JET Memorial Project: Montgomery Dickson Memorial
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Thanks to JETAA USA Country Rep Jennifer Butler for circulating this item from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
http://www.cgp.org/announcements/jet-memorial-project-montgomery-dickson-memorial
11-Jul-2012
In the fall of 2011, the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP) announced the launch of the “JET Memorial Project,” to commemorate the two American JET participants, Ms. Taylor Anderson (Ishinomaki City, from Virginia) and Mr. Montgomery Dickson (Rikuzentakata City, from Alaska) who lost their lives during the Great East Japan Earthquake. CGP will support various activities at each of their respective universities for 5 years, with the intent to enhance the younger generation’s further understanding of Japan.
This announcement introduces the first year project activities of the “Montgomery Dickson Memorial Project” at the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA)
Montgomery Dickson Memorial Project (Year 1)
UAA has created the Montgomery Dickson Center for Japanese Language and Culture (MDCJLC) in an effort to develop Japanese Language education at UAA and throughout Alaska, as well as to promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and Japan. UAA will do this through the following projects:
1. Summer Institute: Post-Secondary Japanese Language Education with a Focus on 21st Century Skills (Summer 2012, 4 days)
A seminar-workshop for post-secondary full-time Japanese language instructors to discuss issues relating to student attainment of 21st Century skills. Subtopics include AP Japanese Language and Culture, Thematic Approach, CBI, and Assessment and how they all relate to 21st Century Skills.
2. Cultural Event: Kimono Lecture and Demonstration (Fall 2012)
A cultural education event for UAA Japanese language students; students and teachers from the Anchorage School District; and Anchorage community members.
3. Montgomery Dickson/Japan Foundation Scholarship (2012 – 2013 academic year)
To provide an opportunity for 5 UAA students to participate the UAA exchange program with Hokkaido University of Education.
4. Visit to Rikuzentakata (Summer 2012, 2 days)
On behalf of UAA, the Director of the MDCJLC, accompanied by Mr. Dickson’s sister, will visit Rikuzentakata and strengthen relationships with the board of education and the community in order to explore future possibilities of cultural exchanges between UAA, Anchorage and Rikuzentakata.
5. Professional Development (2012 – 2013 academic year)
Support for UAA Japanese language faculty members to participate in relevant professional development opportunities throughout the year.
In addition to the above endeavors, the Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institution, Kansai also started a 5-year project called JET-MIP which provides an opportunity for selected U.S. high school students to receive intensive Japanese language training and first-hand cultural experiences during the summer in Japan. Please see the detailshere.
Students from Taylor and Monty’s high schools to visit the US
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The below article appeared recently in the US-based Japanese language newspaper Frontline. Thanks to a helpful, bilingual JETwit supporter for sharing this and providing a summary in English:
“It basically says that 1,000 high school kids from 40 schools in the US will visit Japan in three groups from June 10th to the end of July. The group will include students from Taylor and Monty’s alma maters. They will do volunteer work in Tohoku and will visit Ishinomaki and Rikuzentakata (you can see the reference to Taylor, Monty, & JET in the third paragraph). The three main groups will evidently break up into smaller groups of 25 while in Japan and will move around among visits to places like temporary housing and volunteer work sites, and they are planning to visit Fukushima-ken to conduct radiation testing on newly harvested produce (that’s really interesting). They will also visit Kobe to see the recovery there from the Hanshin earthquake.”
★ 米高校生ら1000人、被災地へ 10日から訪日、交流
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東日本大震災からの復興に取り組む日本の姿を自分の目で確かめようと、米国の高校生ら約1000人が10日から７月下旬にかけ、３グループに分かれて訪日する。それぞれ約２週間滞在し、岩手、宮城、福島、茨城４県でのボランティア活動などを通じて被災地の人々と交流を深める。国際交流基金が主催する招待プログラムの一環。2005年の大型ハリケーン「カトリーナ」など、過去に自然災害に見舞われた地域を含む全米の40校が参加者を送り出す。外国青年招致事業（JETプログラム）で訪日中に震災の犠牲となった英語指導助手テイラー・アンダーソンさん＝当時（24）、バージニア州出身＝と、モンゴメリー・ディクソンさん＝同（26）、アラスカ州出身＝の出身校の生徒も訪日し、２人の赴任先だった宮城県石巻市と岩手県陸前高田市を訪れる予定。参加者は25人単位で行動。一部は岩手県久慈市で仮設住宅を訪問し、震災当時や避難生活の話を聞く。宮城県気仙沼市で津波被害を受けた海岸を地元ボランティアとともに清掃したり、福島県天栄村を訪れ収穫した農作物の放射線量を測定したりすることも計画されている。全ての参加者は神戸市にも足を運び、阪神大震災から復興を遂げた街の様子も視察する。（共同）
