MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-eight Filipino delegates took off for Japan on Oct. 25 to board the goodwill ship M/S Fuji Maru as participants of the Ship for Southeast Asia Youth Program (SSEAYP). The delegates will be participating in several activities, such as institutional visits, interaction with local communities, cultural exchange and discussions, and the significant “Japan-ASEAN Youth Leaders Summit” during their nine-day stay in Japan. On Nov. 4, the Fuji Maru will be departing the port of Yokohama to set sail to ports of call in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam; it is scheduled to return to Japan on Dec. 15.
In each port of call in Southeast Asia, the youth ambassadors will take part in country programs such as studying the various aspects of respective countries, paying courtesy calls to dignitaries, visiting various institutions for the purpose of exchange programs with local people, community service and home stay. While cruising towards different ports of call, discussions on relevant social and youth issues, solidarity group activities, sports, recreation and club activities, cultural introductions as well as lifeboat drills, will keep the youth ambassadors enthusiastic.
SSEAYP, now in its 37th year, has been implemented annually since January 1974 as a joint program among Japan and ASEAN countries to promote friendship and mutual awareness among the Japanese and Southeast Asian youth. The program is sponsored and carried out by the government of Japan with the active participation and cooperation of Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines , Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In the Philippines , the Embassy of Japan coordinates with the National Youth Commission (NYC) for the implementation of the program. The NYC headed the inter-agency screening panel that selected the Filipino delegates, and also organized a month-long pre-departure orientation for the participants, which included a visit to the Embassy of Japan on July 22, 2010, where Ambassador Makoto Katsura gave a briefing including a question and answer session on Philippines-Japan relations.
It is our high expectation that through this rare opportunity, the delegates will become ambassadors of goodwill with mutual appreciation and understanding of the respective cultures among Japan and ASEAN member countries.
Interested applicants for next year’s SSEAYP are advised to visit www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp regularly for updates and other exchange programs.