IATSS Forum

The IATSS Forum programme would be a valuable opportunity for me to learn sustainable community design from the Japanese community, meet new friends and develop useful skills that I could bring back to apply in my career, volunteer work as well as personal life. The IATSS Forum allows participants to not only learn from professors and professionals who are experts in their respective sectors, it also involves them in field studies and home stays to witness what was learnt from the classroom in real communities. I have always marvelled at the Japanese’s strong community spirit, so I am looking forward to learning from the people I meet. Along the same note, I am excited to meet new friends from both Japan and the ASEAN community and get to know their unique cultures, especially during the cultural exchange programmes. As part of the programme syllabus, the IATSS Forum offers the opportunity to learn soft skills such as team building, working with different leadership styles and conflict management. I am looking forward to learn these skills and the frameworks to apply them to my interpersonal interactions. Last but not least, I would like to thank the management and staff of the IATSS Forum for organising the forum and supporting the growth of young people from ASEAN countries.

Konnichiwa! This is Jasmine from Singapore, I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to participate in the IATSS Forum. The two months in Japan has been beautiful- I have met people with beautiful hearts, visited beautiful places and learnt beautiful lessons. The people we’ve met here were extremely kind and helpful. In particular, the volunteers welcomed us to Japan warmly and the staff put in 120% into the programmes planned for us so that we can maximise our learning. We have also forged wonderful friendships with fellow course participants. In addition, we visited the beautiful cities and the countryside during our stay here, exploring the sights, sounds and delicious food of Japan. Lastly, given that Japan is a civilisation with long history, it has certainly encountered its fair share of issues such as environmental disasters, but with the spirit of its people, it has always recovered beautifully. The lessons learnt from the recovery from these crises can serve as a good example for the ASEAN countries. I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has contributed to the IATSS Forum in one way or another. While the forum lasted for two months, I certainly hope our friendship forged and the learning points we have gathered will stay with us for a lifetime.