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 2013 program for Japanese participants in the U.S. will be administered from Sunday, April 21 to Thursday, May 2. The U.S. participants will meet with their Japanese counterparts from Sunday, April 28 to Wednesday, May 1 (including travel days) for a joint conference in San Francisco, CA, comprised of collaborative workshops and ESD curriculum development activities.
The 2013 program for U.S. participants in Japan will be administered from Tuesday, June 18 to Tuesday, July 2. (Many participants will be required to travel to a gateway airport on Monday, June 17, 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 and optional travel within Japan on a final “free day” in Japan. .
Program Calendar:
- Application deadline - February 6, 2013
- Selection notifications sent - March 12 (tentative)
- Japanese group departs for U.S. - April 20
- Joint Conference in San Francisco - April 28 - May 1
- Japanese participants return to Japan - May 2
- Deadline for participant reflection reports on the Joint Conference - May 24
- U.S. participants travel to San Francisco (does not apply to all) - June 17
- U.S. participants travel to Japan - June 18
- Joint Conference in Tokyo - June 28 - June 30
- U.S. participants return to U.S. - July 2
- Deadline for participant impact reports on post-program ESD activities - October 31