We welcomed Japanese students to Vermont in October, 2015. Now we are preparing to take Vermont students to Tottori April 14th – April 25th!
Description, Tottori-Vermont Youth Environmental Leadership Exchange:
Green Across the Pacific arranges a youth exchange for students from Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and Vermont, USA, each year. Governors Douglas (Vermont) and Hirai (Tottori) entered into a friendship agreement between the two regions in 2008. Introducing youth exchange represents part of a larger effort to improve cultural and economic relations between Vermont and Tottori to our mutual benefit.
In March of 2010, a delegation from Tottori visited several Vermont high schools for our inaugural exchange. Harwood Union High School and Mount Abraham Union High School were our initial partners in Vermont.
Student exchange will continue each fall and spring with reciprocal exchanges in Vermont in October and Tottori, Japan, in April.
You can follow student discussion and work on their blog .
Here is an overview from our 2011 Program:
During the week of March 21st, 2011, 15 high school students, 2 university students and 6 adults from Tottori, Japan, visited Harwood and Mount Abraham Union High Schools for a program centered on Environmental Leadership. Educators and students in Tottori were to host a reciprocal program for Vermonters during the week of April 18th, 2011. However, the Tsunami and subsequent problems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused us to cancel this exchange. During the exchange, students from Harwood and Mt. Abe paired with Tottori students to develop environmentally centered projects. Projects have a comparative component between Vermont and Tottori.
In 2012, a delegation from Tottori visited Vermont from October 19th to 28th. While in Vermont, Tottori students enjoyed staying with local families in the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union and Burlington area. They worked with students from Mt. Abraham Union and Burlington High Schools on projects related to Food and Food Systems . During the working week, students spent two days in School based activities. Participating Vermont students joined students from Tottori for two full days of field activities, including visits to Montpelier, and local agricultural and food based businesses. Japanese students also visited the University of Vermont and Middlebury College. A farewell dinner, complete with presentation of student work, was arranged for March 23rd at Mt. Abraham Union High School.
This was an exciting opportunity for students from Mt. Abe and Burlington High to meet students from Tottori and learn about Japanese culture while addressing important shared Environmental challenges. It provided a chance to get out and involved in a meaningful way during the fall season in Vermont.
Vermont students from Burlington and newly participating Essex High Schools visited one of Japan’s most rural and beautiful prefectures in April 2013. We are now preparing students for our third reciprocal trip to Tottori in April 2016.
Most importantly, this exchange offers students a gateway to each others cultures and a broader world view in an increasingly small planet.
To learn about participating in this opportunity, students and families at Burlington High School may contact Andreas Nolte, and students at Essex High School may contact Yukari Dougherty.
Financial Assistance Application is available here.
Green Across the Pacific is very excited to be part of this valuable program
