First part of the TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program Concludes with a Presentations to TOMODACHI Fund for Exchanges Companies
On August 1, 2014, the first part of the TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Youth Exchange Program concluded with participants presenting their thoughts on their program and expressing their gratitude to their host families, USJC representatives, and representatives of the TOMODACHI Fund for Exchange companies, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd. This program brought together six Japanese high-school students and six American students in Washington, D.C. to participate in a number of activities meant to introduce Japanese students to American culture and expose American students to social and cultural entrepreneurs in their city.
During the two week long program, the students participated in a wide range of activities meant to help develop their own service project at the end of the program. The students learned about the Japanese-American experience through talks with notable Japanese Americans such as WWII veteran Terry Shima; participated in workshops with organizations such as LearnServe International and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to develop the student’s ability to design and implement projects related to social justice; and performed community service at Martha’s Table and a local DC elementary school to help understand the need for nonprofit work. In the fall, the American students will travel to Tokyo and stay with Japanese host families to participate in a similar array of programs.
- Read journal entries and reflections by the students on their blog here
[Photo Credit: Participants with TOMODACHI Fund for Exchanges representatives: (from left to right) Mr. Yanagihara (Mitsubishi), Mr. Yoshida (Toyota) and Mr. Suzaki (Hitachi).]
This program is funded by TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges through generous contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd.
