The Ship for World Youth (SWY) program, operated by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, is a program that involves youths from Japan and countries around the world. They board the Ship for World Youth, live together, and while on board and when visiting the different countries, they study and discuss common issues from a global perspective and participate in other various activities that involve multi-cultural and multi-national exchange opportunities.

The 24th Ship for World Youth Program will be held from Jan. 18 – March 5, 2012!!

The itinerary of the 24th Ship for World Youth program of FY2011 is as follows:
- Arrival of the participants from overseas: January 18, 2012
- Program for overseas participants in Japan: January 19－23

- Pre-departure Training Session : January 23 – 29
- Departure from Japan (Yokohama) : January 31
- Refuel, food and water supply in Singapore (Singapore) : February 8 – 9
- Port of call activities in Sri Lanka (Colombo) : February 13 – 16
- Port of call activities in India (Chennai) : February 19 – 21
- Refuel, food and water supply in Singapore (Singapore) : February 25 – 26
- Return back to Japan (Tokyo): March 5

Participating countries for SWY24 will be:
Kingdom of Bahrain
Federative Republic of Brazil
Canada
Arab Republic of Egypt
India
Japan
New Zealand
Republic of Peru
Russia
Spain
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Republic of Turkey
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Questions related to the Ship for World Youth (SWY) program

1.   What is the purpose of the program?

The purpose of the “Ship for World Youth” program is to broaden the global view of the Japanese youth, to promote mutual understanding and friendship between Japanese and foreign youth as well as to cultivate the spirit of international cooperation and the competence to practice it, and furthermore to foster the youths with capability of showing leadership in various area of international society.

In addition, this program aims at establishing networks and promoting joint activities among youths around the world through providing, as the concrete and practical opportunity, the cohabitation and the joint activity on the board of the “Ship for World Youth”, which is the epitome of international society with wide variety of cultures and ideas, to make an visible international contribution from the perspective of human resource development.

2.    How can I apply for the SWY program?  What are the criteria?

First, the most important thing is that you must have a citizenship of one the participating countries of the year (participating countries differ every year).  There are more than 60 countries that have been invited to participate in SWY programs, but only around 12 countries are selected by the Japanese government to join the program each year.

Second, your age must be 18 to 30.

Third, the participants should be able to communicate well in English, and also be able to participate throughout the program.

There are other criteria, but above three points are necessary.

After the Japanese Government has selected the participating countries, the invitation letter will go to each government through the Japanese Embassy in your country. Therefore, probably the best thing is to get in touch with the ministry which is in charge of the youth affairs in your country or the Japanese Embassy to find out if your country is participating or not and to receive information about how to apply for it.

3. How does my country get invited?

The Japanese Government decides annual which countries are invited.  The Japanese Government will decide the participating countries according to its relationship with the country and with an advise/suggestions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

4.  How will I know if my country is invited?  How can I get the information?

The Japanese Embassy in your country will receive the first information from the Japanese Government. Please contact your Japanese Embassy or your local government, section dealing with youth affairs.

5. How often does the SWY program run?  How long does it run for?

It is run on annual bases, usually from early January to early March for approximately 42 days.

6. How many countries and how many participants from each country?

Approximately 13-15 countries are invited, average of 11 participants from each country.

7.  Can I join as a participant of another country?

No, you must be a citizen of the invited country.

8.  How much does it cost to participate?

The program is fully sponsored by the Cabinet Office of the Japanese Government (except for personal/incidental charges and insurance etc.), however, there may be an application fee imposed by the organization selecting the participants.

Website: http://www.shipforworldyouth.org/