Greetings JETAA Toronto!
As your Canada Representative, I would like to share news from the recent JETAA International meeting that took place in Edinburgh, Scotland from Oct 1-3, 2010. Fifteen of 18 countries participated this year. I had the privilege and opportunity to share about the growth and activities of all seven chapters across Canada, as well as the issues and concerns affecting JET alumni from far and wide (as shared to me by your local chapters).
Representatives from Japanese government agencies CLAIR (The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) and MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) were there to address concerns about the future of the JET Programme. They also expressed their appreciation for all the more than18 JETAA Country Chapters across the world who sent in “Because of JET Success Stories’ – an amalgamation of stories collected by CLAIR Tokyo from JET alumni around the world (50 came from Canada!).
The Canadian JET success stories were received very well, and continued to strengthen the validity and quality of people who represent the JET Programme and their positive ties to Japan as a result of it. It was reported directly from MOFA that the JET Programme is safe for the foreseeable future, however with the current economic situation in Japan, cuts have taken place throughout JETAA and chapters both internationally and locally have had to manage with smaller budgets this year.
Also, due to changes in the budget for both CLAIR and MOFA, there will not be an International Meeting in 2011. However, CLAIR and MOFA will revisit feasibility of funding for an International Meeting in 2012 and one of our missions as JETAA International will be to provide ideas and suggestions for additional funding.
A focus of this year’s conference was on strengthening our online presence. Discussions and presentations among the 15 delegates attending included: How to improve our technology footprint, better use of social media platforms and websites to practice more effective outreach and communication, how to be more effective in engaging our 50 000+ members, clarification on the process of adding new chapters to support membership and JET Programme participant countries where JETAA International is not currently operating, as well as equipping our membership with the tools to best communicate the value that JETAA and the JET Programme bring to Japan and around the world.
For more information on the recent conference including who is serving on the International Executive, please read the below press release from JETAA International. Visit jetaaalumni.org for more information about JETAA International!
Many thanks for your support and thank you for the opportunity to be your JETAA Canada Representative!
Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu,
Jamiena (Jamie) Shah
jetaa.canada@gmail.com
News Release from JETAA International Follows:
JETAA International Positions Itself for the Future
Delegates from over 15 countries recently held the 2010 JETAA International Conference in Edinburgh, UK from October 1-3. Over the course of this conference, these delegates from all over the globe focused on finding solutions to the largest issues that face our chapters’ leadership. This year, there were a number of governing changes to the by-laws, discussions on how to improve our technology footprint and presentations of the best practices in communication to more effectively engage our 50 000+ members; clarification on the process of adding new chapters to support membership and JET Programme participant countries where JETAAi is not currently operating; as well as equipping our
membership with the tools to best communicate the value that JETAA and the JET Programme bring to Japan and around the world.
Over the past 15 years, JETAA International’s Executive Officers and Country Representatives have met on a regular, annual basis in order to discuss and improve the alumni support for the JET Programme, our members’ needs and increase our visibility in the communities we live in. We are proud of the unprecedented growth and impact we have experienced over the years given the opportunity and privilege of meeting in person as a direct result of having annual face-to-face meetings, given the generous support from both CLAIR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Throughout the years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continually stressed the importance of continuous improvement (“kaizen”) is necessary for JETAA. The International Meeting was the only opportunity for our leaders to influence and improve the best practices for chapters worldwide around how we support the recruitment and training of JETs, preparing recently returned JETs for their role as ambassadors for Japan around the world, promoting Japanese language education, and grassroots cooperation with many Japanese cultural, governmental and business organizations. In light of the current economic situation in Japan, delegates to this year’s meeting were informed that the 2010 JETAA International Meeting in Edinburgh would be the last face-to-face meeting in the near future given the withdrawal of funding for JETAA International. While we believe the annual International Meeting is essential to the future success of our continued growth and outreach, delegates to the 2010 International Meeting recognized that we will need to make significant changes to our current operations in order to best serve the needs of our members, as well as ensure the long-term success of our organization as our funding has been withdrawn.
We would like to present a number of new ideas and new proposals that were brought forth by the meeting delegates, and which are now being finalized.
THE STRUCTURE OF JETAA INTERNATIONAL
• Executive Officer positions will continue to be organized according to the specific needs of our memberships (ie.) communication, IT, and Outreach
• JETAA International Executive Committee will be more regionally focused with representatives from each region reporting to the JETAA International Executive Officers
• Community outreach will be a prime directive for JETAA International to increase the awareness of the Association and the JET Programme around the world
THE FUTURE OF JETAA INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
• Face-to-face meetings will continue to be the highest priority
• Virtual regional and specifically-themed meetings will be introduced
• Meetings will be quarterly in terms of regional, executive, and committee that are coordinated to happen with an organized timeframe with standardized reporting
At the 2010 International Meeting, the delegates attending also suggested a number of improvements that can be made to the JET Programme itself in order to ensure its longevity and long-term success.
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JET PROGRAMME
• Consider our stakeholders and their needs, and take appropriate steps to fulfill them. Our key stakeholders and their interests may include:
• Tax payers, (e.g.) value for money
• JTEs, (e.g.) satisfaction in the classroom
• Contracting Organizations/Local Authorities, (eg.) consistent quality of JET candidates
• Students, (e.g.) online viral marketing campaigns
• Public, (e.g.) increased coordination for media and outreach
• Create a proprietary teaching method (for all JETs to step into any classroom anywhere in Japan) or adapted TOEFL course as a part of the application process (acceptance pending the passing of the JET TOEFL course) (i.e.) JET is big enough to create their own supply chain
• Surveys done through the contracting organizations to see what they like in a perfect candidate to incorporate back into the interview process
2009-2010 JETAA International Executive Officers:
• Michelle Elliott, Executive Chair
• Ryan D. Hart, Executive Vice Chair
• Kay Dunkley, Executive Secretary
• Bob Schnyder, JETAA International Webmaster
2010-2011 JETAA International Executive Officers
• Shree Kurlekar, Executive Chair
• Barbara Gill, Executive Vice Chair
• Kay Dunkley, Executive Secretary
• David Boyd, Executive Public Relations
• Bob Schnyder, JETAA International Webmaster
JETAA Country Representatives:
• David Boyd, JETAA Australia
• Cristiane Megumi Hayato, JETAA Brazil
• Jameina Shah, JETAA Canada
• Yvonne Chu-Kit, JETAA France
• Lena Fitzsimons, JETAA Ireland
• Shawn Aarons, JETAA Jamaica
• John Ghanotakis, JETAA Japan
• Nicole Quinton, JETAA New Zealand
• Cathy Bateson, JETAA Northern Ireland
• Stephen Meredith, JETAA Scotland,
• Koh Yun, JETAA Singapore
• Nicky Furniss, JETAA South Africa
• Neil Taylor, JETAA Wales and England
• Rod McLeod, JETAA USA
• Shree Kurelkar, JETAA USA
• Jessyca Wilcox, JETAA USA