Future leaders join exchange program

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Twenty-eight Indonesians will take part in a friendship program called the 34th Ship for South East Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP).

All 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as Japan, will send contingents of 28 youths.

The Indonesian participants come from 24 provinces.

The SSEAYP program started in 1974 to improve ties between Japan and ASEAN countries.

"This program consists of a cultural exchange and discussion," director of the Information and Culture Center at the Japanese Embassy, Yoshiharu Kato, said Friday during a launch ceremony for the program in Cibubur, East Jakarta.

He expressed hope the program would strengthen friendship and mutual understanding among the youths of Japan and ASEAN.

Each year, young people between the ages of 22 and 30 travel together on board the Nippon Maru vessel from Japan for more than 50 days.

The trip includes stops in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

"We hope their interaction on the ship during the journey will help them learn more about the cultures of other countries, and we hope this will improve their mutual understanding," an official at the Information and Culture Center at the Japanese Embassy, Yukari Kaji, said.

The Indonesian representatives have been living for the last two weeks at a youth and sports center in Cibubur, East Jakarta, to learn more about Indonesian culture and about Japan, as the main sponsor of the program.

"You can experience the culture and lifestyle of Japanese people yourself when you arrive in Japan," Yukari told the Indonesians.

Lyza Buyuni from the State Ministry for Youth and Sports Affairs said the Indonesian representatives would leave for Japan on Sunday and would stay there for around a week with Japanese families.

"They will board the Nippon Maru on Oct. 31 leaving Japan for Singapore as the first port of call," Lyza said.

The youths will be in Indonesia from Nov. 13 to 14.

"The participants will be welcomed by State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs Adyaksa Dault at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta," said the secretary-general of SSEAYP Indonesia, Gunawan Zakki.

"They will also pay a courtesy call to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono."

After Indonesia, they will continue the journey to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, staying four days in each country.

Gunawan, who is an alumnus of the program, said the program allowed him to meet people from other countries and share experiences and knowledge with them.

"After joining the program I felt grateful to be an Indonesian because staying in other countries opened my eyes to the cultural richness of Indonesia," he said.