Overall comment about the 21st century Youth Leaders Invitation Program including the Global Youth Conference.

Evaluation written by Pia Skjelstad, NL of Norwegian delegation.

First of all I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan for once again inviting Norway to take part in the 21 st Century Renaissance Youth Leaders Invitation Program. It is now the second time Norway has been a part of REN, in 2001 and 2004. We are honoured and feel privileged to be part of the prominent youth exchange programmes the Cabinet Office initiates.

This year's slogan 'Towards Further Global Harmonisation' identifies what many of the world's youth face and actively work for today. The world has become a smaller place and we are all interconnected in one way or another. This year all participants had experienced an exchange programme by the Cabinet Office in the past and most have been on board MS Nippon Maru. We therefore have common experiences in meeting youth from the whole world, exchanging our ideas, points of views and sharing our cultural differences.

The two-week long REN conference is a unique opportunity to take our past experiences further and reach the next level in implementing our ideas and closely cooperate on projects in our Alumni Associations. The exciting mixture of participants from various exchange-programmes make our backgrounds, experiences and thus our ideas more varied and may provide exciting results and fruitful connections.

The objectives stated in the guideline for the REN 2004 were as follows; 1) promote youth from diverse parts of the world's understanding towards Japan; 2) broaden international outlook of the Japanese youths; 3) promote further mutual friendship and understanding among the youths from Japan and the respective countries; 4) foster their spirit of international cooperation, continuous peace and prosperity; and 5) elevate their practical abilities to take part in the field of international cooperation. The expected result is for participants to show leadership in different areas of a globalizing world and to take an active part in youth development activities.

In this overall evaluation of the programme I will assess each of the objectives stated by the Cabinet Office individually and give a conclusive comment on REN as a whole.

Firstly, inviting youth from all corners of the world to experience Japan is the best way to enhance our understanding of Japan as a country, the Japanese culture and the people of Japan. It takes many resources and much organizing to make this happen and Japan has once again proven itself, not only capable, but also able to carry through such an ambitious project with great success. When I was a participant on SWY16 some of my fondest memories and best experiences were staying with a Japanese host-family. Once again I must say this creates unique possibilities to understand the culture and get to know the Japanese people closely. I admire the hospitality and openness Japanese families express in inviting strangers from the whole world to their homes. Visiting different prefectures of Japan is similarly a golden opportunity to deepen our understanding of Japan and its culture. Since this was, at least, our second time to Japan, the experience and understanding deepens and personally I grow more fond of the culture and the people every time.

Secondly, making friends from the whole world, being able to spend time with them and have fruitful conversations and cultural exchanges promotes the urge and possibility to explore the rest of the world for Japanese youth. Geographically Japan is more isolated than many other countries but these challenges are to a large extent overcome by globalization. The world gets smaller and smaller and it is within our reach. Promoting cross-border friendships doubtlessly broadens international outlooks for Japanese youth. In planning and implementing common projects, such as 'Meaningful Holiday' and 'REN Global Internet Network' it is easier to communicate and focus on common interests. In planning and following through reunions many are given the possibility to visit other countries.

Thirdly, close cooperation, sharing our interests, sharing common experiences, our similarities and our differences creates a solid platform for new friendships and deeper cross-cultural understanding. The time we spend together in discussions, lectures, at ANA and NYC as well as in local and institutional visits improves our understanding for each other, our values, our cultures and creates common memories. As a member of the Management group I know we had excellent facilitators, lecturers and local staffs helping organize our stay in the best way possible. This made it easy for us participants to focus on our projects and getting to know each other well. It surprises me how close we can get in only two weeks!

However I do wish the Japanese participants could follow us throughout the whole programme, not only the days before our local programme.

Fourth objective: fostering our spirits of international cooperation, peace and prosperity.

I have participated in many international exchange programmes in my life. Few have given me the close relationships and connections I have after the Ship for World Youth and even the much shorter REN. Living close on each other makes us see and understand each other well. The framework the Cabinet Office provides us with is uncomplicated and inviting. We come to a "served table" where we can work with what we have within ourselves; our backgrounds, our values, our ideas, experiences, ambitions and common interests. Through participating in international exchange programmes we make experiences that provide us with a unique advantage in international cooperation, one of the many foundations for sustainable peace. In our diverse world we have a need to understand each other better in order to live side by side in peace and prosperity. The Cabinet Office plants a seed in this regard, in initiating international programmes of this character; the rest is up to us. It is our duty and in our interest to follow up.

Finally, the more we participate in international collaborative projects of various kinds, the more we elevate our skills and experiences. We are able to promote mutual understanding and respect for other cultures in our home countries. We can make share our experiences so that others may make use of them. We can inspire others to participate and promote international cooperation on all levels in society. Peace depends on grass-root activity, and this is what we do. Through our involvement we can play an important role in making the world a better place.

As ex-participants of the REN programme we can promote and initiate the projects created and ideas exchanged in Japan. Some have already started through implementing pen-pal projects and meaningful holidays. At the conference we have covered all the areas needed for such implementation; development, education, public relation and management. The Alumni Associations can share networks and work together in reaching common goals. It is our responsibility to take initiative!

Conclusively I would like to complement the organizers with the way it was carried through. It was very easy and a great pleasure to be a participant on this programme. Visiting Miyagi gave me another fond memory and different perspective on Japan. If there was any back draft at all with this programme, I would like to mention that much time was lost in moving from one place to another in Tokyo. Although I'm sure there are good logistical reasons for this, it would be a benefit to stay in one place so we could concentrate more on our groups.

I felt all participants on REN had special knowledge to contribute and experience in their field, which made the discussions easier and more advanced than on the SWY programme.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to the Cabinet Office, IYEO staff, volunteers, host-families and participants that made our stay in Japan very special. The Norwegian Alumni is in a crucial "birth-phase" and the Norwegian delegation's experiences from REN will greatly benefit the organisation-process ahead, in which we hope to implement several of the project-ideas generated at the 21 st Century Renaissance Youth Leaders Invitation Programme.