Minister Keizo Takewaka, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan, JICC Director Kiyoshi Takeuchi, Researcher /Adviser Mr. Shinichiro Kato, Commissioner Georgina P. Nava, Chairperson of the 39 th SSEAYP NOC, Ms. Yvette Ledesma, Chairman of the SIP, and the officers and delegates of the 39 th Ship for Southeast Asia Youth Program (SSEAYP)
JICC Director Kiyoshi Takeuchi gives his welcome remarks
Commissioner Georgina P. Nava, Chairperson of the 39th SSEAYP NOC
addresses the delegates
Chairman of the SIP, Ms. Yvette Ledesma,
shares the overview of the SSEAYP pre-departure activities
Former SSEAYP participant Ms. Sunny Rico
speaks of her experience aboard the ship
Minister Keizo Takewaka receives a token of appreciation from the officers and delegates
of the 39 th Ship for Southeast Asia Youth Program (SSEAYP)
28 Filipino students and young professionals will represent the Philippines as Ambassadors of Goodwill, and will leave on October 23, 2012 aboard the ship M/S Fuji/Maru for the 39 th Ship for Southeast Asia Youth Program (SSEAYP). With a total of 320 youths from ten ASEAN member countries and Japan, SSEAYP 2012 will sail for over 40 days from November to December 2012 in a journey to foster friendship, understanding, and cooperation.
A pre-departure orientation was held by the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) of the Embassy of Japan on October 10, 2012. Minister Keizo Takewaka, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan, welcomed the delegates into their new role as Ambassadors of Goodwill for the ASEAN countries. JICC Director Kiyoshi Takeuchi gave the delegates words of advice for their new roles as representatives of the country. Commissioner Georgina P. Nava, Chairperson of the 39th SSEAYP NOC gave words of encouragement to the delegates for their responsibilities as goodwill ambassadors, while chairman of the SIP, Ms. Yvette Ledesma, shared the overview of the SSEAYP pre-departure activities with the rest of the guests. Ms. Sunny Rico was also present to share her experiences and insights as a former SSEAYP participant.
Through the orientation, the delegates acquired basic Japanese social customs and manners to prepare for their stay in Japan. In addition to Japan, they will be visiting ports in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei Darussalam. The youth ambassadors for each country will be participating in activities such as cultural exchange and discussions, institutional visits and courtesy calls to dignitaries, and interaction with local communities. They will also take part in community service and home stay at local families.
SSEAYP, now on its 39th year, has been implemented annually since January 1974 as the joint program among Japan and ASEAN countries to promote friendship and mutual awareness among the Japanese and Southeast Asian youth. The program is sponsored and carried out by the Government of Japan with the active participation and cooperation of Southeast Asian countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. In the Philippines, the Embassy of Japan coordinates with the National Youth Commission (NYC) for the implementation of the program.
It is the goal of the Government of Japan, through the SSEAYP and its activities, to promote friendship and mutual understanding among the youths of Japan and the ten Southeast Asian countries, to broaden their perspective of the world, and to strengthen the spirit of international cooperation.
