The Ship for World Youth Alumni Association of New Zealand is excited to announce that applications for the 32nd voyage of the Ship for World Youth are now open!

Applications for participating youth of the New Zealand delegation will close at 11:59pm on Monday 12 August.

The Ship for World Youth (SWY) is a unique leadership programme run and sponsored by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, and brings together 110 Japanese youth and 110 young leaders from 10 other countries around the world.

SWY32 is scheduled to take place from the 10th January - 24th February 2020.

Participating countries for the next programme are New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Peru, Bahrain, Egypt, Kenya, and of course Japan.

The journey traditionally sees participants spending time in Japan, learning about Japanese history and culture, as well as several weeks at sea aboard the Nippon Maru, where they sail to one or more countries. During the voyage, the participants engage in workshops to develop their leadership skills, as well as foster cross-cultural understanding - a central theme of the programme.

For the upcoming journey, the ship will travel from Japan to Mexico and back, passing through Hawai’i.

The last time New Zealand sent a delegation was in 2017, for the 29th voyage. New Zealand has been lucky to have been selected to participate 16 times in the past, with notable alumni including Helen Clark.

The selection process is managed by the SWY NZ Alumni Association. The delegation will be made up of 11 participants, who are active in the community, capable of representing Aotearoa on the world stage, and demonstrate an eagerness to learn about other cultures. Participants are required to be New Zealand citizens between 18-30 years old.

The delegation will be headed by a National Leader: a past participant of the programme, who will be selected via a similar application process, closing on 22nd July.

You can find more information, including application forms and a more detailed timeline and eligibility criteria on the SWY NZ website: http://swynz.org.nz/ or on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/swynz

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