The Hokkaido Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching
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Here are the candidates for the 1st Year Liaison position!
Sep 22nd
Voting begins Friday September 23rd and will go on until 11:59pm on October 1st.
Go to http://vote.hajet.org to vote during that time to place your vote. Only HAJET members may vote. (Update: Voting is now ready! You’ll need a password that is sent by email to vote.)
And now for the candidates…
Jericho (Jeri) Knopp
HOMETOWN / COUNTRY: Montreal, QC, Canada
HOKKAIDO TOWN: Kuriyama-cho
RANDOM POINT OF INTEREST: about me? Umm… I can read and write upside down and say the alphabet backwards!
FAVORITE MOVIE and WHY: Dogville, directed by Lars Von Trier.The acting is superb, the set is unlike anything previously done in film and the story is emotionally charged and unforgettable.
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: I was on HS Student Council from 2004-2008, where I served as grade representative and interim treasurer. Afterwards, I served as the treasurer of my residence council during my first year of university. I have been a frosh leader for two years, which involved showing students around the city and organizing events, and the president and treasurer of a choir of 200 people from 2009-2011.
WHY YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE: I’m young and naive, so I might bring a fresh point of view to the table. Also, I’m very outgoing and friendly, and I love meeting new people and learning new things. I am organized and responsible, as is shown by my prior experience. I’ve got experience in a number of different leadership roles as well as in a number of different settings. Also, because I want to do this for the right reasons. Not just to pad my resume, but to actually connect with others and form new bonds. :)
WHY DID YOU JOIN THE JET PROGRAMME: I joined the JET programme for a number of reasons. 1. I wanted to travel; get out of Canada and see the world. 2. The Japanese culture and way of life has interested me since I started teaching Japanese adults English last year. 3. The paycheck really doesn’t hurt either!
And
Tuan Nguyen
HOMETOWN / COUNTRY: Los Angeles, California USA / North Carolina, USA
HOKKAIDO TOWN: Urakawa
RANDOM POINT OF INTEREST: I can’t stand the cold!
FAVORITE MOVIE and WHY: Superbad – because of McLovin. Kevin Hart’s Seriously Funny is also up there.
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Public Relations Officer of the Vietnamese Student Association at UNCC (University of North Carolina at Charlotte). Activity Coordinator of the Hmong Student Association at UNCC. Participant of several programs in college aimed for emerging leaders such as Leadership Fellows, Leadershape, Multicultural Weekend, etc.
WHY YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE: I believe in not only communication, but the art of expressing thoughts, emotions, and stories through the medium of language (Japanese, English, and a little bit of Vietnamese). And being able to pass those skills along to my fellow JETs and students is important to me.
WHY DID YOU JOIN THE JET PROGRAMME: I do believe and agree with JET’s aims, and how it strives to promote internationalization on a people-to-people / grassroots level. Coming straight out of college, getting in to JET was a challenge, something the majority of us can all agree on. As to why I joined, I joined because I knew the immense value of how international experience, especially living abroad, can change a person for the better. I joined because I knew I could not only gain a lot of value to Japan, but also give it as well.
2011 T-Shirt Design Contest
Sep 17th
This year’s t-shirt design contest is upon us! Every year, HAJET coordinates a t-shirt design contest to provide you with unique clothing and help raise money for the Hokkaido English Challenge. You may have seen past designs being sported around the island. Past designs have professed loved to our dear Hokkaido, displayed Engrish, or poked fun at our jobs as ALTs. A new design is needed for this year’s batch of t-shirts.
Do you have an artistic flare, an interesting or clever idea, or a message that can only be properly expressed in t-shirt format? Well now is your chance to show your ideas to the HAJET community, and then in turn, have them show your ideas to the world at large!
As mentioned, this is a contest. Design ideas will be voted upon by HAJET members, and the winning design will then be printed t-shirts and be made available for purchase by one and all. The content of design entries is wide open. Ideally the designs will be somewhat relevant to our lives. That could be relevant to life in Hokkaido or in Japan in general. It could simply pertain to living in any foreign culture. Design entries can contain text, images, or both. The placement of the design on the t-shirt is also open to your creativity. Everything is up to you!* If you have multiple ideas, you may submit multiple entries! However, please try to limit yourself to your best three ideas at most.
*All right, I lied a little. There are a couple limitations. One being the size of your design: Please keep your design to the size of an A4 sheet of paper. That’s a standard piece of paper in Japan (21.0cm X 29.7cm). Second, please limit yourself to only two colours. You can choose the colour of t-shirt on which the design will be printed, and then make a design that used one or two colours of ink.
There is one point of flexibility to the above rules. You may make a larger design or have the design divided into two distinct locations of the shirt if you only use one colour in your design. (For example, a large image printed on the back, with a bit of text printed on the front, all in the same colour.) The reason for this being that the printing process requires screens to be made, and each location and each colour requires a discrete screen to be made. To keep the costs of the shirts down, we ask that each design only require two screens.
The deadline to submit design entries is Monday, October 17. All entries should be emailed to hec@hajet.org by this date. Any questions should also be directed to Kyle at the same address. Voting will take place online at the end of October. Upon determining the winner, t-shirts will be printed and then made available at the mid-year conference in early December.
September 2010 Polestar is Here!
Sep 5th
September 2011 Polestar
The September 2010 Polestar is here and we wanted to show HAJET members and non-members alike an example of our prefectural magazine. HAJET members receive the Polestar every month via a special link, so if you would like to continue to read the Polestar, you’ll need to become a HAJET member.
The September Polestar is chalked full of lots of great content and information for you! Our lovely designer, Alicia, has done an amazing job making this issue beautiful! You can download the September issue through this link. (24.6MB PDF)
As always, if you’d like to contribute, have ideas for the Polestar, or have suggestions or comments, please email us at editor@hajet.org!
This issue is a great one, so keep the contributions and suggestions coming!
The deadline to submit content for the next issue is September 16th.
Remember: Polestar + You = Awesome
Jessica Benscoter
Polestar Editor
HAJET
The HAJET PC is Looking for a new First Year Liaison!
Aug 31st
Join the HAJET Prefectural Council and Leave Your Mark! Here is how!!!!
Step 1: move to Japan. Complete.
Step 2: accomplish great things in Japan. Pending…
Here’s your chance. In the up-coming weeks we will be looking for a first year JET to join the HAJET Prefectural Council (PC) as the First Year Liaison! The position is fairly straightforward but can be transformed into nearly anything the Liaison desires. You’ll find elaboration after the break.
On its most basic level, the First Year Liaison represents the priorities of first year JETs, though the ultimate goals behind the creation of this role are to place a first year JET in a leadership position and for that leader to spend the first part of his or her term building a general knowledge of PC functioning. In years when too many first time PC members are on staff, it can be very difficult to pass knowledge and experience and keep things running smoothly. For this reason, the First Year Liaison was proposed. The First Year Liaison is elected from October to August, rather than February to February like most of the other positions, in order to assure continuity across the PC from one year to the next.
The responsibilities of the First Year Liaison are: 1) writing a monthly article for the Polestar, 2) encouraging membership among other new arrivals, and 3) offering opinions and voting on PC issues. In the end, serving in this position is a resume-building experience with great personal rewards. It’s quite ideal for someone who is looking for a way to get involved or fill some down time at work, and even more ideal for someone who wants to stay connected and help others connect in Hokkaido. Additionally, it’s an opportunity to get in on the workings of HAJET early, before regular elections in the winter.
Though the First Year Liaison’s term runs differently from other PC positions it’s designed to suit the needs of the Liaison. If the elected First Year Liaison decides to stay for a second year and wants to run for another position on the PC in order to carry into the next year, he or she is absolutely welcome to do so. Fortunately, the busiest time for the First Year Liaison is mid-JET year, which allows both time for settling in at the beginning as well as time for taking on a new position on the council at the end of the term when the PC changes. In short, at the end of the term it’s okay to hold two positions. It’s also not necessary to be re-contracting for a second year in order to hold the First Year Liaison role. Of course, we’d love to keep you, but we don’t expect new JETs to commit to two years in their first few months on the job.
Any questions? Please email nominations@hajet.org for more information or to express your intentions to run for the First Year Liaison position! The deadline is September 14th!
If you’re interested now, please send a picture of yourself and the following information with your intentions …
1- NAME:
2- HOMETOWN / COUNTRY:
3- HOKKAIDO TOWN:
4- RANDOM POINT OF INTEREST:
5- FAVORITE MOVIE and WHY:
6- PRIOR EXPERIENCE:
7- WHY YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE:
8- WHY DID YOU JOIN THE JET PROGRAMME:
We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
The HAJET PC
2011 HAJET Fall Meeting RSVP
Aug 30th
Otaru Canal
This year the 2011 Fall Meeting will be held at Otaru. This is a great time to get insight into the coming winter months, make some new friends, see some old ones, and reflect upon your first few months in Japan. Otaru offers some fantastic architectural landscapes and a chance to get some shopping in, as well as a scenic canal and home to some fancy handmade artifacts. Talk to your BOE about it and get ready for a great time.
When: Saturday, October 8 to Monday, October 10. Check-in is after 3:00pm and check-out is before 11:00am
Where: Otaru (小樽市), Hotel Sonia (ホテルソニア)
Otaru Community Center – This is where we’ll be holding workshops and meetings.
Cost: 6,300円 per night, person. There are only triple rooms available. If you would like to room with friends, please write the person or persons’ names on the RSVP form. As space is limited, we will be assigning rooms as appropriately as possible to fill in gaps. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
Enkai Graffiti Party: Sunday, October 9. 7:00pm-8:30pm Otaru Canal Dining Hall Asakusabashi Beer Hall (小樽運河食堂 浅草橋ビアホール). Bring your white shirts, neon colors and wacky paints because you’ll be doing a lot of drawing… on each other. More details about the theme coming shortly.
- 90 minute All you can eat / 食べ放題. Must buy your own drinks
- 1,800円 HAJet Members / 2,200円 Non-HAJet Members
- Lamb and Buffet Style: With Sushi, Salad, Fruits, Ramen, Single Dishes and more
- Drinks: Sodas, Juices, Coffee, Alcohol and Beer
- We will be collecting enkai fees at the general meeting, so be sure to pay Andy Suvoltos then.
Map: 2011 Fall Meeting Otaru of Need to Know Locations
Deadline: If you intend to go, please RSVP by Sunday, September 18th through the online form. I realize the deadline is a bit early, but if you want to go, but you’re not sure how your BOE will react, RSVP anyways. It’s easier to RSVP and cancel later than it is to RSVP after the deadline. If you don’t feel comfortable RSVPing online, you can print and fax the form directly to: Curtis Takaichi, Hobetsu Mukawa Board of Education, Fax: 0145-45-3843.
Important: If your BOE requires a mailed detailed packet about the meeting in Japanese, or you think they may need one, please indicate on the Online RSVP form and I will send them a packet. Otherwise, you will be able to print and hand one to them.
Packets and the Fax Back Form
2011 FALL HAJet Fax Back Form (161KB DOC)
HAJET 2011 Fall Meeting Packet-Japanese (163 DOC)
Enkai Info
Fall Meeting Info
Click “READ MORE” to fill out the online form.
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