Archive
This is our JETAA USA Archive. Below you will find information about the history of JETAA, conferences over the years, and past national initiatives.
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Archive Navigation
Our History
The JET Alumni Association was established in 1989 through the creation and adoption of a set of bylaws in a collaboration between AJET and CLAIR, as they sought a way to maintain contact with JETs finishing their time on the Program. These bylaws set out a basic structure and direction for JETAA, but they were soon superseded as the community grew and evolved in different directions.
The first Chapters were formed in 1989-1990, JETAA International took shape about 10 years later, and the first national organizations a few years after that. Through the dedicated efforts of numerous alumni, with ongoing support from CLAIR and MOFA, the Chapters, national organizations, and JETAA-I have all worked over the years to strengthen their capabilities and more effectively carry out their objectives in support of their members, the JET Program, and Japan. Increasingly recognized as a major resource providing a broad range of talent and expertise contributing to Japan’s relations with its partners around the world, the alumni community continues to grow and evolve to meet both the challenges and the opportunities facing it as an organization.
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For a more detailed history of JETAA, click here.​
Conferences
The first JETAA “International Conference” was hosted by Japan Local Government Center / CLAIR New York in 1995 for the alumni under that office’s jurisdiction (at that time, the US and Canada). Over the next few years, alumni observers from other countries were invited to attend, and these conferences became increasingly truly international and less of a US-centric event. At the same time, MOFA joined CLAIR in sponsoring these gatherings, and in 2000 MOFA invited the alumni to hold the conference in Tokyo, signifying an expansion beyond what had been a primarily North American-focused community. In light of this, JLGC, New York, held a North American Workshop in 2000 and 2001 to meet with its Chapters in the US and Canada to understand their needs and how best to support them. However, the Canadian Chapters, outnumbered 18 to 7, felt it would be more meaningful to hold a conference focusing on their own issues, so in 2001 they gathered in Edmonton, kicking off what has become their annual Canada Conference, or CanCon. In 2002, the Americans followed suit by holding their first US National Conference (now known as NatCon) in Chicago. From 2000 onward, there were also a number of smaller regional conferences, with Canadian alumni also often participating. From 2021, responsibility for the Chapters in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago was given to JLGC, New York, and they began joining the conferences from that year as well as part of an initiative in recent years to have Country Reps participate in each others' national conferences.
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Past National Initatives
Country representatives may lead one or more national initiatives throughout their tenure.
Examples of past initiatives include:
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Founding of USJETAA
In 2013, the United States-Japan Bridging Foundation formally introduced a new initiative in support of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Alumni Associations (JETAA) entitled, “Strengthening the JETAA Network and Connecting Next Generation Leaders.” Funded by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), the purpose of the project was to build infrastructure in support of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Alumni Association, United States of America (JETAA USA) and enhance its impact promoting U.S.-Japan relations.
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As an all-volunteer organization, JETAA USA represents the 19 JETAA Chapters in the United States through three Country Representatives, who are elected by the JETAA Chapters every year. The Country Representatives help coordinate activities, disseminate information, and act as the collective voice of the alumni. However, being volunteers with little funding and constraints on their time, they are limited in the services they can provide.
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Recognizing the important role that alumni increasingly play in U.S.-Japan relations, the USJBF initiative explored the creation of an umbrella nonprofit to support JET alumni and JETAA Chapters, allowing them to better leverage the talents and energies of the JET community to further the U.S.-Japan relationship, promote the JET Program, and strengthen the network of JET alumni in the United States.
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This initiative was begun in 2012 by Ms. Paige Cottingham-Streater, Executive Director of the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation. She was later joined by Ms. Laurel Lukaszewski, who went on to become the founding Executive Director for USJETAA when it was formally established as a non-profit organization in 2015. The exploration and creation process was a collaborative effort with the JETAA USA Working Group, created for that purpose, and in consultation with other alumni and the JETAA Chapters.
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For more information, please visit the USJETAA website at: https://usjetaa.org/
JETAA USA Relief Fund
The JETAA USA Japan Earthquake Relief Fund was created in response to the triple disasters of March 11, 2011. This was the first time all US Chapters came together to fundraise and contribute to a project of this size and importance. For over 25 years, the JET Program had hosted tens of thousands of Americans to live and work in communities all across Japan, and in Japan’s time of need, this was their opportunity to give back.
The JETAA USA Relief Fund raised $88,900 over the course of one year, from March 15, 2011, to March 28, 2012. After nominations and voting, JETAA USA Chapters agreed to utilize the JETAA USA Earthquake Relief Fund for education-focused, community-based projects in the memory of their fellow US JETs who were lost in the disaster, Taylor Anderson and Monty Dickson. This option was chosen with the JET and JETAA mission of grassroots community involvement in mind. The proceeds were eventually disbursed to several recipients: Hope for Tomorrow; E-Pa+ch; The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund; the documentary Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story; volunteerAKITA; and Rikuzentakata City.
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The fund was hosted by JETAA New York due to their status as a legal 501(c)(3) organization and their offer to step up to the plate. Donations were collected from individual donors as well as through Chapter fundraising efforts, which was true of alumni fundraising around the world. What distinguished the JETAA USA effort was its insistence that funds raised not simply be handed over to the Red Cross or some other large organization and lost in the stream of support arising out of the 3.11 disaster.
Utilizing their network of US JET alumni, many possessing professional experience and skills in nonprofits, relief work, and other relevant areas, an Earthquake Fund Committee was created. Fund Committee members identified and connected with Tohoku communities, searching out projects & areas of need in which the JETAA USA funds would be most appreciated and most effectively used. The Fund Committee worked diligently to honor JETAA USA’s vote to focus on these small, local education-related projects and needs for the communities where JETAA USA could make the biggest difference. The JET and JET alumni network proved to be extremely valuable, giving JETAA USA the ability to respond and connect on a fundamental level that could only be the result of the grassroots relationships that JET fosters. The Fund Committee members were also positioned to liaise with local governments, CLAIR, MOFA, and NPOs to ensure the funds were utilized for highly effective projects while promoting the core values of the JET Program and JETAA USA. Furthermore, all individuals who participated with this project worked as volunteers. This type of network allowed the alumni to work with nearly 0% overhead and in ways that made their relatively small fund generate considerable and meaningful results.
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The lessons learned through this effort, especially regarding the need for an organization capable of fundraising and coordinating undertakings on a national level, were key drivers of the capacity building project, noted above, that led to the creation of USJETAA.
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Sister City Initiative
The primary goal of this longstanding project is to help JETAA Chapters connect and coordinate with their local US-Japan sister city and state / prefecture groups to help support and strengthen those relationships. This can have the added benefit of enhancing the value of the JET Program to members of the US-Japan community in both countries. JETAA USA collaborates with Sister Cities International and CLAIR to strengthen our partnerships and effectiveness. This initiative can also be applied to other visits and activities between the two countries (not only sister city relationships).
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JET alumni possess many of the skills (language, cultural navigation, professional acumen, etc.) that are needed to support and grow these cross-cultural community relationships. Sister city groups, in turn, often are comprised of established members of the community who can provide valuable connections and resources that the alumni might not otherwise have access to.
Local Japanese governments are also interested in developing and maintaining communications with JET alumni and cooperating on projects which benefit or promote their Japanese communities. The Sister City Initiative gives local governments a tangible connection with JETs after they depart Japan, and provides return on investment for the JET Program. Although a relatively small organization, JETAA USA is in a position where we can create high impact results through targeting our resources.