USA-SWYAAShip for World Youth Alumni Association

Making Wavesthe official newsletter of the

summer 2005

1

WReturn from SWY 17

hen asked to jot down a bit about our experiences on SWY

17, I thought, sure, no problem- I'll write while I

sleep and revise while I dream. After all, I've never been at a loss when regurgitating those 2 months of phenomenal experience, so this would be a breeze. It was as good as signed, sealed, and delivered- pop the collar, put on some tunes and ride off into a blazing pink orange sunset. Funny…cause now that I've begun to put ink to paper, I'm coming up stone cold- not like Austin, more like Boston (in winter naturally…) But I digress.

I guess the challenge lays in the fact that all of you already know what I'm about to tell you- you've met the amazing people, built the lifelong friendships, seen the NPs, been moved by what you discovered, and had the conversations that forever leave a mark. True to form you've also more than likely tasted the fruits of a late night kitchen raid, cut some rug both poolside and on the infamous 6th floor, hopped out the back window of the GB, taking in the stars while standing in your birthday suit; who knows, maybe some of you even stole a kiss from a fellow wave rider one night…

So how do I sell you something you already own? Simple… I don't.

Our experiences on the 17th version of the ship were as different from yours as they were the same, and as similar as they were unique, and I think that's where some of the magic lays. It's an open ended recipe- take 256 personalities from 13 different countries, add a splash of sun, a whole lot of water, sprinkle with your choice of variables and let marinate for 2 months. You'll

世界青年の船十七番

(continued on p. 4)

by Gabe Wahila

Issue 2

summer 2005

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The Board 紹介

elections

The annual elections for the Board of the USA-SWYAA were held in May for the positions of President,Vice President, Fellowship Director, Treasurer, and Secretary. As a collective team, the 2005 Board will do its best to build on the great work of its predecessors!

introducing

Paul Foppe, President

SWY-13

Sean DeBlieck Vice President

SWY-11

From Illinois, Paul Foppe spent much of his college years working with service-learning, homeless advocacy and assistance, and community development. He chaired an umbrella s e r v i c e organization called Volunteer Illini P r o j e c t s ; c o o r d i n a t e d Alternative Spring

Breaks; and served on the Illinois Commission for Community Service. During his graduate years, Paul worked with the North American Street Newspaper Association to start a newspaper written and distributed by homeless men and women. While he was a part of the East St. Louis Action Research Project, he worked on affordable housing, community-university partnerships, and neighborhood organizing. He has also served as a volunteer crisis counselor for mental health agency; facilitated low-ropes courses for LeaderShape, a national college student training and networking program; and he spoke to over 2,000 college students about sexual assault prevention as a Campus Acquataince Rape Education (CARE) faciltator.

Through the Japan-U.S. Community Education and Exchangee, Paul launched oversees to work in Osaka, Japan, at an alcoholic center for the homeless, in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. Afterwards, he joined SWY 13, as they sailed to Russia, Taihiti, Tonga, New Zealand, and Singapore. He returned two more times to Japan to help coordinate United Nations Year of the Volunteer conferences in Nagano and Tokyo while volunteering with IYEO, the International Youth Exchange Organization. Last year, Paul taught English to high school and junior high school students in a cabbage-making countryside Japanese village. His village made news recently when the volcano in town Mt.

Asama started burbing and ruining the cabbage and breaking a few windows.

Originally from northern Minnesota, Sean has spent more than half of the last ten years overseas, most recently working for the United N a t i o n s D e v e l o p m e n t Programme in Albania. Following his experience on SWY-11, he returned to Japan and spent three years working for a city government at the base of Mt. Fuji, where he

coordinated international events, translated, and led hikes on Japan's highest peak. Sean is a recent graduate of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he received a MA in international policy studies. At present, he is the Site Administrator for the Program on Security and Development (SAND), a research organization focusing on such issues as landmines, child soldiers, and the proliferation of small arms. His interests include sea kayaking, hiking, kendo, and chess. He lives with his wife Mai (a JPY from SWY-11), and daughter Pacifica, in Monterey, California.

Mirentxu Arrivillaga hails from Arlington, VA and completed her undergrad at New York University. Thereafter she stayed in New York for a few years and worked in New Business Development for Lowe Worldwide, a large

Mirentxu Arrivillaga, Fellowship Director

SWY-17

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Thomas Iverson, Treasurer SWY 17

Mazal Gavrielov, Secretary SWY 17

A MessageFrom the President

advertising firm. She is now in the process of receiving her masters at the Johns Hopkins school of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC. As the only American in her family, she stems from a Belgian and Chilean heritage and travels frequently to visit her family throughout Europe and South America. Her interests are skiing, water skiing, sailing, and teaching her spinning classes.Mirentxu was an Assistant National Leader on the Ship for World Youth 17.

I am the lucky daughter of entrepreneurial parents and sister to two brothers and two sisters. I was raised in Queens, New York for as long as I can remember. I live in New York and am a lawyer for the New York City Law Department. I started my law career practicing immigration law and hope to return to it soon. I am a volunteer with New York Cares and HIAS (Hebrew Immigration Aid Society) and some other smaller organizations. I enjoy traveling and have studied abroad twice and traveled through Europe, Asia and the Middle East. I am really excited about being a member of the SWYUSA Alumni Association and I look forward to working with the other members.

reetings from lovely Ithaca, New York. Visiting the land of gorges to attend SWY

13's Julie Daum's wedding. As the t-shirts say, "Ithaca is Gorges" with its abundant waterfalls and gorges that speckle its landscape. Since returning from Japan in August 2004, I've been lucky enough to work with a series of leadership conferences out of D.C. and Boston. I've worked with junior high school as well as high school students from all 50 states. I've been a part of programming for conferences on leadership; on careers in

nursing; on George Bush's Inauguration; and on careers in defense, intelligence, and diplomacy. Most recently, I worked with the Global Young Leaders Conference, which brought together 3,300 high school students from 105 countries for a networking and leadership experience that took place for six days in D.C. and six more days in New York. We ran the conference seven times from June to August and in so many ways reminds me of our shared Ship for World Youth experiences.Highlights of the summer really are the students whose lives are touched by our work. This includes working with one student Samaa bin Laden who is the neice of a guy named Osama and another student named Aysha who emmigrated from Afghanistan to Indonesia to New Zealand. Regarding Samaa, she was listening to another student from the U.S., unaware of the connection to her famous uncle, rave about how terrorists and all of their families should be killed after September 11 to pay for the pain he caused. After his steam died down from a few minutes of venting, Samaa politely explained that she is Osama bin Laden's niece and asked if that American student still felt that she should be killed as part of Osama's family. It was one of those priceless learning moments that even Mastercard would have a hard time buyingRegarding another student named Aysha, around four years ago there was a boat of refugees from Indonesia trying to emmigrate to Australia. While waiting for clearance to dock in Australia, the boat started to break down, and the refugees had to get rescued by a passing freighter. After two weeks of waiting for entry in Australia, the boat gave up hope of entry into the land down under and instead made its way to New Zealand. Aysha and her family were part of that ship, which is why she lives as a Kiwi today. Being able to be facilitate these experiences is such a motivation for me to work these conferences and their at times 90 hour work weeks. It's also the same reason why myself and the other members of the U.S. Alumni Association (Mirentxu, Mazal, Tommy, and Sean) have stepped up and agreed to a more active role in doing what we can to continue on the experience we shared on board the Nippon Maru; to continue on the work on the Alumni who have helped the organization get to the point where it is at now; and to have some fun along the way. The other members of the board truly have stepped up. These past few weeks, Mirentxu, Mazal, Tommy, and Sean have continued the work of their predecessors. Mirentxu (or "Txu" for short) is taking over the website and possibly getting it contracted out to a developer to polish it up from where Spyke left off. Mazal (or "Maz" for short) and Txu put together a profile on www.friendster.com to further connect the SWY family at the individual to individual level. Tommy is nearly finished transferring our finances into the ownership of the new board. Sean really led the selection process for the Renaissance Conference and is the energizer bunny behind the newsletter you are currently reading. All of these are explained in more detail throughout these pages. I want to also extend supersized arigatou gozaimasu and thanks to the alumni who have offered their help throughout this transition process - Dahlia, Spyke, Pete, Halima, Steffanie, Tamae, Steve, Blanca, Jim, Ryan, Terry, Andra, Carolina, Mirna, Mario, and Amy. The alumni association is really what we do with it. We make it what it is. With that said, I am looking forward to what we make in the coming weeks and months.

G

Paul Foppe

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get something different every time, but it's guaranteed to taste sugary sweet, and succulently delightful. Regardless of these differences though, I think it's safe to say that we all left a part of ourselves on the Nippon Maru. Likewise, because of the similarities, I'm guessing we all took a little bit of something with us as we tore ourselves away from her and stepped foot onto a dock that brought us back to reality- a reality that was likely very different from the one we left behind. Here for your dining pleasure, is a sampling of our voyage:Our gang met in Lake Arrowhead, California for a predeparture get-together, an experience "enhanced" by the constant rain and simultaneous snow melt that left both us and our house drenched and presented the first round of challenges. Turns out you don't need snow chains after all…Our journey to T- town and the land of the rising sun was fairly uneventful as far as 12 hour flights go. We arrived safely, were shuttled to the ANA hotel, and began meeting the faces that would soon become forever welded to our memories. Joining us on our voyage were delegates from Kenya, Poland, Mexico, Turkey, Australia, Fiji, Mauritius, Venezuela, Canada, New Zealand, Costa Rica and of course Japan.

We elected to take a jaunt around Asakusa, healed some pesky ailments with the incense burning at Sensoji Temple, and some us learned via our fortunes that according to the gods, now was not an ideal time to be taking a trip…especially over water. Turns out, we dared fate and came out on top. True to form, we spent a couple of days doing the gaijin thing in Roppongi and Shibuya, but any lack of Japanese culture we suffered from this indulgence was more than made up for by our homestay experiences in Fukuoka. Two days and two nights later I think many of us felt as if though we had found our way to the family we never knew we had. Come "goodbye" some were moved to tears, some held on until the very last moment, and all were touched by the genuine hospitality, and overwhelming generosity, warmth and kindness of our hosts. Little did we know, our goodbyes would only become more difficult. We headed back to Tokyo and the Youth Olympic Center where we readied ourselves for the big moment. Before we laid eyes on our buoyant home though, it was off to the United Nations University where a question and answer session provided the arena for a cross-cultural open-ended discussion. Back to the bus, a little drive to Yokohama, process through immigration, and then, at long last, our moment had

come. We stepped foot onto the Nippon Maru, goofy grins on our faces.

Like kids in a candy shop, we were all smiles as the horn roared our approaching departure. Decked out in black and red, we stood along the top floor's rail as we pulled away from Yokohama Harbor, a trail of colorful strands all that bound us to land. And then finally, a yellow red strand woven together tore from its hold under the persistent will of Ms. Maru- we were off under a sinking smoldering sun.

Outside of some minor bouts with sea sickness, the boat was nothing short of bliss; Saipan,

Sydney, Wellington, and Suva were our playgrounds and classrooms. Each swell brought us into warmer and warmer weather and gradually jackets and jeans gave way to shorts and sandals. Refueling in Saipan gave us a day at the beach, a chance to call home and an opportunity to stock up on rations. Anxiousness and

enthusiasm marked the days leading up to our arrival in Sydney, but man, was the wait

ever worth it! Under the rays of a sun still rising, we sailed into Sydney Harbor, past the Opera House, and under Sydney Bridge; at the risk of sounding corny and generic, words can't come close to describing the moment. Among

tons of other things, we hit up the Opera House and Sydney Zoo, strolled along Bondi Beach,

played lawn balls and enjoyed the laid back demeanor of the city. "I am, you are, we are Australia…" Wellington snuck up on us as most of us were still

dreaming, but the disappointment of missing our arrival was short lived at most. The sheer beauty of the country was overwhelming and we were left inspired by the way

Like kids in a

candy shop, we were all smiles as the horn roared our approaching

departure.

(continued from p.1)

USA-SWYAAShip for World Youth Alumni Association

Making Wavesthe official newsletter of the

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おり、昨年からの「クラゲとアート」に引き

続き、今年４月からは「サメ・マジックとミス

テリー」が開幕されている。同展覧会を訪

れた２０人の親子を対象に行った調査では

、両親と子供の好みの展覧会が異なってい

るものの、将来に親子が「クジラを見たい」

と言った声が寄せられている。

　４月１日に、モントレー水族館はサメにつ

いての展覧会を開幕した。その日から、約１

００万人が訪ねった。発表した調査により、

クラゲ展覧会に比べて、子供に対して大ヒッ

ト見通しだ。子供の約４分の１は、「サメの

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(continued from p.1)yKiwis embrace and live their indigenous culture. We had the privilege of spending a day with a family in a mini homestay and many of us left New Zealand's shores with greenstone hanging around our necks. Fiji extended the warmest welcome of all, and I'm not just talking about the heat. Shortly after arriving we walked in a Peace Parade in which SWY 17 was the sole focus. Our route led us through the city center and down streets teaming with people curious to see just what all the excitement was about. The skies were filled with color as countless flags from thirteen countries danced in the sweet island breeze. Our visit to a Fijian village was incredibly powerful and memorable - we were treated to a kava ceremony as honored guests, and enjoyed a traditional lunch, steam cooked to perfection in an earthen pit. Most of us didn't stop dancing until we were forced back on the bus. Our NP went off beautifully- we used a TV inspired format, creating skits of well known shows as vehicles for communicating aspects of our culture. Components included a starting lineup intro tuned to "Eye of the Tiger", a weather report, Sportscenter, Crossfire, SNL, MTV News, Family Feud, and a guest appearance by Andre 3000 and his entourage of smokin hot cheerleaders. Shortly afterwards, we hosted our party. We chose Mardi Gras as the theme and I think it's safe to say that it lived up to its name. Beads leapt from neck to neck and there was an impromptu drag queen walk off that went at least 20 deep. Rumor has it there are videos floating around and I've even heard that some of them have made their way to online sites where they command a hefty chunk of change. There were however a few things that were totally unique to SWY17. For the first time, delegates were obligated to select a topic from one of the following: United Nations, Health and Education, Economy, International Understanding, Communication/ Media of Environment. In addition to "class times" while at sea, a large portion of port of call activities were dictated by ones chosen course. Each discussion was led by a facilitator and an assistant from the staff, and at the conclusion of the program, a course discussion forum was held in order to communicate what each group had discovered and learned. True to the spirit of the program, delegates took it upon themselves to organize a tsunami relief fund in order to benefit those affected by the devastation of the tsunami. Delegates organized a silent and live auction, planned a carnival day complete with face painting and fortune telling, ran a Valentine's Day card shop, organized a basketball tournament, and a handful of other activities. As a group, we focused on one common goal and managed to collect a mighty sum for this purpose.

Inevitably though, that final week, final day, and final moment found us. You've all been there- you've lived the drama and chaos, felt the uncertainty and sadness, and known the cluster of emotions that flood your being as you

walk the trail of tears leading to the gangway. It feels so permanent on some levels and absolutely

incomprehensible on so many others- I just couldn't seem to wrap my mind around what was taking place. Over the course of the cruise we had been

tested and challenged on so many levels. We rode the waves of awe, frustration, beauty, confusion,

discovery, and loads else to a place that we will forever hold dear to our hearts. The hugs

and smiles guaranteed that this was not goodbye; if you couldn't see it there, then

surely you saw it in my eyes, as I saw it in yours looking back at me. You go

your way and I'll go mine, test yourself and your world, see what you can find, pursue your instincts and dreams and know that one day, someplace, we'll find our way back to each other. The moment is here- just enough time to steal one last kiss before I go- there's so

much we have left to share- here's my promise to find my way back to

you. See you soon and forever know that I'll "love you long time..."

Rumor has it there are videos

floating around and... some of

them have made their way to online sites where they command a hefty

chunk of change.

summer 2005

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Happenings.

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出来事

The U.S. State Departent has handled the selection and management of the U.S. delegations of the Ship for World Youth Program up until the last few years. Only recently has the U.S. Alumni Association earned enough trust to take over these duties. A close connection among the Alumni Association, the State Department, as well as the Embassy of Japan in the U.S. helps to continue that the trust from our colleagues. In a recent exchange of e-mails between Dahlia Lahiji and our contact Carmina Ignacio gives kudos to the Japanese Embassy's opinion of our efforts. This is what Ms. Iganico, the Assistant to the Education Attache at the Embassy of Japan, wrote:

When I said that the US SWY Alumni Association was "on top of things," I severely understated the truly awesome job you are all doing! From all that I've read, it really does look like everything is under control - what a relief! All I can say is thank you again for all the hard work and dedication.

To build upon this relationship, Ms. Ignacio, Mr. Kamiyo (Education Attache), Ms. Lantz (State Department), and other members of the US Alumni living in D.C. are trying to meet in person in the coming weeks. Look for more on the results of this exchange on the U.S

Update from the Japanese Embassy in D.C.

A series of fortunate events...in NewYorkThe hardest thing to do at the completion of SWY17 was say good-bye to our new friends who so quickly became our family. Adjusting to life without seeing everyone on a daily basis took some getting used to. The SYW 17 NYC alumni were fortunate to have four of us here to talk about our e x p e r i e n c e . Additionally, within a month of our return, we began to have other vsitors. Since returning from SWY17 in March of 2005, NYC has been privileged to have a number of visitors from Japan, Mexico, the US and Costa Rica.--Mazal, SWY 17

From Left to Right:Yumiko Kato- JapanTxu Arivillaga- USAAuggie Bartning- USAMazal Gavrielov- USA

Yumiko Kato- JapanFred Doulton (UN Advisor, SWY 17)

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From Left to RightAuggie - USA

Melissar- MEXICOJosh - USATxu - USA

Mazal - USAMari - Japan

Celebrating Txu's Birthday-

(From left to right)Auggie - USATxu - USALuis - MEXICOMazal - USAMelissa - MEXICOHector o- MEXICO

Visitors from Mexico

From left to right:

Taishya -SWY 11; SWY17, NLJosh - SWY17Txu - SWY17,

Auggie - SWY17Mazal -SWY17

SWY 17USA Reunion

Rachel Benoff SWY 15 USA, Andra Moss SWY 3 USA, Mazal Gavrielov SWY 17 USA, Augustine Bartning SWY 17 USA, Dahlia Lahiji SWY 14 USA, Mirna Torres SWY 14 USA, Fausto Senderos SWY 13 Mexio

A multi-national multi-ship reunion was held in NYC in July!

what's next?rumor has it that the nextSWY-AA event will be in Chicago....and that by the end of the year, the West Coast will finally step up with its very own! To organize your event, send a message to the alumni assoc.list at groups.yahoo.com

楽しい

thank you to Dahlia and Mazal for this issue's photos!

summer 2005

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Backpage.

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Who's onboard Ship for World Youth 18?

最終項

etce

tera

. The JET ProgramDid the SWY experience wet your appetite for life in Japan? The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program is an opportunity for young people from certain participating countries--including the US--to live and work across Japan. There are two positions that can be applied for; Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), or Coordinator of International Relations (CIR). The stated purpose of the JET Programme is to "increase mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the people of other nations." It is paid (about $30,000 per year plus benefits), and contracts can be extended for up to three years. To find out more, check out the JET website at <http://www.jetprogramme.org/>.

Japanese Language Proficiency TestYou probably picked up a smattering of Japanese skills on your SWY voyage, and no better a place to test your proficiency than the Nihongo Noryoku Shiken, a yearly proficiency examination administered in the US by the Japan Foundation. The benefit of taking it is the official score that you can use to impress your friends, relatives, or employers. There are four levels, with level four being easiest and level one the most challenging. The test takes place once a year, and in the US it is held in only 8 cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angels, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington DC. You can register online through the Japan Foundation website between August 1 and October 7 <http://www.jflalc.org/?act=tpt&id=8?>. The test itself takes place in 2005 on Sunday, December 4th. Plenty of time to start studying!

The next Board Meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 25th, 2005. If there are any issues you would like the Board to address, please contact PAul, Sean, Txu, Mazal or Tommy. We are working for you. Board minutes from the last meeting are available online at the SWY-SWYAA Yahoo! Groups page. Log in at groups.yahoo.com and click on Folders. You will see it there!

The United States was not selected to send a delegation to Ship for World Youth 18. However, the association and the nation will not go under represented; our Association's very own Andra Moss will be onboard as an Advisor! Congratulations to her, and we all expect postcards.

The participating countries for SWY18 are:Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Greece, India, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Sweden, Tonga, UAE,and of course, Japan.

The Alumni Association will also be sending representatives to the The 21st Century Renaissance Youth Leaders Invitation Program 2005, taking place in October, located in Tokyo, and put together by the fine people at the IYEO. The theme is "Toward Further Global Harmonization," and the two Alumni Associaiton members that were selected for this event are Halima Adams (SWY 17) and Steffanie White (SWY 5).

According to the IYEO, countries such as the US are not invited every year, so this is an opportunity that our association should not take for granted. Both Halima and Steffanie have promised to report back to the Alumni Associaition and share what they learn in Tokyo--this will be included in the next issue.

This space is reserved for your great photos from past Ship for World Youth adventures. Don't let them gather dust. Send them in digital format to the editor of this newsletter at deblieck_s@hotmail.com.

Your Photos Here.

The US-SWY Alumni Association is organized to foster cultural sensitivity, understanding and friendship through the youth of the world, to provide the means of communication for former and present participants of the Ship for World Youth Programs , to provide the means of

communication between the Alumni Association members and the Cabinet Office of the Japanese government and the International Youth Exchange Organization of Japan (IYEO), to organize post-program activities locally and internationally, and to assist the United States State Department and Japanese Embassy in DC in selecting US participants for future participation in a SWY Program. The

alumni association is also responsible for accepting invitations, advertising the invitations, and selecting US alumni to represent us at conferences and sponsored events by the Cabinet office and the IYEO.

This Newsletter is a quarterly project produced by the Board of the Alumni Association, and neither its authors nor the Board are responsible for its contents. To learn more about the Ship for World Youth Alumni Associaion or to contribute to this fine journal, contact

the Editor, Sean DeBlieck at deblieck_s@hotmail.com

"Toward Further Global Harmonization"

Next Board Meeting: August 25, 2005