Nov, 2017
On November 12, 2017, we held a debriefing session for the AAEE 2017 International Student Exchange Program at JICA Chikyu Hiroba International Conference Center. This year's theme was "Student Exchange in Asia: From Imagination to Reality". Thank you very much.
This debriefing was divided into three parts.
In the first part, the activities of the VJEP (Vietnam-Japan Exchange Program) in Vietnam and the Nepal Nepal Mero Sathi Project in August and September were introduced. After that, three students representing the participants of each program gave a presentation on what they learned through the programs.
In the program introduction, each program was introduced in an attractive way with dances and videos. All the programs were full of individuality, and we could feel the enthusiasm of the AAEE student exchange.
The themes of the individual presentations that followed were also varied. Vietnam program representative Seiichi Koike (1st year, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University) talked about leadership, Nepal September program representative Ayumi Yoshino (3rd year, Department of International Economics, Faculty of Economics, Tokyo Keizai University) talked about the appeal of cross-cultural exchange, and Nepal August program representative Chisa Okayama (1st year, Sophia University)
From your presentations, we could sense that the learning from the program varied from participant to participant. In addition, I believe that we were able to convey a variety of values and perspectives to the audience. In addition to the participants who gave presentations at this event, all the students who participated in the Nepal and Vietnam programs wrote their own reports. The reports are full of individuality and charm. If you would like to read the reports of the participating students, please click on this link. (http://aaeejapan.blogspot.jp)
After each presentation, the audience actively asked questions and engaged in a lively exchange of opinions. There were many questions directly related to our activity policy, such as "What is important for people with different cultural backgrounds to work together? Through this exchange of opinions, we were able to feel again the appeal of the student exchange program.
In the second part, Ms. Aio Seki, a third-year student in the Faculty of Integrated Global Studies at Sophia University and the group leader, gave an explanation about the student exchange program to be held in Nepal next February.
Here is the link to the recruitment page for the February Nepal program. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1n_ma-DftNtS6MkYmWufXShsIAmDGjs8CdpHPLhaky7M/viewform?ts=5a12c850&edit_requested=true)
In the third part, Professor Akinori Seki, President of AAEE, gave a presentation on the significance of AAEE's activities and the introduction of future activities. In the third part, Professor Akinori Seki of Tokyo Keizai University, the president of AAEE, gave a presentation on the significance of AAEE's activities and its future activities.
At this event, the launch of the "New Mero Sathi Project" in Nepal was also announced. The "Mero Sathi Project" was launched in April 2015 by Japanese student volunteers as an emergency project for the Nepal Earthquake. Through the past activities, students not only from Japan and Nepal but also from other Asian countries have deepened their friendship and grown into a group that works together to solve problems. This time, we have decided to launch a project to support the self-reliance of about 10 families living in extreme poverty deep in the mountains of Nepal, with no way out. In line with this, we will be spending 11 days with Nepalese students in the Mero Sathi Project and Nepal-Japan Student Exchange Program in February, working on the theme of "Poverty and Happiness".
I believe that this debriefing session, which was attended by a large number of people, provided an opportunity for many people to learn more about the AAEE and to think deeply about international cooperation, student exchange, and partnership, which is Goal 17 of the SDGs.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA for their support, to the Akinori Seki Seminar of Tokyo Keizai University for their enthusiastic efforts from the preparation stage, to all the people who attended the event, and to all the people who support the AAEE on a regular basis.
Finally, we are planning an international student exchange program in Nepal next February as the Mero Sathi Project, and in Vietnam and Nepal in August. If you are interested, please contact us. We have already received some inquiries about participation, so please contact us as soon as possible.
The application page for the February Nepal program is here. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1n_ma-DftNtS6MkYmWufXShsIAmDGjs8CdpHPLhaky7M/viewform?ts=5a12c850&edit_requested=true)
