than
man-interpreted sacred texts, and mortals will be able to value life more than ever before.
Hatred and wars will be kept in museums forever, visited by people only to remind themselves
about the horrendous history mankind once had and shall never be repeated.

In that world, there will be no states. There are only I, you, and billions of people who give up
the identity that our governments and grandparents once dictated us to have. There will only
be a peaceful planet filled with men and women who regard differences as something to be
grateful of, and impartial justice as their non-negotiable principle.

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