Who can apply?
For members of the U.S. delegation, what kinds of applicants or skills are desired by the Selection Committee?
For the National Leader, what kinds of applicants or skills are desired by the Selection Committee?
How can I apply?
For future programs, how can I find out when the U.S. is invited?
For future programs, when can I apply?
Can I view a sample application?
What if I am not from the U.S.?
Who can I contact for more information?

For more detailed information regarding the National Leader position, click here to read a draft version of the National Leader handbook, which you will receive if selected as the National Leader of the U.S. delegation.

To apply for the United States Delegation, applicants must be;

The Selection Committee tries to choose a group that represents the U.S. The delegation usually ranges from 18 to 30+ with people coming from the arts, education, health, business, or politics and with people involved locally, nationally, or internationally.

The Japanese Government recommends participants to be able to meet the following criteria:
1. Those who are 18-30 years of age (as of April 1, 2007)
2. Those who can participate in the whole program
3. Those who are in good condition both physically and mentally and can endure a long-term voyage. (Due to the limited medical treatments available at the ship clinic, participants with certain medical conditions may be asked to submit a medical history.)
4. Those who are able to significantly contribute to promoting youth development and/or who play an active role in international exchange in their community, occupation, school, youth organization, business, and so on.
5. Those who have a level of English sufficient enough to participate in such activities as university-level discussion on board the ship and in the countries to be visisted.
6. It is preferable for some of the delegates to have a command of Japanese, which is a working language of some of the selective activities in the program, however this is not mandatory.
7. Those who have interest in and an understanding of Japan.

In addition, the U.S. Alumni Association looks for applicants with the following attributes (in no particular order):
1. Future expected commitment and contribution of the SWY Alumni Association after their participation on board the Ship for World Youth;
2. Purpose for being a part of the SWY program;
3. Adaptability and flexibility;
4. Demonstrated leadership experience;
5. Demonstrated team player;
6. Ability to be a self-starter;
7. Past experiences demonstrating this;
8. Desire to both learn about new cultures and to share the U.S. culture;
9. Skilled at cultural communication, adaptability, and sensitivity; and
10. Ability to make a difference with this experience.

For more detailed information, click here to read a draft version of the Participating Youth handbook, which you will receive if selected as a Participating Youth and a member of the U.S. delegation.

In addition to the attributes listed above for the delegation members, Japanese Government recommends the National Leader to be able to meet the following criteria:
1. Those who are preferably between the ages of 30 and 39 years old, exceptional candidates who are either below 30 or above 39 years in age and who can work well with 18-30 year olds may apply.
2. Those who are capable of performing the expected duties and responsibilities, such as the following:
- Taking the leadership of her/his delegation;
- Participating in various activities as leaders of mixed nationality "letter" groups, which are the basic units for activities on board as well as in the countries to be visited;
- Facilitating the studies and discussions among the Participating Youths;
- Taking a role as a member of the National Leader meeting for discussing and deciding the fundamental matters concerning life and activities while on board as well as in the countries to be visited.
3. Preferably those who belong to youth organizations as officers or who work in organizations related to youth affairs.

In addition, the U.S. Alumni Association looks for applicants with the following attributes (in no particular order):
1. Demonstrated leadership abilities;
2. Flexibility/adaptability;
3. Previous international experience;
4. Past experience working with Japan and the other participating countries;
5. Travel/study/work/exchange abroad;
6. Cross/cultural or intercultural education;
7. Facilitation experience;
8. Problem solving skills;
9. Public speaking experience;
10. Interpersonal skills; and
11. Future expected contributions to the SWY Alumni Association.

How can I apply?

It is strongly recommended that you read through the information on this page as well as on the other sections of this website before submitting your application.

If you want to be a member of the U.S. delegation (otherwise called a "Participating Youth"), click here for the application in word format. Click here for the application in here for adobe pdf format. Your completed and typed application must be received by 5 p.m., Tuesday, August 14, 2007. U.S. delegation members need to be between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. Please refer to the application for the complete list of submission requirements.

The U.S. delegation members as well as two alternate candidates will be chosen by Tuesday, September 4. The final names will be posted on the web site.

If you want to be the National Leader of the U.S. delegation, click here for the application in here for word format. Click here for the application in adobe pdf format. Your completed and typed application must be received by 5 p.m., Thursday, August 2, 2007. Although National Leaders are preferred to be between the ages of 30 and 39 years old, exceptional candidates who are either below 30 or above 39 years in age and who can work well with 18-30 year olds may apply. Please refer to the application for the complete list of submission requirements.

The National Leader will be chosen by (if not before) August 14. As such, National Leaders candidates who were not chosen as National Leader and who are below the age of 30 may also apply for consideration as a member of the U.S. delegation. Submitting an application for both a National Leader position and a delegation member position will not negatively affect the evaluation of the application.

Anyone interested in future programs can join our mailing list by sending an email to swyusa@yahoo.com with (1) your name, (2) where are you from, and (2) how did you hear about this experience. We will then contact you when the Japanese Government makes the official invitation for the next Ship for World Youth.

Since the announcement may come as long as 12 months from now, add the email swyusa@yahoo.com to your safe list to prevent it from being directed to your spam folder accidentally.

The Government of Japan decides which countries are invited usually in late spring or early summer of each year. Countries are then officially invited, and if the U.S. is invited, we will begin promoting the program in early summer. The last few programs have sailed in January, in which case the application deadline in the U.S. will likely be in early August. When the U.S. is invited, we will post an updated application form on our website for those interested in applying.

The U.S. SWY Alumni Association only manages the application process for the U.S. delegation. If you are a citizen from another country and would like to learn if your country is invited to SWY and how to apply for SWY, please visit www.swyaa.org and follow the link to your country. Typically you can contact the Japanese Embassy in your home country and ask them about how to apply to the program.

There is a sister program to the Ship for World Youth called the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program that involves several countries from Southeast Asia. Visit www.sseayp.com and follow the links to your country.

You can also visit the Links section of this website. If your country has an alumni association and a website, their web address will be listed here.

The previous participants of the program are responsible for promoting the program and coordinating the selection process. It is run by volunteers, and we do not have an office or phone number for the organization. If you have any questions, please review the website to see if the answer is already provided. For any other questions, you can e-mail swyusa@yahoo.com. Due to the volume of email we may receive especially around the application deadline, we can not guarantee a response to your email.

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