Guideline for SWYAA Annual Country Reports January to December 2015

This is a general guideline for each SWYAA when writing the annual report. Each Alumni Association has the freedom to add/delete specific information. The annual report will be uploaded on the SWYAA official website. Photos related to major post-program activities of each Alumni Association should be sent together with the annual report (photos should be in jpeg, maximum 10 pictures in high resolution, please add explanation).

Deadline of submission of the annual reports: January 31, 2016 Please submit your report to: swyaa@iyeo.or.jp

Tick (✓ or � ) relevant answer/s or write necessary information. BASIC FACTS Basic facts about your country’s Alumni Association: Country United States of America Name of the organization SWYAA USA, Ship for World Youth Alumni Association of the

United States of America Organisational structure □ Umbrella organization of the government

□ Officially registered ✓ Voluntary group □ Other ( )

Board members (Name/batch)

President: Augustine “Auggie” Bartning (SWY17) Vice President: Amanda Pruitt (SWY20) Treasurer: Michelle “Zephyr” Williams (SWY20) Fellowship Director: Taishya Adams (SWY11, NL SWY17)

Number of members Total number of ex-PYs: 140-150 Active members: 20-30 Affiliate members: 50

Annual membership fee □ Yes ! How much? ( ) ✓ No (we are considering one for 2016)

Basic facts about your country’s participation in SWY: Which batches has your country

participated in? 12 Batches: SWY1 (1989), SWY3 (1991), SWY5 (1993), SWY7 (1995), SWY9 (1997), SWY11 (1999), SWY13 (2000), SWY14 (2001), SWY15 (2002), SWY16 (2004), SWY17 (2005), SWY20 (2008)

Which institution has conducted the selection process?

□ Japanese Embassy □ Government □ Youth organization ✓ SWYAA □ Other ( )

Which institution has conducted the pre-departure training?

□ Japanese Embassy □ Government □ Youth organization ✓ SWYAA □ Other ( )

How many days was the pre-departure training?

□ 1 day ✓ 2 – 3 days □ 4 – 6 days □ Other ( )

Communication:

How does your AA communicate internally with members and externally with non-members?

✓ Website ! www.swyaausa.org ✓ Newsletter ! Please attach a copy of the newsletter to this report □ Mailing list ✓ Blog ! www.swyaausa.org ✓ Facebook page (facebook.com/swyusa) ✓ Other (Twitter @swyaausa)

NETWORKING AND COLLABORATIONS WITH JAPAN AND THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY Important associates and

collaborators? □ Government sector (name: ) □ Japanese Embassy □ Japanese community □ Other organizations (name: )

Do you organize events with the Japanese Embassy?

□ Yes ! How often? ( ) ! What kind of events? ( ) ✓ No

Do you organize events with the Japanese community?

□ Yes ! How often? ( ) ! What kind of events? ( ) ✓ No

Activities from January to December 2015 Among all the activities listed, please indicate one event that you would like to be included in the official SWYAA Activity Report 2015 by writing “ * ” in front of the first column: “Name of the event” International reunions (Please write your AA has hosted an international reunion) Name of the event N/A Date of the event Hosting city How many participants?

From which countries? Number of domestic participants: Number of international participants: Names of the countries participated:

Please write a summary of the event

National reunions (Please write your AA has hosted a national reunion) Name of the event N/A Date of the event Hosting city How many participants? Please write a summary of the

event

Receiving ex-SWY participants Did you organize a “Homestay

+ 1” project for the visitors? If yes, please write in detail.

While many individual SWYers hosted or met with visitors, we are not aware of anyone organizing an official Homestay +1 project.

Voluntary (Social Contribution) projects – Post-Program Activities Name of the event Global Human Rights Program: Turkey Date of the event July 2015 Hosting city Washington, DC How many ex-PYs involved

and how many beneficiaries? 1 ex-PY 25 beneficiaries

Please write a summary of the event

SWY20 ex-PY Michelle “Zephyr” Williams (SWY20) organized an event for the Georgetown Prep International Summer Scholars program. The event carried on the spirit of SWY through an event relating to global human rights within an international educational program. The 2015 program focused on Turkey. High school students from the US and several other countries watched a film about a Kurdish family struggling with oppression by the Turkish

state. Zephyr facilitated a discussion before and after the film with the students, helping them to think about Turkey's geopolitics, minority issues, human rights, and discrimination - globally and within their own countries.

Name of the event “Women Empowering Their Global Communities:” UN Dinner Date of the event October 19, 2015 Hosting city Raleigh, NC How many ex-PYs involved

and how many beneficiaries? 1 ex-PY 50 beneficiaries

Please write a summary of the event

SWY20 ex-PY Amanda Pruitt, as an advisor to the Meredith International Association Board and committee member on the North Carolina State University Standing Committee for International Programs Board, worked together with international students to organize and host the United Nations Dinner. The theme of the event was "Women Empowering Their Global Communities." Former Director of Resource Development for The Salvation Army, Carlene Hill Byron, served as guest speaker, and several international students, garbed in their traditional dress, gave presentations about empowering women in their own communities. Meredith College faculty and students, a visiting scholar from China, and the local Raleigh community participated in the event, and Amanda Pruitt delivered the Vote of Thanks to commemorate the historic moment and express gratitude to all participants. We hope to extend the audience to this event to embrace more ex-PYs in the future.

* Name of the event Liberty English Camp Date of the event April 23-30, 2015

Hosting city Phoenix, AZ and Katerini, Greece How many ex-PYs involved

and how many beneficiaries? 1 ex-PY 35 beneficiaries

Please write a summary of the event

In April 2015, Auggie Bartning (SWY17) served as a facilitator for the Liberty English Camp program in Greece. Auggie presented on entrepreneurship and facilitated workshops to help students from Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Greece explore liberty from various perspectives. Liberty English Camp is an international-focused program designed for people who share common interests for liberty, entrepreneurship and free enterprise. Language of Liberty Institute, a Phoenix based organization, has collaborated with a number of other liberty-minded groups and local contributors in respective countries to create an exciting adventure opportunity for people of different nationalities to gain a better understanding of the world in economic, political and cultural terms. Auggie promoted the event to local SWYAA organizations.

OTHERS This is a space to freely write about other activity reports of 2015. If there is anyone from your AA who had major achievements in their professional work or voluntary activities, please include that information as well. Ex) Winning a major award, interviewed by major newspaper or TV, promoted to a significantly high position in companies

or government, OR, activities done by your alumni members but not under the umbrella (title) of “SWYAA.”

SWY USA GOVERNANCE UPDATE SWYAA USA has been focused on strengthening the organization. In 2015, we have launched a new website which aims to be a one-stop hub for alumni, revisited the governance structure and bylaws, published our first newsletter as an Associate Member which provided opportunities to engage SWY USA alumni, and designed and administered a member survey. The survey data will allow the association to better understand the needs and interests of alumni and other ex-PYs residing in the United States. SWY EXCHANGE/VISIT Auggie Bartning, SWY17 and Michiko Namakura Lawrence, who resides full-time in the United States, represented the United States at Global Assembly 9 in Suva, Fiji during August 2015. Auggie also participated in the unofficial pre-GA in New Zealand, which focused on the North Island and the important sites of the Maori people. Auggie Bartning hosted Onur Erdogan of Turkey (SWY17, NL SWY22) in Arizona during June 2015. They visited historically significant landmarks like Sedona and the Grand Canyon. In addition, they visited Levent of Turkey (SWY17) together in Los Angeles, California. Auggie met with Piotr Holubowicz (SWY17, Poland) and Carolina Alvarado (SWY17, Venezuela) when they visited Sedona in October 2015. SWY USA EXCHANGE/VISIT Maz Gavrielov of New York (SWY17) met with or hosted Levent of Turkey (SWY17) in May 2015, Taishya Adams of Colorado (SWY17) in October 2015 and Daniel of Costa Rica (SWY17) in October 2015.

Paul Hussein Foppe (SWY13) hosted a mini-SWY reunion in San Francisco last March 2015 with ex-PYs from SWY 21, SWY24 and SWY27, including Jaime Raúl Sotomayor Barrios and Hiroshi Hironaka of Peru, Hirona Hono and Minako Yoshida.

Dahlia Lahiji (SWY14, NL20), Maz Gavrielov (SWY17) and Lakeesha Ransom (SWY15) went on a cultural immersion experience of Cuba in January 2015.

Amanda Pruitt (SWY20) was an advisor to the Meredith International Association Board and committee member on the North Carolina State University Standing Committee for International Programs Board. She worked together with international students to organize and host the United Nations Dinner with the event theme being "Women Empowering Their Global Communities."