2015 Student Ambassador Program

Dear LD SIG members,

Spring is turning to summer again, so the NGO Outreach team is writing to warmly invite you and your students to participate in LD SIG’s Student Ambassador Program. To broaden the program’s appeal, we now offer two options.

First, and new to our program, is an invitation for your students to report on their out-of-class learning experiences at an LD or other JALT conference. Many students already participate in study abroad, volunteer, or internship programs, or go on study tours. We would like to offer those students a chance to leverage that experience by presenting a poster on their experience in English, whether the focus of their experience was English language learning or not.

Second, and as in previous years, we can facilitate experiences with local community groups here in Japan. By providing an opportunity for students to work side-by-side with dedicated, internationally active professionals, the program provides more than opportunities to use English outside the classroom; students actively learn about community organizations, build professional skills and networks, and have life-shaping experiences. These experiences can be stepping-stones to internships, careers, and unimagined possibilities. Our main partner, Free the Children Japan, has so far welcomed seven students, both Japanese and international, taking great care to place them in positions which extend their individual talents, ambitions, and language skills. These and other student ambassadors also presented posters on their experiences at the 2013 LD-SIG 20th anniversary conference or the 2014 Mini-Conference.

You or your students are welcomed to contact us at ldngooutreach@gmail.com. We also have a poster for downloading we’d like you to display or distribute among students who may be interested. You can find out more at https://ld-sig.org/LL/21one/ngoOutreach.pdf

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this email. We hope to hear from you soon!

Warm regards

Colin Rundle and Caroline Kocel-Ross