On Sunday, 6 November, 2016, JETAA International, the organisation representing the global community of JET Alumni Association (JETAA) chapters, the 3 Japanese government ministries that support the JET Programme (MIC, MOFA, and MEXT), and CLAIR hosted the ‘2016 JETAA International Meeting’ and ‘JET Global Forum’, with JET alumni, including JETAA Country representatives, and current JET participants represented by National AJET in attendance. Between the 35 attendees, 17 different countries were represented.
At the JETAA International Meeting, members of the recently renewed JETAA-I came together to discuss the future of the organisation and its role in assisting the JET alumni community and supporting the JET Programme. Country representatives elected by their member JETAA chapters also voted to welcome a new JETAA chapter to the alumni community, JETAA Trinidad & Tobago.
At the Global Forum, members of JETAA-I and National AJET spoke to representatives of MIC, MOFA, MEXT, and CLAIR regarding strategies to strengthen the programme and the worldwide alumni network. In the group discussions that followed, JET alumni and current JET participants spoke with staff from several of the organisations involved in the preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games about possibilities for JET participants and JET alumni to support the Games. Finally, the JET alumni and members of National AJET exchanged ideas for collaboration between their organisations to provide better career support to JET programme participants and ensure a smoother transition to life as an alumnus.
