New Zealand Sister Cities Conference May Wellington, New Zealand Youth Workshop Speech & Presentation by Linton Rathgen President Auckland JET Alumni Association

 Personal History  Current Activities  Benefits “The benefits for young people who are involved in cultural exchange and activities related to Internationalism”

 Wanganui / Nagaizumi Sister City relationship in the 1980s/1990s  Japan 1992 & 1995  BA (Chinese and Japanese) Victoria University of Wellington  South Korea  Mainland China & Hong Kong  Japan Exchange & Teaching Programme Personal History

 Auckland JET Alumni Association  New Zealand Japan Society of Auckland  NZ-Japan Forum & member of the Youth Advisory Council of the Japan NZ Business Council  Asia New Zealand Foundation Young Leader  “Asia Aware” & IB Candidate School – Auckland Normal Intermediate  Chinese Language Foundation  Room to Read New Zealand Current Activities

 Surface  Face to face contact with people of different ethnicities, cultures and nationalities  Increased opportunities to speak languages  Deeper  Sense and development of personal responsibility and contribution to one’s community and society  Leadership and governance opportunities  Maturity, tolerance and understanding  Generational change Benefits