Mike was the National Leader onboard SWY 21 and as an Advisor on SWY 23. Currently, Mike serves as the Vice President of SWYAA Canada. He has attended the Global Assembly in Egpyt, Mexico, and Tukey and the SWY 28 Port of Call in Chennai. Professionally, Mike has led several study abroad programs, served as a teacher, and worked in development in various countries including India, the Philippines, Namibia, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.  In his current role, Mike works in international education at a local college focusing on student mobilty, intercultural teaching competencies, and parternship development. 

Statement of Interest:  Over the past two years, I've seen SWYAA Canada make great strides in developing our website, coordinating social gatherings, and overseeing the SWYAA Clothing Drive. I've always enjoyed welcoming PYs to Toronto, organizing mini SWY events, and reuniting with PYs overseas. While SWYAAs around the world have successfully organized large scale events such as SWY Train - Russia, Camp SWY - Sweden, and the annual Global Assembly, hosting an international event as such has always been an interest of mine. As President of SWYAA Canada I hope to be in a position to do just that. 

I am interested in applying for the vice-president position on SWYAA Canada. As someone who grew up in a Japanese Canadian household, community connections has always been very near and dear to my heart. Growing up with a very close knit group of family friends, I’ve realized how important it is to have a sense of belonging, unity, and global understanding. This is what drives and motivates me to continually connect with SWY friends from all over the world.

In the past 15 months, since the conclusion of SWY29, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Ukraine, Spain, Germany, The UK, Costa Rica, and Cyprus, visiting over 30 Ex-PYs from not only SWY 29, but also from multiple batches including: Japan, Ukraine, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, and Russia. I am also planning on visiting Mykhailo Zhernakov, Assistant National Leader of SWY29 Ukraine in Washington D.C. next month when he visits for work. 

Creating international relationships and continuing to forge global friendships is in my blood. It’s how I was raised and how I choose to live my life. This is the future of world peace; through cross-cultural understanding and making efforts to stay friends with one another, regardless of the distance that may separate us. I believe that through these efforts, we can keep the SWY spirit alive post-ship.

I’d like to apply for the position of Communications Director. SWY was a major gamechanger for me and I’m excited to continuously be involved. 

A little bit about me… I am a 21-year-old media student interested in culture and politics. I attend Concordia University in Montreal. I enjoy using multimedia tools to harness the power of storytelling and tap into its connective ability. When I’m not writing, I can be found brewing tea, watching an adventure movie or going to small-town rock concerts. SWY has led me to amazing friendships, a switch in majors, and dreamlike memories; I want to ensure this opportunity can be given to others through stealthy promotion and and engaging social media posts! 

Parker Mah was a participant youth on SWY 24 for the Canadian delegation. Versed in multimedia techniques, Parker has lent his skills to community development and rights advocacy organisations from Bangladesh to Senegal to the SWY 24 Press Committee. His A fervent supporter of youth exchange and leadership programs, Parker has also participated in Canada World Youth (2006) and lived in Japan for a study year abroad in Nagoya (2004). Originally from British Columbia, he is proficient in English, French and Japanese.

SWY has given a lot to me and I'm hoping to give back in this role as Webmaster, a role which I held (along with interim Communications person) during my last term on the Executive Committee. I'm looking forward to continuing and expanding the technical capacity and resources of SWYAA Canada!

Born and raised in Montreal, I held the position of National Leader on SWY 29 (2017). I currently work as a professor, architect and researcher at Keimyung University Department of Architectural Engineering in South Korea, and a part-time faculty member at Athabasca University’s RAIC Centre for Architecture in Alberta. I graduated from the School of Architecture at McGill University; and completed a Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in Japan as a Monbukagakusho Scholar. Upon graduation I worked for Japanese design firm Nihon Sekkei and lived in Japan for ten years between 2002-2012. Currently, I also sit as the Vice President of the Japanese Scholarship Alumni Association (Japanese Consulate of Montreal); Vice President of the Korean Association of Canadian Studies; and President of the McGill University Alumni Association of South Korea.

Motivation:

Since joining SWY29 in 2017, I have been exposed to the amazing network of SWYAA alumni around the world and over the past year since SWY ended, I have met SWYers from Kenya, Venezuela, Peru, all across Canada and of course Japan. My motivation to join the SWYAA Canada committee is to give back to the program, contribute to building our network of global leaders and to support its ongoing growth within Canada. In particular, I would like to support our legacy by ensuring the successful participation of our next Canadian SWY delegation. Furthermore, I would like to be part of the leadership that will bring the SWYAA Global Assembly to Canada. Based on the above reasons and my background in education and working with youth, I am applying for the position of Batch Liaison.