Hello and a big otsukaresama from us here in the 2019-2020 FAJET team! As we get ready to say goodbye to many of you and hand over to a brand new FAJET team, here’s a look back over what we have been able to enjoy with you all this year.
2019 saw us kick off the new JET year with the welcome dinner party at the Tenjin SkyGarden, where new and current JET members were able to get to know each other over an all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffet! Our second big event was FAJET’s annual visit to the Kyushu Sumo Tournament, where we were able to enjoy the excitement of watching live Japanese Sumo matches at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center in November.
In the New Year we held FAJET’s second Charity Concert in Kurume City! We invited JETs to showcase their talents to fellow JETs, friends and Japanese locals! We also held a World Trivia themed quiz for the audience, with one team winning a batch of delicious handmade cookies. Thanks to all who attended and participated through the night, we were able to raise 129,300 yen towards our FAJET Scholarship Fund.
Which leads us on to the Scholarship itself – we had incredible applications this year which certainly made it difficult to choose, but we are happy to announce that a recipient has been chosen! This year’s recipient is a second grade student at Denshukan High School. He is an aspiring sports therapist and his dream is to work with athletes from across the world. He is planning to study abroad in the UK.
Of course, 2020 has proven to be quite a challenge for us all and we have not let it keep us down! We’ve found ways to keep social while remaining socially distant, continuing to bring the JET community together from the comfort of their homes. Deanna has been hosting weekly quizzes, inviting JETs to flex their knowledge over Zoom. Chelsea ran an online Resume Workshop, using her prior experience in the field to help others prepare for their future endeavors. And finally, we held our Skills Auction completely online this year, where JETs were able to bid on a wide variety of skills and goods offered virtually.
Also FAJET has linked up with National AJET to support them in the Mask Sew-a-thon, and we’ve pledged 120 reusable handmade masks to help the Japanese community cope with mask shortages.
We’d like to extend a big thank you to all of the JETs who contributed delicious baked goods and handmade treats which were sold at our ALT meetings throughout the year! Thanks to your efforts we were able to raise 64,300 yen which has been donated to a number of charities selected by the Areas who contributed. And of course, thank you to all who bought goods and donated too!
And that’s it from us this year! We’re excited to hand over to a fresh new FAJET team who will be with you for the 2020-21 year – keep an eye out for their introductions coming soon!
All the best,
The FAJET 2019-20 Team
Ariba, Chelsea, Deanna, Gayle, Rosie, Steph, Vicki and Zoey