What we can offer
The first time I went to Hiroshima to talk with survivors of the atomic bombings about how they overcame the trauma they had suffered, I did not expect to return with a commitment to support them in their mission to share their stories as a means of preventing such a thing ever happening again.
However, hearing their personal testimonies and getting to know each of them as a warm, passionate, courageous human being with a life and family, fears and dreams (rather than historical characters from a different time) I came to realise that their stories, but for the whims of fate and politics, could be mine, and that I must honour us all by relaying what I feel so honoured to have heard and learned from them.
After my return, I began to deliver presentations about the Hibakusha I came to know, their lives from the time of the atomic bombing, and their passionate message to the world; that their experience of nuclear devastation must never be repeated. These evolved into creative workshops on the theme of hope, survival and reconciliation inspired by the remarkable spirit of those Hibakusha and the way Hiroshima has literally risen from the ashes of the worst single catastrophe the world has ever known, to become a unique global model for peace and reconciliation.
My husband Alan joined me in June 2024 on my fourth visit to Hiroshima, where he met two of my Hibakusha associates and shared his own story as a child of the Blitz in a presentation with one of them, Soh Horie, juxtaposing their very different experiences as five-year-old boys in the Second World War (more about that here).
Alan is now committed to presenting his wartime narrative through this wider lens, interspersing it with excerpts from Soh-san's. He is available to talk to schools and groups. His presentation can be accompanied by an interactive Hope in the Heart workshop if required.
All presentations are lively and informal, and include photos, slides, artefacts and gifts from Hiroshima and the Hibakusha, artwork produced by them, and the opportunity to communicate messages to them via letters and cards, letting them know that their stories are being heard - something that means a great deal to them.
The aim of the presentations is to honour the Hibakusha who were generous enough to share their testimnies with us and illuminate the legacy of hope and reconciliation that Hiroshima personifies, as well as highlighting the devastation it has suffered and the global campaign to outlaw nuclear weapons (outlined here)
Alan and I are happy to present to groups of all kinds, individually or together. Presentations are approximately one hour and workshops two to three hours but longer (or shorter) sessions can also be arranged.
However, hearing their personal testimonies and getting to know each of them as a warm, passionate, courageous human being with a life and family, fears and dreams (rather than historical characters from a different time) I came to realise that their stories, but for the whims of fate and politics, could be mine, and that I must honour us all by relaying what I feel so honoured to have heard and learned from them.
After my return, I began to deliver presentations about the Hibakusha I came to know, their lives from the time of the atomic bombing, and their passionate message to the world; that their experience of nuclear devastation must never be repeated. These evolved into creative workshops on the theme of hope, survival and reconciliation inspired by the remarkable spirit of those Hibakusha and the way Hiroshima has literally risen from the ashes of the worst single catastrophe the world has ever known, to become a unique global model for peace and reconciliation.
My husband Alan joined me in June 2024 on my fourth visit to Hiroshima, where he met two of my Hibakusha associates and shared his own story as a child of the Blitz in a presentation with one of them, Soh Horie, juxtaposing their very different experiences as five-year-old boys in the Second World War (more about that here).
Alan is now committed to presenting his wartime narrative through this wider lens, interspersing it with excerpts from Soh-san's. He is available to talk to schools and groups. His presentation can be accompanied by an interactive Hope in the Heart workshop if required.
All presentations are lively and informal, and include photos, slides, artefacts and gifts from Hiroshima and the Hibakusha, artwork produced by them, and the opportunity to communicate messages to them via letters and cards, letting them know that their stories are being heard - something that means a great deal to them.
The aim of the presentations is to honour the Hibakusha who were generous enough to share their testimnies with us and illuminate the legacy of hope and reconciliation that Hiroshima personifies, as well as highlighting the devastation it has suffered and the global campaign to outlaw nuclear weapons (outlined here)
Alan and I are happy to present to groups of all kinds, individually or together. Presentations are approximately one hour and workshops two to three hours but longer (or shorter) sessions can also be arranged.
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Hope in the Heart CIC is not affiliated with any political party or organisation. We support the community of Hiroshima in its belief that nuclear weapons must be abolished on humanitarian grounds, in the context of every person's human right to a safe and just life.
