The Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for ESD will include two chief elements: a program featuring a Joint Conference in the U.S., and a study tour of Japan concluding with a Joint Conference in Tokyo.
The 2012 program for Japanese participants in the U.S. will be administered from Sunday, April 22 to Thursday, May 3. The U.S. participants will meet with their Japanese counterparts from Sunday, April 29 to Wednesday, May 2 (including travel days) for a joint conference in San Francisco, CA, comprised of collaborative workshops and ESD curriculum development activities.
The 2012 program for U.S. participants in Japan will be administered from Tuesday, June 19 to Monday, July 2. (Many participants will be required to travel to a gateway airport on Monday, June 18, so everyone should be prepared to travel that day.) The program in Japan for U.S. educators will include an orientation to Japanese culture and education, workshops and presentations with experts in ESD, visits to cultural sites, a homestay with a Japanese family, visits to ESD-focused schools and other ESD resources sites, and a Joint Conference between the Japanese and U.S. teachers in Tokyo, focused on the collaborative development of ESD curricula. The program in Japan will be fully-funded with the exception of some meals.
Program Calendar:
- Application deadline - January 31, 2012
- Selection notifications sent - March 12 (tentative)
- Japanese group departs for U.S. - April 22
- Joint Conference in San Francisco - April 29-May 2
- Japanese participants return to Japan - May 3
- Deadline for participant reflection reports on the Joint Conference - May 21
- U.S. participants travel to San Francisco (does not apply to all) - June 18
- U.S. participants travel to Japan - June 19
- Joint Conference in Tokyo - June 29-July 1
- U.S. participants return to U.S. - July 2
- Deadline for participant impact reports on post-program ESD activities - October 31