Students Differ in Cultures, but Not Concerns

Six Los Angeles elementary school students took a break from their holiday vacation Tuesday to discuss subjects they feel are important to youngsters worldwide.

Not Michael Jackson, Nintendo or the Lakers. But topics like defense spending, education and drug abuse.

The students from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Brentwood Magnet School joined six counterparts from Japan on Tuesday for a conference in Santa Monica.

The students were selected through an essay contest to represent their countries at the UNICEF Children’s Conference to be held in 1991 in Japan. More than 100 students from about 20 countries are expected to participate in the event, which was organized to allow children to meet and discuss issues of global concern.

The six students from Brentwood Magnet School are fourth-graders Amalia Andrade and Jack Thomas, fifth-graders Kristin Okita and Christopher Morgan and sixth-graders Astride Howell and Marvin Enriquez.

Los Angeles school officials selected Brentwood Magnet School, which specializes in science education, for the essay contest because of the diversity of its student body. The school draws 450 students from 190 schools throughout the district.

“Maybe if all kids all over the world could go to this conference and get to know each other better, we could teach our parents about the different cultures,” said Kristin, who lives in Sherman Oaks. “Then, maybe we could start working together to solve all the world’s problems.”

The Japanese delegates and their American counterparts spoke frankly about issues ranging from world peace to hospital care.

Japanese fourth-grader Takako Doi, who arrived in Los Angeles Monday with the rest of the delegation, said through an interpreter that she is concerned about relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.

“I am worried about the United States and Russia starting a war and destroying the whole world,” she said. “I want those two countries to try to be better friends, for all of our sakes.”

Drug abuse could also destroy the world if it is not stopped, said Jack, who lives in the city’s Mid-Wilshire District.

“Drugs really hurt people, and they are addictive. They can kill,” he said. “I think the government should try harder to stop the illegal transportation of drugs into this country.”

Amalia, who lives in San Fernando, said she is concerned about health care in the United States.

“We need more money for medicine and hospital beds for sick people,” she said. “We should use more money for medicine and less on building bombs.”

Ryosuke Suzuki, a Japanese fourth-grader, responded: “I think we should focus on preventing illnesses before we think about curing them.”

The students also criticized their nations’ education systems, calling Japan’s too strict and America’s too lenient.

‘Tough Entrance Exams’

Ryosuke said: “In Japan, a student must take very tough entrance exams to get into junior high school, high school and college. If you fail, then you can’t get a good job and you become a failure in life.”

Jack added, “In America, most universities don’t care whether or not their students get an education. If you show up to class, then you show up. If you don’t show up, nobody cares, and you don’t get an education.”

Child abuse was one of the hottest topics of the hourlong discussion.

Christopher, who lives in West Los Angeles, said, “When parents are frustrated about their lives and can’t control themselves, they take it out on their children. It’s sad.”

“Sometimes parents will even abandon their children and leave them out on the streets when they should just give them up for adoption,” said Astride, who lives in West Los Angeles.

“We had better teach our parents how to control their problems or else this kind of stuff will never end,” Ryosuke added.

After the conference, the 12 delegates enjoyed a lunch of pizza and cold cuts. Then they met with Mayor Tom Bradley and City Councilman John Ferraro in council chambers.

Today the students are scheduled to visit Disneyland, to the delight of Ryosuke, who acknowledged, “What I really want to do in America is play.”