Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Quinton Lee | Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Gabriel Fields, a reporter from American...... read more read more
SASEBO, Japan (Oct. 18, 2022) – Students from E.J. King Middle and High School joined local Japanese students from Sasebo schools for a two-day Youth Exchange Program 2022 event at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo’s (CFAS) E.J. King Middle High School, Oct. 15-16.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity – Pacific (DoDEA), with support from U.S. Embassy and consulates in Japan and U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ), sponsor the annual program which brings local Japanese students and DoDEA students together to participate in educational and cultural exchange activities.
“This program provides a great opportunity for students of Japan and the United States to forge new friendships, which, we hope, would enhance in the long run even better relationships between the two countries at both the community and national levels,” said Mr. Baba Ryuji, Director of Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
During the two-day event, American and Japanese middle and high school students participated in hands-on activities designed to foster diverse perspectives, promote mutual understanding, bridge language barriers, and develop problem-solving skills.
On the first day of the camp, students introduced themselves, discussed group names and taglines, and exchanged greetings in their native languages. On the second day, students competed in games, shared information about their daily lives, and worked in groups to design a mascot character to promote the theme of Japanese and U.S. friendship.
“I joined the program to practice my Japanese with the Japanese students, and to get to know more about their culture,” said Ryder Sperl, an E.J. King student. “My favorite part of the program was the group activities because I was able to get to know people that I don’t see very often, from E.J. King and Sasebo.”
Yukino Kawashiri, a Japanese student, added, “At first I was extremely nervous because I thought I couldn’t make friends but everyone was so nice that I’m glad I was I able to be here. I look forward to participating in more cultural exchange events to get to know more about the American culture. I also want to be more fluent in speaking English.”
Participants were presented awards on the second day for their participation by Shingo Miyamoto, deputy director-general of the MOFA North American Affairs Bureau; Erin Grazak, chief of staff for DoDEA Pacific East District; Sasebo Mayor Norio Tomonaga; Shinya Nishimoto, director of the Sasebo Board of Education; Command Master Chief Dennis Hunt; and Lorenzo Brown, principal at E.J. King Middle High School. Brown said that he was thankful that MOFA and DODEA held the event which provided an opportunity for the students to participate in a cultural exchange.
“It is a great opportunity for our students to interact with the Japanese students to learn more about their educational system and for the Japanese students to learn more about the American education system,” said Brown. “We are appreciative of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DODEA Pacific, Pacific East District, and CFAS for making this event possible for our students and Japanese partners.”
In addition to the event at CFAS, the MOFA - DoDEA Pacific Youth Exchange Program held events at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Camp Lester Marine Corps Base in Okinawa earlier this year. Events at Misawa Air Base, Camp Zama, Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, and Yokota Air Base are schedule for late 2022 and early 2023.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2022 03:32 |
| Story ID: | 431522 |
| Location: | SASEBO, NAGASAKI, JP |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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