"JEPN Student Reunion Day” was held

Every year in March, JEPN holds a Student Reunion Day to bring together students from refugee backgrounds who have been admitted into Japan to interact with other students, business people, and various other people and to think about their future careers. This year, in order to deepen connections among students, Japanese university students as well as high school students interested in interacting with refugee and displaced students participated in the event. A total of 169 people gathered for the grand event, including 58 refugee and displaced students, 46 guests including business and government officials, 42 university and high school students, and 23 staff members.

"Lecture on Job Hunting”, a step toward a career after graduation

Reunion Day is an opportunity to reflect on oneself and one's future career. This year, we held a lecture on job hunting for non-degree students and first and second year undergraduate students to help them prepare early for job hunting in Japan and make career choices without missing out on the earlier start of the job hunting process in Japan compared to other countries. Ms. Kumiko Kunii of Bridge&Partner Japan, a support network for international students, was invited as the lecturer for the day and gave a comprehensive explanation on what one should know about job hunting in Japan at an early stage, including the characteristics of job hunting, evaluation criteria of companies, schedule, and contents of examinations.

"Cafetalk” to deepen interactions for various purposes

Afterwards, “Cafetalk” was held to deepen interactions by talking in a relaxed atmosphere over coffee and other drinks. Two main themes were set and the participants were divided into two groups: one group talked about jobs and careers with the participation of companies interested in recruitment and internships, and the other group talked about life and culture in Japan with senior students serving as facilitators. In a friendly atmosphere in each group, students asked questions about how to proceed with job hunting, what they should do their best during their school days, and what they will do after joining a company, providing an opportunity to think about their future career concretely.

"Booth time” for interaction between refugee and displaced students and university and high school students

After deepening communications through "Cafetalk", students set up booths for each group, and participants futhered interactions as they visited the booths. Ukrainian students made traditional dolls, while Syrian students introduced their culture, including cooking and Arabic calligraphy, at their booths, which attracted a large number of participants. Also, university and high school students from eight universities and high schools set up booths to introduce their activities and Japanese culture for participants to enjoy. Refugee and displaced students also enjoyed interacting with Japanese students.

During the performance time that followed, Ukrainian and Syrian students gave a singing performance. Although this was the first time for Japanese participants to hear this music, the audience became excited together.

At the reception held at the end of the program, gathering  the companies, government agencies, and foundations that support refugee and displaced students. We welcomed the newly recruited students to the program and congratulated the students who will graduate from the university this year.

Comments from participants

Refugee and displaced students

• I was able to learn about the situation of other students and hear about their roadmap for the future from other students who have experienced the same situation.

• I was able to have a lot of experiences that I normally would not be able to have, so I had a very fruitful time.

• I was able to talk and get to know a variety of people that I would not normally meet. I was able to gain many new perspectives by talking with these people.

University and high school students who exhibited boothes

• It was a valuable opportunity to engage with evacuees and students from other universities. The exhibition provided an opportunity to deepen interactions with various people. It was also an opportunity for us to learn about the activities of other organizations, and to deepen cooperation and exchange not only with refugee and displaced persons students but also with other organizations.

• It was my first time to attend an event, and I was surprised to see that all of the participants were fluent in Japanese, and at the same time, it was a valuable experience for me to gain new knowledge and interact with them.

• It was a valuable experience for me to talk with people who were interested in the common theme of refugees and to receive compliments from them.

Guests

This was my first time to participate in this program. I was surprised to see many students who not only had good language skills (English), but also IT skills and a high awareness of society, as well as a strong desire to work in Japan.

It was a great opportunity to communicate directly and casually with a wide range of students. The event was a comfortable and open environment where I could learn about the students.

It was great that everyone had specific dreams and questions.

JEPN will continue to work to expand the admission of refugee and displaced students in Japan by creating opportunities for them to connect with other refugee and displaced students, Japanese students, companies, and other members of society.