~ Article and photos from JETAA NSW ~
It is hard to believe that 2015 has come and gone so quickly. We started 2015 with a dynamic and enthusiastic committee, a mixture of long timers and new members. It was also a year which proved how fantastic the JETAA community was, confirming the importance of cultivating networks at home (whether with other chapters in Oceania) and abroad. Some highlights from 2015 include:
13th June: Pre-departure orientation
One of the key volunteer activities done by JETAA NSW and was a great opportunity to meet with new JETs and maintain a connection which will hopefully last until they finish up and return home from the programme.
For our Q&A, we had a special guest – Ashlie O’Neill, a currently serving JET in Japan, who joined in via Skype. She graciously volunteered her time and invaluable knowledge and experience, which no doubt greatly helped the new JETs. Ms O’Neill is a member of AJET, which is an independent, self-supporting volunteer organization that works in cooperation with the JET Programme, and consists of currently serving JETs. We’ll be looking forward to future collaborations with AJET.
18th September: Careers and Networking Night
Our Careers and Networking Night has taken several forms over the years, in an effort to keep things fresh and interesting for our participants. For 2015’s event, we were fortunate to have the support of the Japan Foundation, which provided a fantastic venue for our event. Our attendees were former JETs (including JETAA NSW), members of local Japanese cultural groups, and also returnees from the JET Programme. It was our best turnout so far (a description of which can be found on the Washoku Lover’s blog in Japanese), and may provide some future opportunities for job-seekers.
4th November: Shaberanaito
JETAA NSW also works with other local Japanese cultural groups to combine resources when putting on an event. One such example is Shaberanaito, which we help run with AJS NSW (Australia Japan Society of NSW). Taking place four times a year, this brings people together for a night of Japanese language practise at a local Japanese restaurant, and later prizes would be raffled (which this year consists of tickets to the Japanese Film Festival courtesy of the Japan Foundation, and a restaurant voucher, thanks to Washoku Lovers).
12th December: End of Year Cultural and Networking Event
We decided to end the year with some style and booked the Angel Hotel as the venue for our event.
We were very pleased to have the Consul General of Japan as our special guest, and we hope he and his wife had a great time talking with members of the JETAA community in Sydney. A pleasant surprise was meeting an ex-JET who was in the first Sydney group ever to do the JET Programme, back after her years in Japan. Of course, we made sure to get her on our official contact list.
What’s Next?
We’re still planning for 2016, but it is a remarkable year for two reasons: the 5th anniversary of the Tohoku Earthquake, and events for the 30th anniversary of the JET Programme in 2017. While it’s early days yet for the 30th anniversary, for the 5th anniversary, we hope that some of the planning and negotiations that had begun in 2015 will go ahead as planned in March 2016.
We wish everyone a happy and productive year in 2016 – see you at one of our events!