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Japanese American Young Adults Invitation Program
The “KAKEHASHI Project-The Bridge for Tomorrow” is a youth exchange project, promoted by the Ministry Foreign Affairs in Japan, to heighten potential interest in Japan and increase the number of overseas visitors to the country, as well as enhance international understanding of the “Japan brand,” and the nation’s strengths and attractiveness, such as Japanese-style values and “Cool Japan.” The KAKEHASHI Project- Japanese American Young Adults Invitation Programprovides a fully funded short-term study tour to Japan for undergraduate and graduate students (ages 18-25 years old at the time of application) in the United States.
The goals of Japanese American Young Adults Invitation Program are (1) to continue building cooperation between Japanese Americans and Japan, (2) to promote Japanese Americans a better understanding of Japan in a variety of fields including politics, economy and culture, and (3) to encourage Kakehashi alumni to be effective advocates in enhancing U.S.-Japan relations.
Click below to download information about the program and eligibility requirements:
Application & Notification Schedule
Application Procedure
Completed applications and all requested documentation must be received by the Japanese American Citizens League no later than the deadline application dates specified above. The application may be submitted online, via e-mail or hard-copy.
How to apply:
For inquiries, please contact Amy Watanabe, Kakehashi Coordinator at (202) 223-1240 or japanprogram@jacl.org.
Organizations involved in the implementation of the program:
Funded by the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan)
Co-Organized by the Japan Foundation and The Laurasian Institution in the U.S.
In partnership with the Japanese American Citizens League
The Japanese American Young Adults Invitation Program is part of the “KAKEHASHI Project: The Bridge for Tomorrow”, a youth exchange project promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, designed to heighten potential interest in Japan and increase the number of overseas visitors, as well as enhance international understanding of the “Japan brand,” and the nation’s strengths and attractiveness, such as Japanese-style values and “Cool Japan.”
For more information about The KAKEHASHI Project- The Bridge for Tomorrow, please visit: http://www.laurasian.

Deadline: 31 March 2014 (deadline at the respective nominating agencies earlier)
Open to: students, teachers, translators, interpreters and other experts active in the field of Czech/Slavonic studies or individuals interested in the Czech language, literature, history and culture
Venue: July-September 2014, Czech Republic
The Summer Schools of Slavonic Studies offering Czech language courses are organized by several public universities in the Czech Republic:
The courses are held during the summer months (July – September), their length ranges from 2 to 4 weeks depending on the course content determined by each Summer School.
The Summer Schools offer language courses at various levels of proficiency, seminars on the Czech literature, culture and history, free-time activities including theatrical, musical and dance performances, trips etc.
The courses are designed for foreign students, teachers, translators and interpreters and other experts active in the field of Czech/Slavonic studies. Due to their broad scope they are, however, open to anyone else who is interested in the Czech language, literature, history and culture.
For 2014, the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport offers a limited number of scholarships for participation in the Summer School courses to applicants from the following countries:
Argentina, Austria, Belgium – Flemish Community, Belgium – French Community, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Columbia, Croatia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Each scholarship consists of free board and lodging, coverage of course fees and free access to cultural events which are part of the course programme. Information on scholarships is available from the appropriate Czech diplomatic missions.
Scholarships can only be awarded to applicants who are nominated by the competent authorities (usually government agencies) of the aforementioned countries. Application dossiers should reach the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport by 31 March 2014; the closing dates for applications set by the respective agencies in recipient countries must be therefore inevitably earlier. Applications sent directly to the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport by individual applicants will not be processed.
Advice and further information can be provided by the Czech diplomatic missions.
For more details visit the official website HERE.

Deadline: 14 March 2014
Open to: international young designers up to 30 years of age
Award: the main prize is 1,100 Euro, but there are other minor prizes
Young Package is a competition in packaging design. Since its foundation in 1996, the Young Package competition has achieved an international reputation and a distinctive position among competitions for young designers. Every year, several hundred participants from the whole world send their entries. Young Package focuses on packages made of paper. The competition was founded to invite students and creative people, and challenge them to create designs of corrugated and smooth cardboard or other paper materials widely used in packaging design.
Originally, a term “take away” was related to packaging of fast food meal. However, today it isn’t only about quick lifestyle and junk food. Every producer or seller, who wants to be up to date, offers take away too. Almost every restaurant, café or shop provide take away service of food and other things. The question of this year’s competition is: How to pack it nicely, originally and functionally at the same time?
The competition jury will mainly assess: innovativeness and creativity; package ergonomics; functionality; easy manipulation (packages should be easily open by elder people or children as well) environmental aspects; shape, and originality of the idea; constructional imaginativeness; quality presentation. Participants will submit their entries in the form of a full-scale functional model. This means that it must be a functional mock-up; if it is designed to open, it must open. The model must be of high quality, with regard to potential representational and exhibition purposes.
Competition entries will be accepted in two groups:
University students and young designers of up to 30 years of age:
High-school students:
One of the winners will be chosen for three weeks remunerated internship in the innovation center of Model Obaly company. The rest of prize-winning will be awarded by another financial bonus or other prizes donated by the competition partners.
The Registration form available online will be closed on 14 March 2014 at 1 p.m. (Central European Time).
To register, participants use an online registration form placed on the competition website. Here, they will fill in personal data and entry description for the jury to use in the selection process. After the registration, participants will receive a registration code by e-mail. This code must be indicated both on the entry and on the envelope or package in which the work will be sent. Consequently, the works will be judged anonymously.
Competition entries must be mailed carefully wrapped so that they arrive undamaged, i.e. in a sufficient-sized box or envelope, in which it is stabilized and secured. On the envelope or package, the participants have to indicate their registration code. Entries may either be sent by March 14, 2014 or delivered personally on the last day, i. e. March 14, 2014, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. to the address CZECHDESIGN/GALLERY, Vojtěšská 3, Praha 1, Czech Republic.
For further information please visit the official website.

Deadline: 14 February 2014
Open to: journalists, writers, photographers, radio producers, filmmakers, staff journalists, freelancers and media professionals outside the U.S
Fellowship: $7500 travel grant
The fellowship, overseen by the Pulitzer Center in collaboration with Internews, is designed to help media professionals outside of the United States do the kind of reporting they’ve always wanted to do and enable them to bring their work to a broader international audience. The fellowship will benefit those with limited access to other fellowships and those whose work is not routinely disseminated internationally.
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will provide a travel grant of $5000 for a reporting project on topics and regions of global importance, with an emphasis on issues that have gone unreported or under-reported in the mainstream media. Specific grant terms are negotiated during the application process based on the scope of proposed work and intended outcomes. Payment of the first half of the grant is disbursed prior to travel, upon receipt of required materials, and the second half on submission of the principal work for publication/broadcast.
Before beginning the travel project the Persephone Miel Fellow will come to Washington, DC, to meet with Pulitzer Center staff and journalists and take part in a 2-day workshop on the pending project and strategies for placement and outreach. The Pulitzer Center will provide $2500 to cover travel expenses associated with the Washington workshop.
The Persephone Miel fellowships are open to all journalists, writers, photographers, radio producers or filmmakers, staff journalists as well as freelancers and media professionals outside the U.S. who are seeking to report from their home country. Women and journalists from developing countries are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must beproficient in English.
Online applications include the following:
The deadline is 14 February 2014.
For more information visit the official website HERE.

Deadline: ongoing
Open to: internationals aged 18-25 whose projects are generally not covered by other sources of funding
Grants: range between US $2,000 and $5,000
Young Explorers Grants (YEG) offer opportunities to individuals ages 18 to 25 to pursue research, conservation, and exploration-related projects consistent with National Geographic’s existing grant programs, including: the Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE), the Expeditions Council (EC), and the Conservation Trust (CT). In addition, the YEG program recently teamed with the Luce Foundation to provide increased funding opportunities for fieldwork in 18 Northeast and Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Young Explorers Grants Program supports a variety of projects—and an age-range of applicants—that are generally not covered by other sources of funding. Applicants are not required to have advanced degrees. However, a record of prior experience in the fields of research, conservation, or exploration should be submitted as it pertains to the proposed project.
Funding is not restricted to United States citizens—foreign nationals are invited to apply. Researchers planning work in countries abroad should make great effort to include at least one local collaborator as part of their team.
Young Explorers Grants vary in amount depending on significance of the project, though most range between US $2,000 and $5,000 at the maximum. National Geographic Society funds often serve as complementary support—thus the program encourages applicants to seek additional, concurrent funding from other sources.
Grant Restrictions:
There are three grant programmes available:
Applying for a Young Explorers Grant is a two-step process. First, you must submit a pre-application form online. If your pre-application is approved, you will be sent an email with a link and a password giving you access to our full application online. Before you submit a pre-application, there are a few things you should take into consideration:
If you have any questions about the online pre-application form, consult our Frequently Asked Questions. If you don’t find the answer to your question, please email the question to the fund you are applying to: cre@ngs.org, conservationtrust@ngs.org, or council@ngs.org. Please remember to include Young Explorers Grant in the subject line.
The Young Explorers Grants Program accepts pre-applications throughout the year. Please submit your pre-application at least eight months prior to your field dates, at least six months for the Expeditions Council. If your application is approved—a decision which takes about eight weeks—the relevant grant program will send you an email with a link to the full application online. The names of three academic or professional references and a curriculum vitae are to be included with the full application.
The application forms and the official call are found HERE.

Deadline: 26 February 2014
Open to: amateur or professional designers, illustrators, artists
Award: first prize of 500,000 Yen (approximately 3,500 Euro)
Graniph Tshirt Design Award is a global t-shirt design competition sponsored by Design Tshirt Store graniph. The competition was started in 2008 with the aim of helping talented artists exhibit their work by exhibiting it on the inescapable canvas of the Tshirt for everyone to see. Since its inception, entries from around the world have led to an international lineup of winners and it is expected this year to be no different as we scour, dig up and cheer on artists everywhere for graniph Tshirt Design Award 2014.
All entries should be original work that has not been previously published elsewhere and only flat designs such as paintings, illustrations, graphic designs, photos etc. that may be used for graniph merchandise are accepted.
Students as of the 2013 academic year are eligible for the student prize.
A total of ten prizes will be announced and awarded in the graniph Tshirt Design Award 2014 Competition — the Gold prize being 500,000 Yen (approximately US $4,800).
Here is a complete listing of the available competition prizes:
Submit only your original T-shirt designs that can be printed and sold by Design Tshirts Store graniph. The submission period ends by February 26th, 2014.
1. Creating your design file
Please create your design file using the format below. Create one file per design. Please make sure the entire design is held within a single file and that the design covers as much of the canvas as possible.
Image Size: 700px x 700px (h x w)
Image Resolution: 72dpi
Format: JPG
File Size: up to 1MB per file
Please use only English characters in your file name and preserve the file name extension. While there is no set specifications for this file, low quality data may present problems during printing. Please scan all paintings, hand drawn illustrations, photos and other analogue works into digital form.
2. Creating your profile picture file
If your design is chosen for a prize we will post a brief artist introduction along with your profile picture on our website. This information will also be printed on a tag attached to all t-shirts with your design. The profile picture does not have to be a real picture of yourself. It may be an illustration etc., but just like your design please make sure you have the necessary usage rights and copyrights before submitting it.
Image Size: 500px x 500px (h x w)
Image Resolution: 72dpi
Format: JPG
File Size: up to 1MB per file
3. Apply
Provide all the necessary information on the application form page and upload your design files and profile picture.
4. Completion of application
An email confirming your received application will be sent to your registered email address. Upon receipt of this email your application is complete. If you do not receive this email please be sure to check your junk mailbox.
For further information, please visit the official website.

Deadline: 1st of March, 2014
Open to: young journalists aged 18 to 30 who are citizens or legal residents of an EU country only
Venue: 8-11 May 2014, in Strasbourg, France.
The European Youth Event (EYE), which will take place in Strasbourg in May, will gather around 5000 youngsters from all over Europe. These active young people will be discussing the economic, social and political situation of the European Union through different themes: Digital Revolution and Data Protection, Youth Unemployment, Sustainable Development, Future of Europe, and Europe as a Global Player.
The European elections in 2014 will be the next historical mark for the European Union. If these elections were to reflect that the EU does not succeed in engaging closer with its citizens and making visible how they can contribute to the European project its democratic foundation would become increasingly weak. What does the young generation think of the European Union’s performance?
The participants of the European Youth Media Days (EYMD) 2014 special edition: Voice of Youth will report from the event, preparing the special report and multimedia documentation that will later on be handed to newly elected members of European Parliament.
We are looking for 20 young motivated journalists to become part of the team that will organise the 2014 edition of the European Youth Media Days, one of the biggest events for young media-makers in Europe. The team members will facilitate ten media workshops and will assist participants and the European Youth Press organisational team during the event. They will also be in charge of communicating and promoting the event across Europe.
The 2014 edition of the European Youth Media Days, which is organised by the European Parliament in collaboration with the European Youth Press – network of young media makers, will take place in the European Parliament from 8 to 11 May 2014, in Strasbourg, France.
120 young journalists aged between 18 and 30 will have the chance to report from inside the European Parliament on the European Youth Event, on current issues relating to the EU and the upcoming parliamentary elections.
As part of the organising team you will get significant insight into the world of media and politics at the European level. You will also have the chance to build a Europe-wide network of contacts and gain project management skills. You will have the opportunity to interact with members of the European Parliament, professional journalists, experts and engage in intercultural exchange with the participants and the other members of the team. The position is voluntary.
The ideal candidate will be motivated and proactive and will preferably have worked with people coming from different cultural backgrounds. He or she will have a journalism background and strong communication, team spirit and organising skills. A very good knowledge of English is necessary to communicate with participants coming from the 28 EU member states. Previous involvement in the European Youth Media Days or in other European Youth Press projects is a plus.
Team members will have to be available online before the event and able to dedicate a few hours a week to the European Youth Media Days from the moment they are chosen to be part of the team. They are expected to arrive in Strasbourg on 7 May and leave on 11 May. Team members will have to be working journalists (aged between 18 and 30) and citizens or legal residents of one of the EU Member States.
Team members’ travel costs (specific conditions apply, more detailed information will be given after you have been selected) will be reimbursed by the European Parliament 3 to 6 weeks after the event, upon submission of all necessary documents (instructions and forms will be sent by the European Parliament prior to the event). In addition, the European Parliament will pay a lump sum of 720 Euros to team members involved in the project to cover accommodation, local transport and meals in Strasbourg. The lump sums will be paid together with the travel reimbursement. Team members will have to arrange their own travel.
European Youth Press will assist with accommodation arrangements in Strasbourg. Team members are responsible to provide the European Parliament with all necessary documents requested for reimbursement. Attention: for team members living in Strasbourg no lump sum or travel cost will be paid.
The call is open to young journalists who:
Applications deadline is 1 March 2014, 23h59 CET.
Please use this form to submit your application. Highlight how you comply with the profile of an EYMD team.
For any questions, please send an email with the subject “EYMD team questions” to questions@youthmediadays.eu .
We look forward to working with you in the European Parliament in Strasbourg!

Deadline: 15 March 2014
Open to: young researchers, students of BA (bachelor) and MA (master) up to 29 years old from European Union’s countries and for non-European Union’s countries
Venue: 9-16 May 2014, Tbilisi, Georgia
The European Union is an Economic and political union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU operates through supra system of supranational independent institution and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states. Some agreements that are mostly related to European countries, as defined by geographic criteria, also include countries outside the continent. Several Regional integration efforts have effectively promoted intergovernmental cooperation and reduced the possibility of regional armed conflict. Other initiatives have removed barriers to free trade in European regions, and increased the free movement of people, labor, goods, and capital across national borders.
The EU offers to countries both bilateral and multilateral measures for enhanced cooperation. The partner countries will come closer to the EU depending on their individual capabilities and timeframe and together Eastern partners will cooperate more on issues related to the EU, share their experience and best practices among themselves.
Despite of non-member countries nowadays it’s clear that problems are increasing in EU countries too. Most of important problem is economical crises which was very actual last a few years. But Georgia and other countries which are near the EU they still want to join this International organization. People think that they will have chance to make their lifestyle higher than they have now. It’s very interesting to understand EU member and non-member countries young researchers and students ideas about this issue.
This project will give chance to international students and researchers to share their minds and start cooperating. This kind of meeting will help young generation to be more developed, self-confident and to be involved in international youth activities.
Aims: During the International Youth forum the European Union member and non-member countries students and young researchers will have opportunities to share their experiences and knowledge with each other. They will have discussion which will help to understand the meaning of membership of EU. The object of the forum is future development of students and young researchers’ international cooperation in the frame of this EU it is important to have intellectual dialogue. It is encouraging participants to present their own research and posters and exchange in International level. International youth forum contains two days conference and other days cultural program in Tbilisi and out of the city. Participants are required to preferably attend the full length of the event.
Conference Topics: Challenges of EU of : History, Treaties, Geography, Politics, Legal system, Justice and home affairs, foreign relations, economy, educational and science, demographics, culture and sport…
Conference Working Languages:
DRAFT PROGRAMME OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AIMS:
young researchers, students of BA (bachelor) and MA (master) up to 29 years old from European Union’s countries and for non-European Union’s countries can apply
A fee of 100 Euro for European Union’s countries and for non-European Union’s countries 50 euro, which includes accommodation, conference materials, coffee-break and ala-freshet.
Proposals must take the form of a detailed abstract that should not exceed 2 pages (1spaced) written in English or Russian (Times New Roman- English/ Russian) .
Please use the registration form template ***(Download HERE)*** and send it to IYF@Europe.com until March 15 2014.
Initiative Group of Students:
Deadline: 1 March 2014
Open to: motivated youth aged 18-30 from EU/EEA countries, Eastern Europe and Caucasus
Benefits: expenses of the round-trip (90%), accommodation, food, pocket money, health insurance
The Youth Association from Transylvania recognizes the need of the local and regional community to have young people coming from other countries, who can contribute to developing the potential of the area from a cultural, social and economical standpoint.
The role of the volunteers within the organization is to act as support person and as execution agent to the activities and initiatives that already exist in the community or the NGO. They will have to bring their own motivation and plans in order to fill in the frame of these actions with meaningful, efficient content. The way the EVS activity of each volunteer is constructed as follows: they will have to allocate 60-70% of their time and activity, to work on this main activity. 20% of the time, their task will be to do common activities with the other volunteers, activities which are done around the yearly community traditions, events, happenings and holidays of the community. 10% of their time will be spent to create and do visibility materials and promotion activities for the NGO and especially for their own EVS activity.
The venues of their activities will be in Cristuru Secuiesc and a few of the activities may also be implemented in Odorheiu Secuiesc and Sighișoara. Duration of the projects is 9-12 months. In this context, here are the 6 different types of main activities they propose for the volunteers:
The Youth Association from Transylvania is looking for any youth aged 18 to 30 who is serious and motivated to come to a small city and support us in the development of a community with a lot of potential. They do not require volunteers to have any pre-determined skill sets or aptitudes in order to carry out the activity, only an inquisitive demeanor and an openness to learn new things which may be needed for the activity. Also, they do not require participants to have advanced or intermediate English (or other foreign language) speaking skills, they only require them to have a basic skill in English and an openness to learn the local language in order to effectively communicate with the local community. Last but not least, they are looking for energetic, creative open minded and independent youth. If the potential volunteers do not possess these attitudes, they will certainly develop them while working together with them.
The call is open only for citizens of EU/EEA countries, Eastern Europe and Caucasus.
If you are interested, send your CV and a motivation letter to office.ata@gmail.com until 1 March 2014.