SWY Alumni Association
Who are they & what do they do?
Overview
Each country has an association for alumni members, founded for the purpose of continuing the spirit that was fostered through the SWY program. The international SWY Alumni Association (SWYAA) promotes and supports the spirit of leadership towards achieving cross-cultural understanding, international cooperation and world peace developed during SWY and its succeeding programs.
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28 countries are registered as full members, 7 countries as associate members, and including those who have not yet officially registered, there is a network of a total of 64 countries around the world that are involved in various social contribution activities.
SWYAA Objectives
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Maintain the network of the former participants of the SWY program and its succeeding programs;
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Sustain international friendship and strengthen cooperation among the member countries;
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Engage in activities that contribute to the home country and the international society;
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Support and develop leaders in the home country and member countries who will contribute to society;
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Strengthen ties with the local government in charge of youth affairs;
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Strengthen ties with the embassies of the member countries and especially the Japanese Embassy; and
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Strengthen ties with the Japanese community.
SWYAA Activities
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SWYAA Global Assembly (GA)
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International Reunion, which was held at a port of call on the SWY program route, was reformed into SWYAA Global Assembly from 2007. Any active SWYAA is given an opportunity to hold an annual Global Assembly, which is not merely an international reunion for the former participants, but also a forum to discuss post-program activities and how to promote social contribution locally and internationally. The conference for Post-Program Activities is an opportunity for the participants to understand the activities taking place in different countries, and also to share project outcomes.​ Due to the recent challenges of COVID-19, the GA has even been hosted online by in recent years.
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Ship for World Youth Alumni Association Tokyo Conference (Past Participant Conference)
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Prior to COVID-19, this annual conference was sponsored by the Cabinet Office, the Japanese Government, and attended by SWYAA representatives. The purpose of this conference was to exchange information on the development of post-program activities, as well as the structure and depth of each country’s SWYAA, which provide the foundation for such activities. An additional objective of the conference was to have discussions to develop an international network of holistic ties between each country and the International Youth Exchange Organisation (IYEO) in Japan. Participants discussed how the SWYAA network can be used in activities for the betterment of society, future directions of post-program activities, and how former participants can contribute to the programs.
