Organizers of youth exchanges discussed formats of cooperation with Japan

The training seminar for the organizers of the Russian-Japanese youth exchanges was held on June 30 — July 1 as part of the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan on the establishment of the Russian-Japanese Commission on Youth Exchanges

The basic topic of the seminar was the discussion of opportunities for maintaining and resuming contacts with Japanese partner organizations.
The seminar program was carried out in the online format by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia and Russian Technological University, which serves as the Coordinating Bureau of Russian-Japanese Youth Exchanges.
30 representatives of schools, universities and professional colleges from Russia attended the seminar, implementing or interested in youth and school exchanges with Japan.
Such regions as the Komi Republic, Zabaikalsky, Krasnodar, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Orenburg regions, St. Petersburg and Moscow were represented.
On the first day of the seminar, the participants received information about the current situation in  Russian-Japanese youth cooperation, got acquainted with the methods of crisis and stress management in managing youth exchange projects, discussed possible formats of youth exchanges in new conditions.
«The development of international youth cooperation is one of the priorities of the state youth policy of Russia, Russian-Japanese youth exchanges for more than 20 years have been its important component. In the long term, the state of Russian-Japanese relations will depend, among other things, on how the dialogue between the youth of our countries is carried out nowadays. In the current situation, it is important to maintain existing partnerships in the field of youth exchange," Denis Ashirov, Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, stressed in his greeting.
«MIREA is a Russian Technological University within the framework of the implementation of the powers of the Coordinating Bureau of Russian-Japanese Youth Exchanges, as before, it provides information and methodological support to the organizers of exchanges from the Russian side, including such seminars," said Grigory Petushkov, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy of RTU MIREA.
The program of the second day of the training seminar was devoted to familiarization with methods and tools for conducting online youth exchanges and group work. The seminar resulted in an action plan for further cooperation with Japanese partner organizations and support for youth exchanges developed by the participants.
The participants especially noted the importance of maintaining contacts with Japanese colleagues at the level of interpersonal communication, and also suggested the following work formats that are currently possible: professional development in the field of organizing youth exchanges and using digital tools; improving knowledge of the Japanese language; creating a portfolio of implemented projects and developing methodological materials for organizing youth exchanges, including the creation of a database of photo and video materials.
It is planned to work with potential participants of youth exchanges, hold days and festivals of Japanese culture, exchange experience within the Russian professional community of organizers of youth and school exchanges with Japan, including the implementation of interregional projects, and much more.

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Russian-Japanese youth cooperation is carried out in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan on the establishment of the Russian-Japanese Youth Exchange Commission dated March 15, 1999.