Youth Take Action

“Youth Take Action—for a nuclear-free world”

This blog, “Youth Take Action—for a nuclear-free world,” is being launched today, August 6, to mark the anniversary, 64 years ago, of the day the atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. The People’s Decade Website’s youth team is launching this blog as an expression of our determination that the world never repeats the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

When we hear the phrase “nuclear abolition,” the impression is often that this is complicated, even fearsome: it’s easy to feel that there is nothing we, ordinary youth, can do to support nuclear abolition.

Nuclear weapons have immense destructive power, and as well as killing indiscriminately their effects can afflict people for generations. Nuclear weapons are in this sense weapons that trivialize and disrespect human life at the most fundamental level. In other words, nuclear weapons are the embodiment of disrespect for human life.

Therefore, we believe that learning to respect human life, growing into people who understand others’ pain, is the first step toward a nuclear-free world. On the other hand, although this sounds easy, it is actually a very painstaking process.

Creating a world free from war and free from nuclear weapons begins with appreciating and expressing our appreciation for the people around us: with a smile, a heart-warming word, or a hug.

Out of our desire to share this message with as many people as possible, we will update this blog periodically with opinions on news and current events from a youth perspective, and introduce youth initiatives for nuclear abolition around the world!

We hope you will find this informative and inspiring, and that you will share your thoughts and comments with us!