Hello and Season’s Greetings from National AJET!

We hope you’re staying healthy as the colder temperatures set in!

As we look back on 2019 (and the decade!), it’s a time to reflect on those goals we’ve achieved and the ones we’re still working to improve. This year, the National Council focused on ways to further engagement with the JET community. We’ve been working to update our database of JET Creators and Bloggers, introduced Block specific Instagram pages, and began some inter-block collaborative projects that we're excited for you to see! Make sure to stay updated on these initiatives by checking out our website and Facebook.

As part of AJET's ongoing goal to improve the lives of JETs, members of the National AJET council recently met with representatives from JETAA-I, CLAIR, MEXT, MIC and MOFA at the Alumni Association Opinion Exchange to discuss pertinent issues affecting the JET community. JETAA-I and AJET are working together to improve the program experience, by collaborating on a mental health resource database, working directly with diplomatic outposts on JET pre-departure materials and trainings, and developing ways to ease the transition into post-JET life. CLAIR is also working to update the General Information Handbook to include more detailed information about sexual security, with a focus on contact information and the reporting process in Japan. These are delicate and complex subjects that AJET, JETAA-I, and CLAIR are all taking very seriously and consistently working on. By sharing the feedback we've received from JETs with integral partners and administering ministries, we can begin towards instituting those changes that better the lives of JETs in and out of Japan.

We'd would like to extend a heartfelt Thank You to all JETs for sharing their ideas and experiences, either personally with AJET council members or via our surveys and polls. Your contributions are vital to the AJET mission and we greatly appreciate your continued efforts. We want to include as many perspectives and ideas as possible in our work and deeply value feedback from the community. Please reach out to us if you ever have a question, opinion, or perspective to share! Without JETs, we can’t be AJET!

Whether you’ve travelling in Japan, returning to your home abroad, or enjoying a nice staycation, we hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable season.

We look forward to welcoming a great 2020 with you!

National AJET

JET Spotlight

What makes a JET experience unique? Excelling in traditional Japanese arts? Making a difference in schools? We’d like to find out exactly that! We are on the lookout for JETs fulfilling the mission of the JET Programme to spotlight on National AJET's Facebook! Share your journey as a JET and how it has transformed your life with the greater JET community! If you’d like to nominate yourself or  another JET, just contact the Communications team or the National AJET Facebook page!

AJET Peer Support Group: For JETs, by JETs 

Peer Support Group (PSG) was established in the early 1990s and has continually provided anonymous support to the JET community since. PSG is a confidential listening service for JETs, by JETs, which prides itself in confidentiality. It is a safe space to discuss any issues or challenges you are currently facing with people that have been in similar situations. PSG volunteers are dedicated to helping fellow JETs who are in need of an objective, non-judgmental listener or looking for informational resources.

PSG operates 365 days of the year from 20:00 until 07:00. We are the only listening service available during those times that has an acute understanding of life as a JET. Please give us a call at 050-5534-5566 or contact us on Skype at AJETPSG. You can also visit our website or Facebook for more information.

We are here to help. Know you have our support and understanding.

Tatami Timeshare

Tatami Timeshare (TT) is a Couchsurfing-like community exclusively current and alumni for JETs. With over 400 active members around Japan and some parts of the world, TT is aimed at those that would like to experience new places by staying with locals in those areas. TT is also aimed at those that would like to offer their home or their knowledge to travelers coming through their local communities. If you decide to join, you will be given access to a TT Google Map with pins of all members’ location and contact information so you can take the next step in contacting people in places you are interested in going.

If this sounds like a community you would be interested in joining, please fill out this form. You can also find us on Facebook or by contacting the admin at tatami.timeshare@ajet.net.

Kizuna Across Cultures Global Classmates Program

Are you a High School ALT looking for further ways to engage your students in active learning? Do you want to provide your students with an opportunity to communicate in English with teens from abroad? Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC) has just the program you’re looking for—Global Classmates! Global Classmates is a grant-covered (yes, free!) 6-month virtual cultural and language exchange program that pairs a class of high school students in Japan learning English with a class of high school students in the U.S. learning Japanese! KAC was co-founded by former JETs and their Japanese friends and is supported by officials at the Ministry of Education and funded in part by the U.S. Embassy, Tokyo.

For an application, fill out this inquiry form and KAC will then email you an application once they become available in mid-January, along with more information (in Japanese) to share with your JTE. Ultimately, JTEs must complete and submit the application.

You can learn more about KAC and the Global Classmates program on their website and stay updated via Facebook. If you have any questions about the program or application process, please contact Shanti Shoji (’02-’04 Kagawa JET) at japan@kacultures.org.

JET Programme Voices

All current and former JET participants are invited to contribute to JET Programme Voices, a journalism project designed to publicise the activities of JET participants through storytelling. Articles are selected by CLAIR and published by the Yomiuri Shimbun of the English language publication, The Japan News.

For more information please see the guidelines on the JET Programme website.

National AJET LINE Stickers

National AJET's first set of LINE stickers are available now! The eight sticker set features National AJET's official mascot, a red-crowned crane known as Tsuru-chan, who represents AJET's mission to nurture and cultivate the JET programme and its' participants.

Add a little character to your LINE chats with this collection, available in the LINE sticker shop for ¥120!

Shiga 2020 Reunion

The Summer of 2020 will be an exciting one for all of Japan, but especially for all of you former Shiga JETs out there! Your hometown nestled under Mt. Hiei is calling to you. A large scale reunion for all Shiga Ex-Ex-Pats will be held from August 1st to August 15th, 2020 to bring everyone back to their home-away-from-home.

Visit the website for more information and hope to see you all there!

JCF Fall Retreat Recap

Jet Christian Fellowship (JCF) held its Fall retreat in Karuizawa, Nagano from November 2nd-4th this year. Roughly 20 Christians from inside and outside of Japan gathered in the scenic mountain area to focus on praise, prayer, time in God’s Word, fellowship, encouragement, and fun. The theme for the weekend was “Know Who You Are; Be Who You Are,” and focused on identity and where we as Christians find value in our lives. Through Rob Taylor’s messages on Colossians 1:1-14, attendees reexamined what it means to know who you are and whose you are, and how to find personal value and satisfaction in God’s Word.

Other activities included small group discussions, short hikes in the surrounding wooded areas, and free time to explore Karuizawa and the famed Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza. It was a time of refreshment while reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. As one attendee said, "Rob had a great message. [It] challenged some of my ideas of that scripture and I could grow as a Christian. And I loved my small group.” JCF’s next retreat will be held during Golden Week, dates TBD. Don’t miss the opportunity to have a spiritually rejuvenating weekend away with Christians from around the world. Please email us with any questions at jcfretreat@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!

Interested in Presenting at a Skills Development Conference?

Register for the AJET Skills Development Presenter Database to be considered as a potential presenter for JET skills development seminars across Japan. This program is intended to help bridge the gap between JETs and professionals in Japan, as well as ease access to skilled, knowledgeable presenters  to further train and develop the skills of current JETs.

Completing this registration form does not guarantee in any way that you will be invited to present, however, we hope it can help fill a need for current JET Programme Participants.

Please include your information in Japanese and English. While we would like to do our best to protect private information, we are not liable for any risk associated with sharing your professional contact page. You can access the form link here and the website here.

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Volunteer in your Community with AJET

As JET Programme participants, we are in a unique position to give something back to Japan and to greatly impact the local areas in which we live. Working with others towards a collective societal or environmental goal is an immensely satisfying and rewarding experience that can provide a huge sense of accomplishment, as well as personal and professional benefits.

No matter where you're placed in Japan, your first port of call on your volunteering journey is the National AJET volunteering database. The ever-expanding database contains numerous organizations and associations working for good throughout Japan (arranged by block to make things even easier for you)!

To keep up to date with volunteer events and opportunities, join the Facebook group or contact the Director of Volunteering at natasha.taliferro@ajet.net!

AJET Resource Database

The AJET Resource Database is an ongoing project to help JET participants have greater access to a variety of teaching resources, academic articles, JET-made lesson plans, textbook accompaniment, after-JET preparation support, Japanese language tips, and more! Whether you’re looking to update your resume, write a new one in Japanese, or you’re simply having a hard time getting into the swing of lesson planning after your new year holidays, there’s something here for you!

Don’t see what you're looking for? Have a great resource, guide or lesson plan you think would help others? Let us know what resources you would like to see on by writing the Director of Professional and Educational Development at samantha.cosentino@ajet.net.

Alumni and Outgoing JETs, Join JETAA!

Have you joined your local chapter of JET Alumni Association (JETAA) yet? JETAA has more than 50 chapters around the world in over 20 different countries, so there is bound to be one near you! Whether you have recently joined JET, are a seasoned JET, or are a JET alumni, JETAA is interested in connecting with you.

While AJET specializes in supporting JETs when they are in Japan, JETAA is best known for supporting JET alumni. JETAA hosts career workshops, social and networking events, cultural experiences, and much more. Visit jetaainternational.org to find your local chapter. If you are in a location without JETAA representation, then please follow JETAA International on Facebook to stay up-to-date with the JETAA community at large!