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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>20th Ship for World Youth<BR> <BR>Applications
are being accepted for the 20th Ship for World Youth Program. SWY is an
annual cultural exchange program organized and sponsored by the Japanese
government. Designed to foster international friendship, mutual understanding
and cultural awareness, this year’s program includes more than 260 youth from 14
countries. The program will run from January 15, 2008, through March 5, 2008.
Participants will visit Japan, Singapore, Oman, and India. <BR><BR>As part of
the program, participants will live together on a ship, while studying and
discussing global issues and engaging in various exchange activities while
sailing and visiting the specified countries. All U.S. participants will be
flown from the international airport closest to their home and returned there
after completion of the program. Participants will be financially responsible
for ONLY health insurance and pocket money during the entire program. All
transportation – both sea and air – as well as all meals and accommodation will
be provided by the Government of Japan.<BR><BR>The SWY Program began in 1988
after reorganizing the Japanese Goodwill Mission Cruise (JYGC) Program which
began in 1967. Each year a mix of countries are invited to participate in the
SWY Program and several ports of call are incorporated into the itinerary.
Bahrain, Brazil, Costa Rica, Finland, India, Japan, New Zealand, Oman, Solomon
Islands, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Vanuatu, and the USA have been invited
to send teams to join the 120 Japanese participants for the 2008 program. The
Government of Japan has invited the USA to send an 11-member delegation,
comprised of one national leader and ten Americans age 18 to 39, to the
20th SWY Program. <BR><BR>The US Ship for World Youth Alumni Association
is organizing this recruitment. All participants must be in good health, work
well with groups, be capable of study at the post-secondary level and be
prepared to commit to the entire duration of the program. There is a $20
application fee which will be payable to the SWY USA Alumni Association and
funds earned will be used to support the delegation as well as to subsidize some
of the cost of this recruitment and the on-going support of the Alumni
Association. <BR><BR> The Application deadline for the National Leader
position is Thursday, August 2, 2007. The Application deadline for delegate
participants is Tuesday, August 14, 2007. <BR><BR> Application forms and
other information are available by visiting the site: <A
href="http://www.swyusa.com">www.swyusa.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR><BR>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
<BR>Consulate-General of Japan<BR>601 Union Street, Suite
500 <BR>Seattle, WA 98101
U.S.A. <BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp</FONT></A></DIV></BODY></HTML>