On June 30 – July 1, 2022 as a part of the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan on the establishment of the Russian-Japanese Commission on Youth Exchanges the training seminar for organizers of Russian-Japanese youth exchanges was held.
The key topic of the seminar was the discussion of opportunities for maintaining and resuming contacts with Japanese partner organizations.
The seminar program was organized online by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and MIREA – the Russian Technological University that acts as the Coordination Bureau for Russian-Japanese Youth Exchanges.
The seminar was attended by representatives of schools, universities and professional colleges from Russia implementing or interested in implementing youth and school exchanges with Japan. In total 30 people participated there.
Such regions as the Republic of Komi, Trans-Baikal, Krasnodar, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Orenburg regions, St. Petersburg and Moscow were represented.
On the first day of the seminar participants received information about the current situation in the field of Russian-Japanese youth cooperation, got acquainted with methods of crisis and stress management in the context of managing youth exchange projects, discussed possible formats for youth exchanges in new conditions.
“The development of international youth cooperation is one of the priority areas of state youth policy of Russia, an important component of which for over twenty years have been Russian-Japanese youth exchanges. In the long term the state of Russian-Japanese relations will depend, among other things, on the quality how the dialogue between youth of our countries is carried out today. In the current situation it is important to maintain existing partnerships in the field of youth exchange,” Denis Ashirov, the Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, said in his greeting.
“MIREA – Russian Technological University within the framework of exercising powers of the Coordination Bureau for Russian-Japanese Youth Exchanges continues to provide information and methodological support to organizers of exchanges from the Russian side including through such seminars,” Grigory Petushkov, the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy of RTU MIREA said.
The program of the second day of the training seminar was devoted to getting acquainted with methods and tools for conducting youth online exchanges and group work. The workshop resulted in an action plan for further interaction with Japanese partner organizations and support for youth exchanges developed by participants.
Participants especially noted the importance of maintaining contacts with Japanese colleagues at the level of interpersonal communication and also suggested following formats of work that are currently possible:
- advanced training in organizing youth exchanges and using digital tools,
- improving knowledge of the Japanese language,
- creation of a portfolio of completed projects and development of methodological materials for organizing youth exchanges including the creation of a data bank of photo and video materials,
- planning future projects and working with potential participants in youth exchanges,
- holding days and festivals of Japanese culture,
- exchange of experience within the Russian professional community of organizers of youth and school exchanges with Japan including the implementation of interregional projects and much more.
Reference:
Russian-Japanese youth cooperation is carried out in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan on the establishment of the Russian-Japanese Commission on Youth Exchanges dated March 15, 1999.
