JICE’s International Exchange
High school students, college students and working youth from across Japan will be dispatched abroad for about 10 days. At destinations, the delegation will disseminate cutting-edge technologies that Japan boasts, traditional culture, nature, regional industries, pop culture and other aspects, and thereby enhance people’s interests in Japan.
In addition to that, with experiences in learning relationship between Japan and the destination country, feeling and absorbing many things by observing regional social/economic conditions and people’s life with young sensibility, and finding new friends who co-create the future beyond the border, participants are expected to grow up as future global human resource.
The most impressive thing on the school exchange was the fact that things which are not well-known in Japan are very popular in the U.S.. Before meeting the students I had a plan to show Japanese culture, traditions and our school. Those are what we had been doing research on. However after I faced the real situation, I understood that unilateral communication about Japan is not enough.
Ideally we report about Japan to them, then they should respond to it. After that, we give information based on what they want and how they need it. If they talk about their country or region on top of that, it could be a good way of communication, and I realized that the KAKEHASHI project is the very method I mentioned. I’d like to communicate with my friends to let them know about attractiveness of Japan.
Interviews with past participants who are active in Japan and around the world are now available on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
JICE Youth Exchange Division, International Exchange Department
+81-3-6838-2730