STATE OF THE NATION 1998: A YEAR IN REVIEW OF CANADIAN JETAA CHAPTERS
Nineteen ninety-eight seems to be quite an active year for Canadian JET Alumni Associations. With more chapters forming and a recent injection of new members, namely recent returnees from Japan, continuity is assured and fresh ideas cultivated. In addition, with most people accessing the World Wide Web, keeping in contact with one another via the Internet, is fast becoming a common occurrence.
The active Associations share common events during the year including conducting JET Program Presentations in the fall, helping in the interview process for choosing the new JET’s, taking part in the Orientation Sessions in late spring and producing quarterly newsletters. A few have mandates and by-laws which aid in effectively administering the affairs of each chapter, including outlining the duties and electoral procedures of Executive members. Most require an annual membership fee (approximately $15.00 CDN) which help offset the costs of producing newsletters and some social activities. The remainder of annual costs is often borne by local consulates designated to oversee particular chapters.
The frequency and scope of activities varies from chapter to chapter with those who have ready access to consulates or embassies generally having more opportunities to implement certain projects. Chapters, for the most part, are well-supported by their representative consulate, regardless of their proximity to them. Local consulate staff often reiterates that the initiative for the implementation of projects and activities must come from the respective chapter, with the consulates taking on an advisory role.
In the Western provinces, for instance, two newly-created JET Alumni Associations – namely the Northern Alberta JET Alumni Association and the Calgary JET Alumni Association; as well as the possibility of a third in Saskatchewan – have been generously supported by their Consulate in Edmonton.
Recent financial cutbacks to consulate budgets have affected the range and types of activities each chapter can undertake, leaving chapter members to scale down their social and official activities. There is also the issue of purpose. Apart from providing returnees with the necessary emotional and social support which they require, as well as conducting recruitment and orientation services for potential and new JET’s, chapters are now restructuring their mandates, including with them more involvement in the local communities. Montreal JETAA, for instance, is actively involved in school visits to talk about Japan. These are conducted in conjunction with their local Japanese Cultural Community Association. Manitoba-Saskatchewan JETAA regularly meets with local international students studying ESL for social activities like glow-bowling or cuisine nights at their local Japanese-Canadian cultural centre. British-Columbia JETAA conducts “Career Day” with members whereby local industry representatives speak on topics that are of interest to Alumni. They also have Round Table Discussions on political, social, cultural and educational issues.
The following pages contain information on particular JETAA Chapters.
A Note About Membership
JETAA Montreal
Membership
JETAA Members 89
JET Members 85
179
Types of Members
JETAA Members are members who are returnees from the JET Program. All JETAA Members have voting rights and do receive subsidies on activities and programs.
Associate Members are members who were not on the JET Program however, taught English in Japan or are interested in Japan. These members do not have voting rights and do not receive subsidies on activities.
JET Members are members who are current JET participants who want to be kept informed of JETAA Activities, job opportunities and news from Montreal. JET Members do not have voting rights and do not receive subsidies on activities.
Membership Fee
All members pay the annual $10.00 membership fee.
Membership Fee Collection
Membership Fees are collected once a year in December for the following year. (ie. December 1998 for 1999 fees).
JETAA MONTREAL ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
April 1998-March 1999
May 1998 Montreal-Hiroshima Sister City Signing
Mayor’s Reception
June 1998 JETAA Desk at Japan Week Festivities
Japan Week Opening Ceremonies & Dinner
July 1998 JETAA Farewell Reception for Departing JETs and their families
Participation in Consul General’s Pre-departure Dinner
Orientation of new JET participants
Update Predeparture Handbook
September 1998 Elections
Annual Pot Luck Barbecue
October 1998 Returnee Reorientation
JET Program promotion at Univerties
JETAA International Conference
December 1998 Annual Bonenkai Dinner
Membership Fees Due
January 1998 Networking Activity in collaboration with the Quebec Japan Business Forum
February 1998 Interviews for JET program
Dinner at Consul General’s Residence
March 1998 JETAA-Japanese Community Maple Sugar Event
NOTE: Throughout the School year JETAA Montreal is actively involved in school visits to local area schools to talk about Japan. These visits are done in collaboration with the Japanese Cultural Community Association.
“Chapter Biography” – JETAABC 1998
Chapter Mandate:
Our purpose as stated in our constitution is:
5. to exchange information of shared interest with current JET program participants, JET Alumni Association worldwide, and groups or individuals with an interest in Japan-related topics
Organizational Structure:
Executive Structure:
There are nine positions on the Steering Committee. The positions are as follows: President, Past President, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership Secretary, Program Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, Director-at-Large (2 positions). In addition, a representative from the Vancouver Consulate, the JET Liaison Officer, is actively involved in our steering committee meetings and chapter functions. Also, we have a non-voting position of Vancouver Island Representative who is a representative of the growing number of alumni on Vancouver Island.
Elections:
Elections are held at our Annual General Meeting (every January) and members are elected for 1 year terms. The elections are open to anyone in our membership.
Bylaws:
This year JETAABC has become a society according to the Society Act of the Province of British Columbia. Our bylaws are clearly stated in our Constitution.
Office space/ Permanent address:
We do not have any office space although the Consulate had generously allowed us to use their facilities and equipment to facilitate our activities when necessary. We have set up a permanent address.
The address is:
JET Alumni Association in B.C.
Bentall Centre, P.O. box 48121
Vancouver, BC, V7X 1N8
Web page/ Email:
Our web page is linked to the main JETAA website. Our website address is: www.ww-ink.com/jetaabc and our email address is: jetaabc@get-info.net . Members are able to subscribe to our “email tree” through our website. So far we have been very lucky to have one of our committee members act as our webmaster. We use our email tree as a means of communication, along with our bi-monthly newsletter, about chapter activities, events and announcements.
Source of funding:
Most of our funding comes from the Consulate although there are on occasion nominal participation fees to assist us with covering part of the cost of the event. These fees in no way cover the full cost of participation to these events. To date, without the generous assistance of the Consulate we would not be able to have the activities and events which we have been able to offer to alumni. Recently, we have applied for Grant in Aid funding from CLAIR. We are not yet sure what the outcome of the application will be yet. We do not yet have any membership fees.
Executive Meeting Frequency:
Our Steering Committee meetings are held once a month. The Annual General Meeting is held once a year.
Other Activity Frequency:
The frequency depends upon the event. Some events are annual, periodic while others are monthly
Members: To date, the membership is at 211 people. The Consulate expects however that approximately 60 new members will join this year.
Institutional Relations:
We have excellent relations with the Vancouver Consulate General of Japan. They offer us considerable assistance throughout the year for our various functions/activities. We also offer our assistance to the Consulate when needed. This is particularly important regarding the promotion of the JET Program. Each year the Consulate holds many JET Program info sessions at various universities in which alumni are often speakers at these meetings. In addition, several members of the Alumni are also usually members of the interview panels for prospective JET participants. Also, alumni are often asked to assist the Consulate with events such as the Japan Day and the booth that they set up at the Powell Street Festival held every August in Vancouver.
We also have good relations with the Mokuyokai Society and often hold joint events. It is a society for people who have lived in Japan and for Japanese who are now living in Canada.
Activities:
Career Development: Every fall we hold a “Career Day” in which we ask speakers from various industries that may be of interest to alumni to come and speak to alumni about job possibilities for the alumni. This is an event which we have done for a few years and has always been a success. In the past, there was a “resume bank” at the Consulate however it, unfortunately, did not prove to be very successful. If we are informed of a job opening of interest to alumni we will usually post it on the email tree and/or in our newsletter. At least two of our alumni have taken a job advertised on the email tree.
Social Interaction:
We have many activities which fall under this category.
Re-Entry Seminar – every fall (on the same day as Career Day) we offer a morning re-entry seminar to assist new alumni to understand the reverse culture shock and other feelings that they are experiencing .
Monthly JETAA/Mokuyokai hikes - once a month hikes are organized to different trails in the local area (usually in the Lower Mainland but the October hike will be on Vancouver Island!!).
Annual Fall Party - we hold an event every year, this year it was a potluck dinner, to give both newly returned alumni an opportunity to meet each other as well as the alumni who have been back for a while
Welcome Back Reception - This is hosted by the Consulate General of Japan at his residence. In attendance are the recent returnees and a small number of invited Alumni. We try to hold the reception and the Re-Entry seminar/Career Day “back to back” so that alumni, including those from out of town, have a good incentive to attend both functions.
Shinnenkai/ AGM - these events are held on the same evening. This is one of our more popular annual events and also allows us to be sure that many people attend the AGM.
Roundtable discussions - Approximately every two months we hold a “roundtable discussion” on a topic which is of interest to alumni. Topics have included such things as Public education, Private education, “Maximizing You” and The Art of Sumo (in preparation for the Sumo Canada Basho in Vancouver)
Spring Canada JETAA newsletter – this newsletter is put together and prepared by JETAABC in an attempt to inform JETs who are still in Japan but who will be returning soon about the activities/services available to them through the JETAA chapter nearest their home. We ask that all chapters in Canada make a submission to the newsletter about their activities. We want all chapters to be represented in the newsletter. The newsletter is distributed through the generous assistance of the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo who send them to the JETs and pay for postage within Japan.
Vancouver Island Mixer – This is an event for new JETs on Vancouver Island to meet each other and to meet with alumni and ask questions.
JET Program Preparation Seminar – Over the last 3 years JETAABC has been the main organizers of a “preparation weekend” for the new JETs who will be going to Japan shortly there after. It is a fun, information filled weekend in which many alumni volunteer their time to share their experience and advice to the new JETs. Every year we have received very good feedback to the event and we hope to continue to improve the event in the future.
Japanese Computing Seminars – These seminars are meant to teach people about using computers in Japanese. When there is enough demand a separate session for new JETs (before they go to Japan) and for alumni are held to ensure that everyone is given the information that they are seeking based on their experience with Japanese.
Alumni/New JET mixer – this event is held in the Vancouver area and is another opportunity for new JETs to ask questions to the alumni. It is usually centered around a sports event, such as beach volleyball
Pre-Departure Reception – This reception is held by the Consulate General of Japan the day before the departure of the new JETs to Japan. In attendance are all the new JETs and some invited alumni member.
Social events – we also try to organize other social events, such as a dinner, okonomiyaki night or pub night, for alumni to get together. For example, this year we organized a dinner the evening of the Sumo Basho. It was held at a small restaurant in Vancouver. After the dinner a pub night was held downtown. Not only did we have alumni from BC go to the basho and the dinner but we had many from as far away as San Francisco. It was a lot of fun for everyone.
Services offered to members:
Bi-monthly newsletter – Our newsletter is mailed to every member 6 times a year and contains information about chapter activities, events and announcements. Contributions to the newsletter come from alumni. An Events Calendar is included in each issue for easy reference.
Website & Email - All member with access to the internet can access our website and subscribe to our email tree in order to keep informed about what is happening. There are a growing number of members who access us through the internet.
Activities - We encourage all members to attend our various events (as explained above).
OTTAWA JETAA
Organizational Structure:
Executive Members:
President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Communications Director, Secretary.
Elections:
Held at the AGM which is in April each year. This year we had a whole new team of Executive Members.
Permanent Address:
The Embassy in Ottawa – 255 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 9E6
Permanent E-mail Address:
Source of Funding:
We have our own private JETAA funds which come from collecting language lesson fees, membership fees ($10.00/year) and the occasional workshop fees. We try to maintain a floating bank balance of approximately $2000.00. This money is used for JETAA parties, pub nights, thank you gifts, etc.
We also get funding from the foreign ministry in Japan. After the AGM election, the new Executive sends a long a proposed budget to the Japanese Embassy which then forwards it to Japan. In this report, we outline all of the activities we plan to hold during the upcoming year (our year is April to April). Shortly after that, we get back the JETAA Budget – the funds that will be forwarded once the events have taken place. This amount of money has varied over the last few years, but was quite drastically reduced this year.
Executive Meetings:
The members meet at least once a month. Depending on the upcoming activities, it might be more frequently than that. We tend to rotate the location of the meetings at the Executive Members’ apartments. We discuss issues and plan events. Detailed minutes of the meetings are handed out at the following meeting or e-mailed to each of us.
Members:
Currently we have a database of approximately 60 members. We have a core group of about 25 “old” members who renew their membership annually. The new returnees are automatically members for the first year without paying any fee. Even though events are publicized, it seems that the newer returnees’ and the Executive Members are the ones who show up most often.
Activities of JETAA:
Intensive Pre-Departure Training:
As has been customary, JETAA Ottawa, in conjunction with the JET Coordinator at the Japanese Embassy ran thwe1998 pre-departure intensive training sessions for JET’s departing from Ottawa. There were two training sessions for the JET’s departing from Ottawa. There were two evening sessions and weekend sessions which entailed presentations, demonstrations and workshops designed to give departing JET’s some idea of what they were getting themselves into and to address their Q and A’s.
As well, JETAA in 1997 produced and distributed a pre-departure reference booklet to departees. It was intended to be a useful reference for JET’s throughout their stay in Japan.
Welcome Back Party:
Held each year in Late September, this party is open to past and present members of JETAA. This year we had a couple of guest speakers who talked about reverse culture shock and post-JET career options. It was held at the Japanese Embassy and the turnout was about 30 people including 12 new returnees. Apart from the mini workshops, we enjoyed a light Japanese meal and were entertained by taiko drummers.
Christmas Party:
Open to all JETAA members and their families, this is one of the most successful parties of the year. We hold it at someone’s house, make it a potluck as well as using some of the JETAA’ s funds to round out the fare!
Japanese Language Lessons:
JETAA Ottawa runs Japanese language lessons for interested members ( as well as a few non-members) throughout the year (except for summer). The weekly two-hour classes are held in local community centres and taught by qualified instructors. JETAA collects a nominal fee ($30.00) to encourage attendance. This money is partially used at the end of the course for a party. The room rental and instructors’ fees are funded via the budget from the Embassy of Japan.
Saturday Morning Cultural Workshops:
JETAA organized a pair of Japanese cultural workshops in early 1998. The sessions were:
Both workshops were well –attended and enthusiastically received.
Ottawa Tulip Festival:
This spring, JETAA Ottawa was invited to set up a display in the Japanese Pavilion which was open for one week during the Tulip Festival. JETAA members came up with a unique photo display and written descriptions of the photos. The display, entitled “ Japan: Inside Out” was meant to show the public some of the varied experiences of JET’s.
Japanese Movie Nights:
JETAA rents the room at a community centre and the president of CJSO provides the video (all movies with English subtitles!) We also provide refreshments for the evening.
Sumo Nights:
Ottawa JETAA hosted two sumo watching parties during the year. The parties took place in the home of one of our members and involved watching videotapes of recent bashos. These events are planned whenever a new tapes arrives! JETAA pays for pizza or sushi and drinks for these events. There is no charge to attend.
Pub Nights and Parties:
In addition to the events described above, the JETAA Ottawa occasionally hosts informal social gatherings for its members. These have included:
Communications:
JETAA Ottawa publishes four newsletters in the fiscal year. The letters contain news of JETAA and community events, job opportunities, editorials and commentaries and selected stories from Japanese newspapers (which we get from Michael McVey – listserve).
In addition to the newsletter, the JETAA Executive uses the Internet to send information on issues and events to members. We have our own e-mail account with a local ISP. This account is monitored by the Communications Director on a daily basis. JETAA also posts event information on the Embassy of Japan’s ( Ottawa) WWW page.
The Manitoba-Saskatchewan JET Alumni Association:
A YEAR IN REVIEW
The Manitoba- Saskatchewan JET Alumni Association, which was started back in December of 1994 was particularly busy last year; especially with an increasing number of applicants to the Programme to help interview and, later, to orientate as new Participants. In addition, there was the JETAA International Conference to prepare for and take part in, as well as welcoming guests from CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) who participated in our annual JET Presentations in October. Much of the activities conducted by the Association weren’t dissimilar to those in past years. The one fundamental difference is that the scope and quality of our activities and services have improved. We have been in existence for almost four years, so with time and a great deal of commitment on the part of Alumni members, have come experience and knowledge. As a result, we are doing more.
There are a number of new, returning JET’s from whom we, the established group, can learn new things about the Programme. This year, for instance, five of the eight Executive Committee are newly-returned JET’s; or JET’s who have been back less than two years. As a result, new ideas and input are maintaining the continuity necessary to keep pace with the evolution of the Programme in Japan.
Initially, the Association’s objectives included providing newly-returned JET’s with the support network necessary to ease the transition process. We did this by initiating social activities where people with similar experiences can come together. The process has now evolved to include helping returning JET’s with job-searching. We realize that being in Manitoba or Saskatchewan limits one’s exposure to Japanese or Asian-based companies. These tend to be more prevalent on the east or west coasts. Nevertheless, we try to refer individuals to others who may be able to help them in these or other job fields.
Since 1995, we have also been producing a quarterly newsletter and are in the midst of creating a website and brochure. A local radio station, CKJS 810, which has a weekly program called “Eye on Japan”, has recently been interviewing JETAA members.
We have just completed another year of Orientation Sessions – these usually take place on the first weekend of June - as well as conducted JET Programme Presentations at the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina. We feel it is a way for us to give something back for the warm and generous hospitality we were accorded in Japan. For further information, please contact: