- The Ship for World Youth Program 1. What is the “Ship for World Youth” Program?
2. Main Activities on board the Ship
3. Post-Program Activities
Last updated May 2009
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International Youth Exchange Programs by
the Cabinet Office of Japan
International youth exchange programs by the Japanese Cabinet Office offer the
participating Japanese and foreign youths to deepen their friendship and understanding
through various exchange activities, and encourage them to gain global views and
develop skills needed in the field of international cooperation.
International Youth
Development Exchange
Japan-China Youth
Friendship Exchange
Japan-Korea Youth
Friendship Exchange
Young Core Leaders of
Civil Society Groups
Development
Ship for World Youth
Ship for Southeast
Asian Youth
Send about 40 Japanese youths to 4 countries for 18 days
and invite 48 foreign youths from all over the world for 18 days,
to experience theme-oriented exchanges such as traditional
culture and welfare.
Send 25 Japanese youths to China for 15 days, invite 30
Chinese youths to Japan for 15 days, to exchange activities.
Send 25 Japanese youths to Korea for 15 days, invite 30
Korean youths to Japan for 15 days, to exchange activities.
Send 24 Japanese young leaders to 3 countries for 10 days,
invite 39 foreign young leaders to Japan for 15 days, in the
fields of Elderly People, People with Disabilities, and Youth.
About 140 Japanese and 140 foreign youths from all over
the world live together for approx. 40 days and engage in
exchange activities on board and in the countries to be
visited.
About 40 Japanese and 290 youths from ASEAN countries
live together for approx. 40 days to engage in exchange
activities on board and in the countries to be visited.
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1. What is the Ship for World Youth
Program?
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The Ship for World Youth Program
The Ship for World Youth Program is a Japanese Cabinet Office sponsored
international youth exchange program, inviting approximately 140 foreign youths
from 12 countries and 140 youths from Japan to live together on board the ship
for approx. 43 days and deepen their friendship and understanding. 63 countries
including Japan have participated so far, with 31 ports of call having been visited.
Sum total of
participating countries:
63
Sum total of countries
visited: 31
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The Ship for World Youth
- Program Outline International exchange by ship originally started as the “Japanese Youth Goodwill Cruise”
program in 1967 (fiscal year), which allowed Japanese youths to visit foreign countries
port by port. Later on, the program developed to include more foreign participants, and
became the “Ship for World Youth” program as it is known today.
Japanese Youth Goodwill Cruise
Program
Dispatched Japanese youths to foreign
countries in a period when it was difficult
to travel abroad
Enabled Japanese youths to have
experiences abroad and deepen their
understanding of international issues
Ship for World Youth Program
(Starting from fiscal year 1988)
 Increased the number of foreign youths
to reflect the trend of the times
 Encouraged multinational exchanges
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What are the Objectives of
the Ship for World Youth Program?
The Ship for World Youth program aims at fostering youths to attain leadership qualities in
a more internationalized society than ever, through living together and communicating
with one another for approximately 43 days on board the ship.
Gaining a More
International View
 Participants with
various cultural,
regional and
By living with others with different cultures,
participants will have a more balanced and
occupational
international view towards the world
backgrounds
Nurturing the Spirits of
International Cooperation
Through communication with participants
from different countries, participants will
learn basic protocols and attitudes in
international cooperation
 Activities at
Ports of Call
 Discussions
 Club Activities
Developing Practical Skills
in the framework of
International Cooperation
By taking initiative in activities including
participants not only from your own but
other countries, participants will learn
basics of leadership and practical skills in
the setting of international cooperation
 Committees
 Voluntary Activities
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Life in a “Melting Pot”
Each participant belongs to a Letter Group. Several from Japanese delegation and one
from other delegations make a group. Group activities are one of the key elements on
board the ship.
How a Letter Group is Formed
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Group A
Group B
Group C
Kenya
India
Greece
Egypt
Ecuador
Bahrain
Japan
Australia
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 One participant from a delegation will be a
group – an opportunity to get to know all the
delegations
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Participants from Different Places, Ages,
and Occupations
Participants are not only diverse in terms of cultural and social environments, but ages,
occupations and countries of origin. This creates a unique opportunity for participants to
learn thoughts and experiences different from your own.
What a Letter Group is Like
Fiji / age 32 / Culture and Youth Ministry Official
Australia / age 27 / Police
Canada / age 22 / Olympics athlete
India / age 20 / Student
Saitama, Japan / age 28 / Language teacher
Hokkaido, Japan / age 30 / Hotel Staff
Fukuoka, Japan / age 26 / Customs Officer
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 A wide range of occupations and age
groups in a group
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2. Main Activities
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The Ship for World Youth
Main Activities
While there are events and activities pre-arranged by the Cabinet Office, such as portof-call activities and seminars aboard the ship, the participants will also have committee
activities which everyone are obliged to join, and free activities which the participants
are free to plan and organize.
Activities at Ports
of Call
Discussions
Seminars
Committee
Activities
Voluntary
Activities
 Official Activities organized by the government to be visited
such as courtesy calls, institutional visits, Course Discussion theme
visits, school visits and sports exchange with local youths, etc.
 Course Discussions
 Environment Seminar
 Future Vision
 Club Activities
 Each participant joins one of the committees, and plans and
organizes onboard activities
 National Presentations
 Sports & Recreation
 Farewell Festival
 Exhibition
 PY Seminar
 Press
 Using free time, participants voluntarily plan and organize study
sessions and parties.
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Activities at Ports of Call
Activities at ports of call include courtesy calls, discussions and sports
exchange with local youths, and visits to various institutions.
 Courtesy calls
 Visits to facilities/organizations
related to Course Discussions
 Social contributions activities
 Sports, parties and cultural
exchanges with local youths
 Cultural exchange and visits to
local schools and welfare
institutions to facilitate
understanding of global issues
Meeting with President
of Tanzania
Course Discussion theme visit in Australia
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Joining Onboard Activities (1)
- Course Discussion Course Discussion started from the 17th Ship for World Youth program as its core
program. The participating youth choose one course and discuss about the topic
under the common theme “Participation of Youth in the Society.” The aim of the
“Course Discussion” is to deepen the participants’ understanding and knowledge in
the topic, as well as to make them be aware their roles in the society and improve
their practical skills in the related areas.
 Lectures by the advisors
 Discussions
 Workshops
Examples of the courses
 Volunteerism
 Education
 Environment
 Corporate Social Responsibility
 Youth Development
 Inter-Cultural Understanding
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Joining Onboard Activities (2)
- PY Seminar The participating youth take initiative in organizing seminars. This program
is designed to create more opportunities to share unique approaches to deal
with various issues in each country and develop international views among
the participants.
 Onboard, PY Seminar Committee will
be responsible for coordinating
sessions.
 Any participant may organize a seminar.
 Every participant chooses one of the
seminars to attend.
Examples of Seminar Topics
 Nuclear weapons and peace
 Global warming
 Human rights
 Culture shock
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Joining Onboard Activities (3)
- Club Activities Onboard, anyone can start a club. By activities to introduce one's county or
culture, or to share trans-national or universal interests, participants learn a great
deal from one another and deepen friendship.
 Get together with other participants
with similar interests and start a club
 Communicating non-verbally, such
as music and dance
Examples of Clubs
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Taiko (Japanese drums) Club
Cultural exchange
Experience national costumes
Chado (tea ceremony)
Music, dance
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Planning and Organizing Onboard Activities (1)
- Committees A great deal of the time on board the ship is dedicated to committee activities.
Through committee activities, you will learn practical skills to work with or lead
other participants necessary in an international community.
 Discussing with committee members
with different thoughts, customs and
common senses
 Forming a bond of trust through
activities that strive for common goals
Sports and
Recreation
Farewell Festival
National Presentations
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Planning and Organizing Onboard Activities (2)
- Voluntary Activities Participants will have a lot of free time on board the ship. Aside from committee
activities, participants are free to plan and organize discussion sessions, study
groups, and events.
 It is the participants who create the
life on board.
 Participants shall take initiative in
making the life on board more
interesting and meaningful.
Examples of Voluntary
Activities
 Charity Concert
 Delegation events
 Singing/chorus
 Ramadan Night
 Wearing Kimono or Sari
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３．Post-Program Activities
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Post-Program Activities
- Networking after the Program In Japan, ex-participants of the Ship for World Youth Program join as members of
International Youth Exchange Organization of Japan (IYEO). Centered around IYEO, postprogram activities are organized through the network both within a country and across
countries.
Networking in Japan through IYEO
 Organizing international exchange programs in regional
blocks
 Hosting youths from abroad in exchange programs
 Promoting international youth exchange programs by the
Cabinet Office
Networking with ex-participants in other countries
 Establishing SWY Alumni Associations in 42 countries
 Working in unison with SSEAYP International, formed by
ex-participants of Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program
 Organizing social contribution activities
Experiences on board the Ship is only the beginning of
international exchanges.
You are expected to keep your “Ship for World Youth”
spirits and share your experiences with people in your
home countries.
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