Developing a Heartwarming Community (The Second JISR Friendly Reunion)

On 17th February 2024, the JICA Headquarters (Takebashi) Building was filled with a lively atmosphere as Syrians, ranging from children to adults, gathered together. It was the Second JISR Friendly Reunion from first to seventh batch participants of the JISR (Japanese Initiative for the future of Syrian Refugees) Program. 24 graduates who had completed the program with 21 family members from various parts of Japan, 18 current Program participants with their 4 family members enjoyed the occasion together.

The JISR Program provides Syrians with capability of developing a bridge between Japan and Syria by offering the opportunity to study on a master’s course in Japan. As many of the participants have found it difficult to return to Syria immediately after graduation because of the current situation, they have found employment opportunities in Japan. JICA has so far held the events which are designed to help participants of the Program, that has been running over seven years, join together with a view to creating a useful network for the reconstruction of Syria in the future as well as help each other in Japan. Following the First JISR Friendly Reunion – To be a “Bridge between Japan and Syria”, the Second Reunion could be described as a “hand-made” meeting as the JISR participants themselves determined its contents. It was led by a Steering Committee consisting of eight representative JISR participants who stood as candidates and were elected. The Committee played a key role of listening to the requests of the participants in advance and organized the meeting covering those issues which the participants were eager to do or to learn about.

In Part 1 of the meeting, following by the opening remarks by JICA, a member of the Steering Committee expressed the gratitude of the participants for the JICA’s JISR Program and its supporting staff in fluent Japanese. Announcement of the Vision for JISR Alumni followed. This Vision calls for “the creation and fostering of a vibrant and inclusive community, where JISR program participants and graduates can connect, collaborate, and support each other in both their personal and professional endeavors”. The meeting then proceeded with the introduction of many celebratory achievements of the JISR participants, ranging from employment and promotion at a place of work to the obtaining of a Ph.D, passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and even getting married. All those introduced with various achievements received warm applause from all participants. As the JISR participants have been playing a central role in the Japan Bridge Project to build housing for victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake in 2023, the positive outcomes of their efforts were also reported at the meeting.

In Part 2, the participants were divided into smaller groups based on their specialist fields or characteristics, such as IT, Architecture, MBA and Ph.D. course students, to exchange opinions on how they can contribute using their own professional experience and knowledge. Each group held discussions on possible activities for the next 12 months, such as regular meetings to share and learn about experiences of working at Japanese companies, to communicate information and to interact with Japanese people working in the same fields. Some remarkable ideas came up from each group are as follows.

All these ideas reflected the desire of the participants to freely share the knowledge they have acquired through their experiences in Japan with fellow Syrians.

In Part 3 which included a section titled “Worth to Know”, those graduates who have already achieved some positive results shared their knowledge on how to deal with such issues of strong interest among the participants as learning the Japanese language, naturalization as a Japanese citizen and the real estate systems. A graduate who has passed Japanese Language Proficiency Level N1 concretely explained ways of improving Japanese language proficiency, including how to use podcasts and radio programs. The same speaker also recommended textbooks he had used. Many of the participants eagerly made notes and filmed the displayed information with their smartphones. Everyone listened to every topic intently which illustrated their strong interest in the topics.

For the Second JISR Friendly Reunion, a program for spouses in Arabic was also organized in response to a proposal and strong request by the Steering Committee as such a program is believed to be important from the viewpoint of linking and mutually helping family members of the participants. A Syrian lecturer who has long been resident in Japan stressed the critical importance of exchanges with Japanese people and the importance of mastering the Japanese language. Japanese language courses provided by local governments were introduced. The spouses keenly asked many questions on practical issues, such as how to find a job, a necessary procedure to set up a small-scale start-up company and how to pay different taxes. The concrete information shared during the group discussions also featured subsidy systems for childbirth and visiting a hospital, how to apply for a nursery place and other essential aspects of life in Japan. Ms. Ruba Alerib Almuree, the spouse of a JISR graduate, shared her comments of the meeting afterwards, saying that “the meeting was excellent as I got much new useful information”. It appears that the meeting also helped the setting up of a network of spouses especially for those who have met for the first time.

After the main program, a social gathering was held. Participants, officers of the United Nations Hight Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) Japan Office, and people from the Syrian OV Association, which is organized mainly by Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers alumni who were dispatched to Syria in the past enjoyed talk and Arabic cuisine.

We asked Mr. Hussam Fattoum, a JISR graduate involved as a member of the Steering Committee from the event’s preparatory stage, his impressions of the meeting. He responded as follows: In general, the meeting was very successful. I was glad to see that the meeting actually took place and to meet other participants as it is difficult to organize opportunities for JISR graduates and participants to gather together. As a member of the Steering Committee, I participated in many discussion meetings to prepare the program for the event, but it was not easy to find the spare time because of my work. Nevertheless, the Second Reunion was the result of such preparatory work and was truly rewarding. The presentations were all excellent and very fruitful as sought-after information was shared. I hope we will be able to organize similar events even without external help. The first step will be to organize small groups to create links between Syrians in Japan and those in Syria.

The Second JISR Friendly Reunion proved to be a significant opportunity as it was organized and run by JISR participants themselves. At the end of the meeting, three members from each of the four specialist groups (IT, Architecture, MBA and Ph.D. Students) were selected to comprise a new Steering Committee to play the role of driving the JISR Alumni forward. It is hoped that various plans will be implemented through periodic meetings according to the action plans formulated by these groups and that the JISR alumni will become a self-propelled body. It is extremely reassuring to witness that JISR participants who have been the receiving side of support on arrival in Japan as overseas students have transformed themselves to become the supporting side in a short period of time. The JISR alumni have grown to become a heartwarming community in which the JISR participants support their juniors, celebrate the achievements of each other and help each other. It was noticeable that the participants of the Second JISR Friendly Reunion shared a moment when the alumni took off after an approach run. We sincerely hope for further expansion of the JISR alumni in the coming years.