THE 14th Global Assembly of the Ship for World Youth for 2023 hosted by the Sultanate of Oman was a huge success. The global gathering held recently saw the participation of over 153 participants representing 25 countries from around the world. The Oman meet was the largest number in the history of the Ship for World Youth (SWY) alumni gatherings.
The SWY programme is a programme that involves youths from Japan and countries around the world. The purpose of the SWY programme is to broaden the global view of youth by promoting mutual understanding and friendship between Japanese and foreign youth.
The SWY programme and its annual event are organised by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan. The programme runs for over one month onshore and onboard the ship. The assembly saw the participants study, and discuss common issues from a global perspective (such as SDGs), and participate in various activities that involve multicultural and multinational exchange opportunities to cultivate international awareness and leadership.
The Ship for World Youth committee – Oman and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in coordination with the Cabinet Office of Japan and the International Youth Exchange Organization (IYEO) cohosted the alumni’s global assembly in Muscat last November.
The assembly saw the participants study, and discuss common issues from a global perspective (such as SDGs), and participate in various activities that involve multicultural and multinational exchange opportunities to cultivate international awareness and leadership. The World Youth Alumni Global Assembly was a success and a great gathering, according to the participants.
Adil Al Shanfari, head of the Ship for World Youth Committee - Oman, who participated twice in 2010 (batch 22) as a participant, and in 2015 (batch 27) as leader of the Omani delegation, says, “The Assembly at the SWY was met with satisfaction by all the participants who tasted authentic Arab hospitality.” “We worked to make the agenda a combination of three main elements comprising culture (identity, heritage, and tourism), modernity and development, and youth roles (community service and common global issues).”
The Assembly included a main programme on tourism, that included trips to Muscat Governorate, Sur, Bidiya, and Nizwa to visit the cultural, economic, and tourist attractions that characterise the governorates. The annual gathering takes place every year in a country in which alumni associations of the programme are from different countries.
The batches meet to discuss the most important developments in the community. They also volunteer work and carry out the extent of their impact on society and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. The Assembly enhances communication between alumni and brings points of view closer on several topics such as understanding different cultures, which leads to teamwork in overcoming common global challenges. Jota Yamamoto, Ambassador of Japan, hails Al Shanfari's leadership and the Committee’s dedication, which made possible the gathering of the SWY Global Assembly.
“While the world tends to be more complicated and volatile, it is all the more important to promote the cause of SWY and enhance such youth exchanges. Adil is an icon, who has been taken as a treasure for the worldwide networking of youth,” adds the ambassador.
The participants prepared a demonstration of the activities and events they implemented the year before and displayed their plans and future activities.
The assembly is an occasion for the old timers to know the host country through a scheduled hosting programme that includes visits to various places, like universities, museums, heritage places, voluntary associations, youth centres, and monuments.
In Muscat, the opening ceremony was held under the patronage of Khalid Hashil al Muslahi, Foreign Ministry's Under-Secretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs. The event also included institutional visits to the Royal Academy of Management (education and leadership), Royal Opera House Muscat, (art and culture), Amouage (industry and success), Omantel (entrepreneurship and innovation), and Arabian Nights.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals workshop was held in cooperation with the Youth Centre while the post-activities presentations had a discussion session about the ship for World Youth associations. Visits to Muttrah Souq, Muttrah Fort, the National Museum, Al Alam Palace, and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The next General Assembly is slated in Sweden in August 2024.
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