60 RP youths head for Japan for Jenesys program

MANILA, Philippines - Sixty students and six teachers will leave for Japan Dec. 4 for the two-week Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (Jenesys) Programme. An article on the Japanese embassy website said the Japanese government chose the batch in cooperation with the American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Programs. "During their two-week stay, the students will experience home stay, interact not only with Japanese youths but also with youths from other countries; Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, India and Australia, and visit traditional cities like Tokyo, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima and historical sites there. All these activities aim to deepen the students' understanding on Japanese politics, diplomacy, economics, society and culture," the Japanese embassy said. Two other batches under Jenesys, through The National Youth Commission (NYC) as another implementing organization in the Philippines in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), are scheduled to take off for Japan in April 2009 ("ASEAN 10" Joint Programme) and May 2009 ("10-Day Visit" Japan Programme). Applications are still open until Dec. 5 for the "10-Day Visit" and Dec. 15 for the "ASEAN 10." Jenesys was launched based on the Japanese Government's announcement during the Second East Asia Summit (EAS) about the plan to invite 6,000 young people mainly from East Asia Summit (EAS) member countries to Japan every year for five years from 2007. The main objective of the programme is to promote mutual understanding through youth exchange within the region, thereby forming a strong solidarity among Asian countries. The Japanese government will shoulder all expenses, with cooperation from the Asean Secretariat. - GMANews.TV