2003 Summer Japan Student Program
	Funded by The Freeman Foundation
	Sponsored by the American Forum for Global Education

Our goal is to assist young people in the process of becoming global citizens. This has been the mission of our programs to Asia for New York area pre-collegiate students. The transformation that occurs between our selection process and the student's final projects is often miraculous. In 2003, we selected 32 students in their junior year from 17 high schools to learn about another country and another culture, to become enamored with the concepts of "global" and "international" and to consider focusing their future educational efforts in those directions.

2003 Summer Japan Student Program includes an intensive pre-departure academic program in the spring, a trip to Japan for two weeks in July, and a post-trip institute in August. During the trip and at the conclusion of this program, students produced a rich body of work to contemplate their journey of beginning to explore another culture as well as the world. As you will see when you read their words, they reflect upon this wonderful opportunity - the sights, the smells, the encounters. Their academic projects show that young people are motivated to develop excellent academic materials which they can share with professionals and their peers. Lastly, their deep appreciation of what is often a seminal and life-changing experience, indicates how much faith we have in the intelligence of our students. We continue to be deeply indebted to the Freeman Foundation for their sponsorship and their realization of the need to tap the intelligence and motivation of young people before they enter colleges and universities.