CALL FOR APPLICATIONS !!! HANDs – (Hope and Dreams) for Disaster Education Project

The HANDs Project will connect youths, from Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and India/Nepal. It also promotes the formation of a network among young leaders, as well as promotes collaborative efforts among them, in the field of intellectual exchange dialogue on disaster education issues. In the first year (2015), they will be given a primarily research tours, lectures, and workshops for 20 days in 4 countries (3 in Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand) and Japan as the last destination to learn about disaster education in each country. The first trip, is scheduled to visit Indonesia and Philippines in late September to early October 2015 (date is to be confirmed), while the second trip is scheduled to visit Thailand and Japan in February 2016 (date is to be confirmed).The second year (2016) will be the planning and implementation of action plans.

Why HANDs! Project now?

The youths are the agents of change that determine what the future will be. In Asia, the wave of young people’s participation in giving social contribution is growing fast in various issue-areas, including disaster as one of the major issues faced in this region. With dreaming on a strong bond of friendships between Japan and Asian countries and hoping on the fast-growing youth participation, The Japan Foundation Asia Center provides opportunities for youths in Japan and Asian countries to learn from each other, to inspire one another and to seek for seeds for collaboration through HANDs! Project.

Therefore, within HANDs!, the youth are not only expected to improve their personal development but also to take action, as symbolized in HANDs!’ logo, small and colourful hands forming a bigger hand. The logo shows how youths from different economic development with different background can study and experience able to work together hand-in-hand, take action in tackling common issues.

Who can Apply? (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)

1. Applicants have to be:
   o a young professional, who have great creative skills and/or organizing skills, as well as working actively in the field of artistic approach and creativities for social issues i.e. community artist, community and social architecture, social entrepreneur or social enterprise, humanitarian and social worker, journalism and disaster preparedness management officer, with at least one year of working experience.
2. Applicants must have records of activities in the field of community building, desirably disaster and education in their home country, such as conducting educational events for school children, helping post-disaster reconstruction, conducting social enterprise, etc. Applicants who worked on other social issues such as supporting children, handicapped & elderly, in deal with LGBT issues, women’s empowerment, and others are also encouraged to apply.
3. Applicants who are eager to learn from other countries’ experience of post-disaster recovery and disaster preparedness.
4. Applicants must understand and agree to the aims of HANDs.
5. Applicants must be Thai nationality only.
6. Applicants have to be equal or under 35 years old, as of the date of application (July 31, 2015).
7. Applicants must possess the ability to conduct formal conversation in English and a good communication skill.
8. Applicants must be in good physical and mental conditions.

For those who wish to apply for HANDs Project, please kindly download the application form at the website below, and prepare necessary documents to be attached as following;

(1) HANDs! Application Form for Young Professionals (can be downloaded below)
(2) Photocopy of ID Card
(3) Curriculum Vitae in English (must not exceed 5 pages in length)
(4) Two samples of recent works (in English or Bahasa Indonesia), for example poster designs, comics, product designs, photography, web design, short essays, newspaper articles, journals, video, etc.

After completion of the application forms, please submit it by attaching all the documents into an E-mail and send it to Mr. Wathana Onpanich at wathana@ba.jpf.go.jp no later than July 31, 2015 (Fri.) at 17:00 PM.

**The whole documents should not exceed 5 MB, we will not accept documents larger than 5 MB. For video files (if any), please upload to Youtube and send us the link.

For more information and inquiries: Mr. Wathana Onpanich (wathana@ba.jpf.go.jp), Tel: +66-2-260-8560-3 at the Japan Foundation, Bangkok Office. Address: 10th Floor, Serm-mit Tower, 159 Sukhumvit 21 (Asoke-montri) Rd., Wattana, Bangkok 10110

Reference information of HANDs Project!

HANDs! Project: Our Achievements and Our Future
https://jfac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/HANDs-May-2015-for-public.pdf

HANDs! Project for Disaster Education (by Thailand Country Advisor)
https://www.ruttikorn.com/index.aspx?ContentID=ContentID-15062611530050589

HANDs Booklet

Application Form