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180 students from disaster-hit Tohoku to have homestays in U.S.

13 Comments

Some 180 students from the disaster-hit Tohoku region will take part in a homestay program in the U.S> over the next three years as part of the Coca-Cola Japan Reconstruction Fund.

The fund is an initiative that delivers educational support to areas affected by the disaster in the form of a United States homestay program for high school students in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. Recruitment is now underway for the program, which will be administered in conjunction with the United States government and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Coca-Cola Japan said.

The fund has contributed 1.5 billion yen to the rebuilding of public elementary and junior high schools, with the funds being extracted from the 2.5 billion yen collected, in order to provide assistance for costs relating to the installation of storage batteries and solar power generation systems equipped with disaster-relief functions.

The homestay program is expected to run over three years from 2012 to 2014, providing places for 180 participants (60 in each year). The timing will be over the school summer holiday period. In 2012, it will run for 19 days from July 22 to Aug 9.

High school students participating in the program will be divided up among four locations including Burlington in the state of Vermont. They will stay at ordinary households in the respective locations. During the period of the program, students will receive lessons in English from native instructors in the mornings on weekdays. The program also involves study of the English language as well as American culture and society, including a study tour to the capital, Washington DC (incorporating visits to the White House and United States Congress), visits to universities in the local area where students are staying, and participation in volunteer activities.

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13 Comments
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When life gives you lemons make lemonade! Kudo's to Coke for putting their money where their mouth is and doing something constructive for the future of these kids. I hope other companies step up and do something similar to help these kids and their future's!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

What about placing kids in homes inJapan?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Surely Australia could do the same if someone had the vision to do so. Coke/Amatil (tobacco) certainly makes enough profit here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

WTG Coca-Cola!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is an excellent idea. No doubt some of those kids will have been through terrible times. I hope it gives them a chance to put a little distance between events back home and so provide an opportunity to look beyond the hurdles they and their communities must face.

I'd like to see this kind of initiative broadened - more kids, more places overseas. The next generation needs more 'fresh air to breathe'.

Never thought I'd say well done Coca-Cola.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I hand it to them on this one. Good chance for the kids and gives them something else to think about. OK, JGal, perhaps C-C or some other giant megacorp can get into rebuilding homes in safe zones, too.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@ zichi - Exactly! That was one meaning I had in mind but I hoped to suggest an escape from everything suffocating Japan's future.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is great. Experience in 14 foreign countries can give a writer experience. The students will learn more English in two weeks than they could ever learn in a year in class. Congratulations, but please understand that life is different in every country.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What about placing kids in homes inJapan?

I had a Canadian friend placed at a home in Japan. He moved out after a month to a students' dormitory. He was totally ignored and treated worse than the dog by the family.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Stay on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The timing will be over the school summer holiday period. In 2012, it will run for 19 days from July 22 to Aug 9.

During the period of the program, students will receive lessons in English from native instructors in the mornings on weekdays. The program also involves study of the English language as well as American culture and society, including a study tour to the capital, Washington DC (incorporating visits to the White House and United States Congress), visits to universities in the local area where students are staying, and participation in volunteer activities.

Good GOD! Are these kids going to be allowed any time to sleep? That's an awful lot of stuff to be doing in only 19 days. They're going to be spending a day of those 19 days just travelling to and from DC and their homestay locations. When they return to Japan they'll be ready for a vacation but, DOH! They just used theirs up running hither and yon!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

awesome

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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