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FounderLink
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November 2001
Volume 1, Number 2 |
S Club Members Really Going Places
Joyce Suihkonen, S Club Chair
Make this the year your club is added to the list of Founder Region clubs that sponsor S Clubs. Call the presidents of these Soroptimist clubs and talk about the benefits that come along with the sponsorship: East Contra Costa County, Eureka, Guam, The Marianas, Central Oahu, Pittsburg, Vacaville, and Waikiki.
What is S Club?
S Clubs, sponsored by Soroptimist clubs, are service organizations located in junior high and high schools. They create an opportunity for students to provide service to their schools and communities, develop leadership, promote good citizenship, and advance goodwill and understanding.
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S Club Students Travel
In August, three Founder Region S Club students (Diana Ly and Lianna Takamori from Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu and Ashley Sugimoto, Liberty High School in Brentwood) attended the Japan Minami Region Youth Forum. The Youth Forum gave the attending young people an opportunity to exchange views and cultural perspectives. Along with Governor Carol Rose, Barbara Turner of Soroptimist International of East Contra Costa and Vivian Tsuji of Soroptimist International of Waikiki also attended as chaperones.
What follows is a brief account of the trip to Japan by chaperone Vivian.
The Japan Youth Forum was a wonderful event.
Our Host - Japan Minami Region: The Youth Forum committee and staff and Board of the Japan Minami Region did an outstanding job of organizing and pulling this event together. They were exceedingly gracious in their hospitality.
Place - Miyazaki Prefecture, Seagaia Resort was indeed spectacular. We stayed at Hotel 45 - super sleek, modern, and beautiful; must be a 5 star resort. We were flanked by Japan's largest Conference Center (where our Forum was held) and the Ocean Dome, the largest indoor water park in the world. Getting there took a bit of doing from the U.S.; however, the place appeal for the attendees would be difficult to beat. Season - The dates were set by the students' school schedules, as the Japanese students only have 2 school vacations per year (5 days in early May and 2 weeks in August).
Tour - The tour that was established for the Founder Region and Desert Coast Region guests (6 students and 6 Soroptimists) was fabulous. We were met in Kagoshima, Nagasaki, and Sasebo by members of Soroptimist clubs in these areas, and were guests at dinners and luncheons with elaborate programs and activities. The Soroptimists opened their homes and hearts to us, and both hosts and guests somehow managed to communicate despite significant language and culture barriers. Kyushu is a beautiful and lush volcanic island with many farms neatly planted with green tea, purple sweet potatoes, taro, etc.
Benefits to students - both the Japanese and American students learned a great deal about their cultural differences and similarities. The discussions covered everything from boyfriends to comparisons of the educational systems, societal changes, home and family life situations, and global issues such as the environment and problems confronting the 3rd world nations. The format of the discussion was excellent, with facilitators who were thoroughly briefed and very professional.
For information on how to charter an S Club, call one of your Regional S Club Committee members:
| Joyce Suihkonen, Chair (Vacaville) |
(707) 449-5468 |
| Janice White (Brentwood) |
(925) 634-3663 |
| Vivian Tsuji (Hawaii) |
(808) 948-9180 |
| Sharle Hoke (Crescent City) |
(707) 464-4145 |
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