2007 Global Youth Exchange Program
1. General Theme:
Youth Culture in the past, today and future - Searching influences given by youth culture -
2. Dates:
27 August to 10 September, 2007
3. Venues:
Tokyo, Kyoto and Fukuoka
4. Participants:
26 participants from 24 countries/areas
- Asia-Pacific: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
- North/South America: Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, United States
- Europe: France, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, U.K., Ukraine, Uzbekistan
- Middle East/Africa: Qatar, Senegal, Tunisia
5. The Program:
The participants from various regions carried intensive discussion and exchange of views, overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers. The results of the discussion were put together into a "Proposal," and a public symposium was held based on it. The participants also deepened their understanding of Japan through visits to local communities and exchanges with Japanese people.
(1) Discussions
The participants undertook discussions during their stay in Japan toward a public symposium under the general theme of "Youth Culture in the past, today and in the future - Searching influences given by youth culture -." Especially in Fukuoka they had intensive discussion sessions.
The participants drew up a "Proposal" as a result of group discussions/plenary sessions on the sub-themes of the program: (1) Youth Visual Culture (from Hitchcock to Hayao Miyazaki); (2) Youth Music (From The Beatles to J-POP); and (3) Youth Lifestyle (From Coco Chanel to MUJI).
* The Proposal was drew up based on discussions and each participant's personal knowledge and experience within limited time. Although there are some interpretations on specific phenomenon or persons which seem to be limited interpretation or presumption, it is regarded as a reflection of the diversity of views and opinions among the participants.
(2) Public Symposium
A public symposium was held on Saturday, September 8th, at Tokyo University (Hongo Campus), Tokyo. The keynote lecture was made by Prof. HAMANO, Yasuki of the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo, and a talk session with Prof. HAMANO and Mr. HARA, Keiichi (director) followed. Then the participants made presentation on the Proposal to the audiences.
The participants cited many examples from pop cultures in Japan and in other countries. In the panel discussion, the participants actively exchange their views on the topics such as recent trend of Japan's pop culture, and local cultures in the countries where the participants came from.
(3) Farewell Reception
At the farewell reception, Mr. Tomohiko TANIGUCHI, Deputy Director-General for the Press and Public Relations of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a farewell speech. In his speech, he appreciated the participants' efforts, knowing that the discussions were often continued until midnight, and wished the friendship and the network among the participants will develop further.
(4) Lectures etc.
To better understand the general theme and Japan, the participants attended lectures with Q&A sessions given by the following lecturers:
(a) Lecture by Prof. Etsuo GENDA, Department of Visual Communication Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University
(b) Courtesy call to Mr. Wataru ASO, Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture and lecture on the efforts by Fukuoka Prefecture on Youth Culture
(c) Participation to the 7th Asian International Forum in Fukuoka ("Pop culture across borders: Youth culture bridging Fukuoka and Asia")
(5) Visiting local cities and home stay
To better understand Japanese culture, the participants visited temples in Kyoto and experienced Japanese traditional work like WAGASHI (Japanese sweets) making and Chochin (lantern) painting. After moving to Fukuoka, each participant stayed at the home of a host family over the weekend and enjoyed a warm welcome and a typical daily life of a Japanese family.
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