The Ship for World Youth (SWY) is a unique international cultural
exchange program organised by the Government of Japan. The most prestigious
program of its kind, SWY brings together over 250 youth from around the world to
learn about international cooperation and mutual understanding.
Over a two-month period,
participants are involved in a wide range of activities aimed at fostering
cultural sensitivity, cross- cultural understanding and friendship. Most of the
program is conducted onboard the cruise liner Fuji Maru, with some activities
scheduled in Japan,
and others in a number of seaports that are visited in the course of the
voyage.
Commencing in 1989, the program is run on an annual basis. Each year a
different mix of nations is invited to participate and different ports both
East and West of Japan of call are incorporated into the itinerary.
SWY Aims
FOSTER the spirit of international cooperation and the
competence to practice it
PROMOTE friendship and mutual understanding between the youth
of Japan
and the youth of other parts of the world
BROADEN the international awareness of participants
DEVELOP youth capable of playing leading roles in various
sectors of their societies and in turn contribute to the sound development of
young people in their respective countries
Why do we need
the requested sponsorship?
. Cover costs of the young delegation prior to leaving for Japan- Uniforms, Travel, Delegation meetings and team
building sessions. $1360 per delegate is needed. $16,320 altogether.
. At this point there is No government funding which there has been in the past.
•Part of our
responsibilities as participants is to present gifts to the many officials and
dignitaries we will meet throughout the program. Gifts are presented to
individuals as representatives of their Governments and Countries. Therefore we
are seeking appropriate quality gifts for this purpose.
•Another
responsibility is to present as much information as we can about the Australian
lifestyle, culture, society, economy and history.
•We believe
that different organisations represent important parts of the Australian
culture and their sponsorship and exposure would add value to the program.
What are the
Participants Contributing Themselves?
•While all the
participants’ costs travelling to the ship and on board are covered, each of
the participants is contributing a substantial amount of time and money to this
project.
•The estimated
personal contribution from each participant is in excess of $1000.
•Each
participant will also contribute approximately 300 hours of preparation time in
addition to the 60 days of the program itself.
What are the
Benefits for Organisations?
•The main
benefit we can offer is knowing that you are supporting a delegation of young
ambassadors who have been chosen to represent Australia in this youth program
•Some of the
benefits are that organisations will reach an audience of over 260
international participants that have been selected to represent their countries
as future leaders in their respective fields.
•Organisations
are welcome to promote the fact that they have been part of an official
delegation that visited such dignitaries as the Crown Prince of Japan, the
Prime Minister of Japan, Presidents, Prime Ministers and other dignitaries of
participating countries. We will provide organisations with a certificate
stating this fact.
•We have our
own website for the Ship for World Youth Australian Alumni Assoc. We are happy
to include sponsoring organisation’s name and logo on this site.
SWY 22 will be visiting Japan, Singapore,
the United Arab Emirates and
India with delegates from 13
countries including: Japan, Australia, India,
Sri Lanka, UAE, Oman, the HellenicRepublic, Yemen,
Kenya, Ecuador, Turkey,
Bahrain and Egypt.
The Government of Japan
plans, organises, implements and finances the Ship for World Youth. Each year a
number of countries are invited to send a delegation to join the program.
Selection of each delegate is the responsibility of each participating nation -
the delegates themselves are ambassadors
for their country.
As representatives of their country, participants are expected to share with
others the views that the youth of their nation hold on a variety of issues.
They prepare presentations designed to showcase their country, research and
deliver papers on pertinent topics, and prepare to engage in dialogue with
participants on a range of subjects.
In recent years, the formal discussion
program has included such topics as: reform of the United Nations; globalisation; the environment; women and
gender issues; and volunteerism.
The program commences with the arrival of overseas participants in Japan
. Participants spend a few days in Tokyo
partaking in a number of institutional visits and experiencing some of the
culturally significant parts of the city. Participants then spend a few days on
a homestay with a Japanese family in
another Prefecture
of Japan . This
opportunity to live with a family and experience Japanese life firsthand is a
highlight of the program. The homestay is a fantastic opportunity for
participants to not only learn about Japanese family life, but to also share
with their host family, what life is like in their own country. Many strong
bonds of friendship develop and it is not uncommon for participants and their
host families to continue to correspond and visit each other after the
conclusion of the program.
Life on the shipis an amazing experience. With
participants from a diverse range of countries eating, sleeping, working and
living side-by-side for weeks on end, there are many opportunities for improving cultural understanding, learning
the principles of international cooperation and indeed for individual personal growth.
The formal program encompasses a range
of activities that contribute to one or more of the objectives of SWY. The
specific activities and focus areas differ from year to year, however the
following are indicative of the types of activities that participants engage
in:
•cultural
exchanges
•sports
activities
•lectures by
international field specialists
•formal and
informal discussions
•social events
•national
presentations
The informal program is just as
important in achieving the SWY objectives. Barriers and misconceptions are
overcome as participants talk over lunch, minds are widened and new
perspectives become possible during dinner conversations, and life long
friendships are cemented as participants sing and dance well into the night.
Are the problems of the world going to be solved on this two-month program?
Possibly, but probably not. What the program does do however is encourage participants to challenge the
filtersthrough which they view the
world and illustrate that people from different nations can live together
peacefully, learn from each other and work together to overcome differences and
misunderstandings.
Ship for
World Youth History
In 1967, the Japanese
government celebrated the centenary of the Meiji Restoration by launching the
Japanese Youth Goodwill Cruise Program. This initiative provided many Japanese
Youth with an opportunity to travel overseas – something that they would have
found difficult to do on their own. With 300 Japanese participants and 50
overseas participants, the focus of this program was to help Japanese youth see
the world.
In the late 1980s, as a response to the increased role Japan played in international affairs, the rapid
increase in internationalisation in many fields, and the changing social environment
within Japan,
the Japanese Government recognised the need to refocus their international
youth exchange programs. As a result, the Japanese Youth Goodwill Cruise
Program was reorganised and emerged as the Ship for World Youth, with a focus
on promoting exchange between the youth of Japan and other participating
nations.
Approximately 120 Japanese youth and 150 overseas youth participate in SWY each
year. The first SWY was in 1989 and since then over 3,500 youth from around the
world have experienced the program.
In 1999 SWY went through another reorganisation. Up to and including SWY11 in
early 1999, SWY had been organised in an East-bound, West-bound fashion. This
meant that in odd numbered years only nations in the Western hemisphere would
be invited to participate and be ports of call for SWY. Similarly, in even
numbered years only nations in the Eastern hemisphere would be invited to
participate and be ports of call. However, from SWY12 at the end of 1999, each
year nations from both hemispheres are now invited to participate, making the
program truly a ship for world youth.
SWY 22 will
be visiting Japan, Singapore, the United
Arab Emirates and India
with delegates from 13 countries including: Japan,
Australia, India, Sri Lanka,
UAE, Oman, the HellenicRepublic,
Yemen, Kenya, Ecuador,
Turkey, Bahrain and Egypt.
