~Photos and article from JETAA VIC/Tas/SA~
More than 20 delegates from across Australia and New Zealand came together for the 2014 JETAA Oceania Conference in Melbourne on October 24-26.
This year’s conference theme was “Staying Relevant” and encouraged delegates to talk about problems facing JETAA’s ongoing viability, and share stories and strategies on how to best remain dynamic and active.
The conference opened with a Welcome Reception kindly hosted by the Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne, Keiko Haneda, at her residence on 24 October.
Conference presentations began on 25 October at Southbank, with five JETAA chapters presenting their findings on international JETAA chapter activities, Wellington’s Giant Friendship Kimono, building relationships with Japanese groups, the meaning of “relevance”, and maintaining an active JETAA chapter.
Keynote speaker Leonie Boxtel, a former Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Melbourne, delivered an insightful presentation on strategies for alumni engagement.
An official conference dinner was held at Hibachi Japanese restaurant where delegates enjoyed delicious Japanese cuisine.
Day two of the conference continued with presentations on keeping an engaged committee, opportunities for growing JETAA relevance, and engaging members who returned from Japan more than five years ago.
JETAA International representatives Raelene Wilson (Australia) and Shelley Butt (New Zealand) then spoke about their activities over the past year and plans to create a JETAA Oceania website and greater resource sharing.
CLAIR delegate Noriyuki Shiba was the last to present with a thoughtful and informative presentation on JET Programme trends, as well as the importance of SHIBA [Supporter of Japan; Helping the JET programme; Increase interest in Japan; Bridge between Australia and New Zealand, and Japan; Alluring people to the JET programme through interesting activities].
The conference finished with a barbecue on the banks of the Yarra on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon.
On behalf of JETAA Vic/Tas/SA, thank you to all the delegates who took part in the conference. We look forward to attending next year’s conference in Queenstown, New Zealand.
