Our Mission and Vision
As members of JETAA Pittsburgh, we strive to…
- Support, welcome, and connect returning and relocating JET alumni with enthusiasm and compassion
- Continue the mission of the JET Program: engaging in grassroots internationalization in our local communities through the skills and unique strengths of our diverse group of JET alumni
- Represent Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania in our JET-wide outreach efforts, and make a positive and lasting contribution to the region’s cosmopolitan resurgence
About JETAA Pittsburgh
We serve to bring together JET Programme alumni in southwest Pennsylvania and surrounding regions. Southwestern PA is fairly isolated from all the major JETAA chapters in the northeast and midwest, and our group strives to fill that regional gap.
We socialize monthly, share ways to continue our connection to Japan, and get involved in local cultural events and JET Programme advertising/outreach. Essentially, we’re here to meet others who’ve shared in this unique experience, to support each other upon our returns stateside, and to continue our mutual love of Japan.
Our activity is largely centered around our Facebook group, but we’re actively looking to “liberate our data” and create a broader online presence to cater to non-Facebook users and to advertise ourselves more broadly.
JETAA Pittsburgh is a subchapter of JETAANY, the JET Alumni Association of New York.
History
After a past iteration of the Pittsburgh JETAA subchapter fell dormant, it was through meguri-ai that several alumnae came together to restart the group in the summer-fall of 2009. Our first event was a JET Programme info session in fall 2009 for current students of the University of Pittsburgh, and the group has been going strong ever since.
About the JET Programme
The Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is a cultural exchange program conducted by the Japanese government. Participants serve as grassroots cultural ambassadors: they come from over 40 countries annually to work as assistant English teachers in public schools in largely rural and suburban areas.* Contracts start at 1 year and can be renewed annually for up to 5 years. There are currently nearly 6000 participants across Japan.
*In the last couple of years, JET positions have opened up in Japan’s major cities. There’s a stronger push from the Japanese government to broaden the JET Programme through Japan, especially leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.