Alumni of the TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program Hold a Workshop to Share Lessons Learned
On March 19, 2016, the “TOMODACHI Experience”, an event organized by alumni of the TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program, took place at Keio Shonan Fujisawa High School. The event brought together TOMODACHI alumni and 15 other high school students.
This event was launched by alumni who were eager to spread the message of what they had learned during the six-week Exchange Program. These alumni held weekly online meetings over the course of 6 months to discuss the primary objective, themes, content, and advertising schemes in preparation for their “TOMODACHI Experience” event.
The objectives of the event were to inspire, forge new perspectives, and to provide the confidence required to challenge the status quo and take action – all of which were skills granted by the exchange program.
The alumni incorporated key features from their visits to Minamisanriku, Ishinomaki, and Washington D.C. into the workshop, focusing on the core themes of ‘diversity’, ‘equality’, ‘resilience’, and ‘co-existence with nature’. The alumni gave presentations on these themes, and participants were divided into groups for discussions. Each group was given 3 minutes to present their ideas and solutions.
At the end of the workshop, each participant wrote down their own goals and incentives based on their newfound knowledge. The alumni of TOMODACHI Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program and TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy enjoyed taking part in the workshop as guests and participants.
- For more information on this program, click here.