The Jet Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme Alumni Association International meeting took place in Edinburgh last week. Representatives from fourteen countries attended the meeting, including Australia, the United States of America, Singapore and Jamaica to name a few.
The meeting was held at the end of a year which has seen the JET Programme and the Alumni Association come under examination in the quest for efficiency savings. With the spotlight on JETAA, this year’s meeting touched on the need for the Alumni Association to communicate its value to not only its members, but also the wider community through its activities and overall presence.
The purpose of JETAA is to promote through its activities a broader and deeper understanding between Japan and the countries participating on the JET Programme. The International Alumni Association also tries to promote regional exchange between those countries that send participants out to Japan on the JET Programme, and the international meeting is a way to do that.
Representatives from CLAIR’s headquarters in Tokyo and its London office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Edinburgh Japanese Consulate were also in attendance at the meeting.