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	<< Back "DAWN" Newsletter of The DAWN CENTER Introduction of Dawn Center Tadashi Nakamura It is sincerely hoped that through this small information booklet we can expand our network with people around the world. The Dawn Center is an institution established by the Osaka Prefectural Government. Its administration and operation is undertaken by the Osaka Gender Equality Foundation. Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., women and men in all age groups, though most are women, visit the center. During the first two full years, since its inauguration in November, 1994, the center attracted nearly one million people. The idea for the Dawn Center originated in 1984. While it took eight years to complete the construction plan, during the preparation period, plans for center were promoted with a wide range of people, including experts in various fields, women's groups and women's organizations. Meetings were held by the "Dawn Center Promotion Committee" and the "Creative Forum," encouraging active discussion with Osaka residents about projects and facilities. Thanks to the community's cooperation, the "gender-free" viewpoint is reflected throughout the center. The name "Dawn" and the symbol for the center were selected from among many entries in a public contest held while construction was underway. The Dawn Center is located to the northwest of Osaka Castle Park. From the windows of the meeting rooms, the donjon, or tower, of Osaka Castle can be seen. The center, ten stories above and one story below ground, has a total floor space of 12,760. When illuminated at night, it looks all the more magnificent. The Dawn Center serves as a base for creating a new partnership between women and men as we enter the 21st Century. Its basic concept is "a creation of a new society of women and men working together based on the independence of the sexes, allowing everyone fair and equal opportunity to participate." In order to develop the concept, the center has the "Three I" philosophy. Identity: Independence of women in society Information: Information network Internationalization: International exchange Based on the "Three I" philosophy, the Dawn Center is committed to playing a role as a comprehensive support center for women and as a place where women and men can exchange ideas. As initially expected, young people in their twenties and thirties, junior high and high school students, working women, housewives, young mothers and fathers with children, and men of all ages have visited and enlivened the center since its inauguration. The 500-seat main hall is used for various purposes including lectures, symposiums, concerts, plays, and Japanese traditional art performances, providing many people with the opportunity to become familiar with the Dawn Center. When an event is held in the main hall, a constant stream of people can be seen headed for the center from the nearest subway station. Large, medium, and small meeting rooms are available for citizens use. Particularly small meeting rooms, with a capacity of 10, are the most widely used. The lobby on the first floor, an atrium, is a perfect place to relax. In one corner of the first floor is a bookstore which specializes in books on women. Visitors will also find the restaurant "Yuimaaru" where people can enjoy lunch at a reasonable price. The health and fitness floor in the basement is popular among visitors. Although the space is not so large, it is equipped with a heated swimming pool, a sauna, a machine gym, and a fitness studio. On weekdays, women and men drop by in the evenings on their way home from work, while on weekends many men visit the floor with their children. Other unique facilities include the workshop room where people can print and bind information booklets and handouts. The audio-visual studio and the editing room offer training courses for video-journalists. The nursery room cares for children while their mothers and fathers attend events. The consultation and counseling rooms offer counseling services. Main annual programs of the Dawn Center are proposed and determined by the three coordinators. Then the programs are announced in the Japanese information leaflet "Dawn," available to visitors. In addition, "Dawn" is distributed to women's centers in cities, towns, and villages in Osaka Prefecture as well as to women's centers in nearby prefectures. The Dawn Center follows three pillars for promoting projects. These are: 1. Accumulating and sending out information, 2. Providing consultation and counseling, 3. Sending out art and literature which expresses women's ideas. These pillars are developed both independently and in combination. In each of the three pillars, the concept of internationalization is emphasized. The Dawn Center intends to report its activities based on these concepts in this series of English-language information booklets. by Akiko Tsumura : Executive Director of Dawn Center (From "Dawn" January 1997) Page Top Copyright (C) 2007 DawnCenter. All Rights Reserved.