Ms. Rafaelita Castro, Director of Operations in charge of Research and Analysis Cluster and Trade and Investment Cluster, gave a presentation for JENESYS* online program under the theme of FOIP(Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy) on December 14, 2021. Approximately 100 students from ASEAN Member States, East-Timor, and Japan joined the program.
The objectives of the program are to deepen the understanding of FOIP promoted by the Japanese government and AOIP (ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific) promoted by ASEAN, and to promote cooperation between young people of the same generation and the Asia-Pacific region. The AJC was invited to give a presentation as part of the program as an example of an organization that connects Japan and ASEAN.
Ms. Castro introduced activities of the AJC and also talked about her career and her life in Tokyo.
Some feedbacks from the participants:
“Today, I got to learn the basic information about the several major Japan-lead organizations that are in ASEAN countries. The lecture from the director of operations, Ms. Rafaelita, is not only very informative but also, very motivating. For someone like me who lacks enough knowledge about the overall topic, her life lessons inspire me to be confident and be open to learning new things. I want to say thank you for today’s lecture, here.“
-Undergraduate student (Myanmar)
“Regarding today’s online exchange program is extremely informative because we were able to gain additional insights such as the different approaches to ASEAN countries such as economic cooperation, development assistance, research and exchange.“
-Undergraduate student (Philippines)
“The speaker successfully connects with us by sharing her life experiences. It really inspired me to believe that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible. I was also impressed by the ASEAN-Japan Center’s ongoing efforts to improve ASEAN and Japan.“
-Undergraduate student (Philippines)
* The JENESYS (Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths) Programme is an exchange project initiated by the Government of Japan to strengthen people-to-people connections among the youths in Japan and Southeast Asia.
