Calls for Applications: HANDs Project 2016-2017

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS !!!

HANDs – (Hope and Dreams) Project 2016 – 2017
for Disaster and Environment Education + Creativity

The Japan Foundation, Bangkok is now soliciting for the application of young professionals (ages not over 35 years old) and university students (preferably graduate level) who are actively working on the field of artistic approach and creativities for social issues (i.e. community artist, community and social architecture, etc.), social entrepreneur or social enterprise, humanitarian and social workers, ecological specialists, environmental journalism and documentary producers, climate change adaptation specialists and disaster preparedness management officers to be a member and participate in an interesting Asian regional project called “Hope and Dreams for Disaster and Environmental Education + Creativities – HANDs Project.” It is a bi-annual youth exchange program, aiming to nurture a sense of common feeling and coexistence as a community shared by the people of Asia, initiated by The Japan Foundation Asia Center.

The HANDs Project will connect youths, from Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, 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 and environmental education issues with their applied creativities. In the first year (2016), 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 and environmental education as well as new innovative and creative ideas in each country. The first trip is scheduled to visit Philippines and Indonesia in September 25th to October 7th , 2016 (dates are subject to change) ; while the second trip is scheduled to visit Thailand and Japan in February 2017 (date TBC). The second year (2017) will be the planning and implementation of action plans to propose to the Japan Foundation Asia Center. There will be seed funding provided to the follow up projects, under condition that the project has to be approved by the Japan Foundation Asia Center.

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 natural disaster and environment degradations as 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)

applicants have to be:
- a young professional, who have great creative skills and/or organizational 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 workers, ecological specialists, environmental activists, journalism and documentary producers, climate change adaptation specialists and disaster preparedness management officers, with at least one year of working experience.
- o an active university graduate student in any fields (who presents valid student ID)
Applicants must have records of activities in the field of community building, desirably disaster and environmental education in their home country, such as conducting educational events for school children, helping post-disaster reconstruction, conducting social enterprise and social services for environmental campaigns with their high competences of applied creativities, 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.
Applicants who are eager to learn from other countries’ experience of post-disaster recovery and disaster preparedness and environmental issues.
Applicants must understand and agree to the aims of HANDs.
Applicants must be Thai nationality and young people from Myanmar.
Applicants have to be equal or under 35 years old, as of the date of application (July 31, 2016).
Applicants must possess the ability to conduct formal conversation in English and a good communication skill.
Applicants must be in good physical and mental conditions.

For those who wish to apply for HANDs Project,

A. For young professional applicants:
(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 Thai); for example, poster designs, comics, product designs, photography, web design, short essays, newspaper articles, journals, video, etc.,

B. For university student applicants:
(1) HANDs Application form for University Students (can be downloaded below)
(2) Photocopy of student ID card
(3) Curriculum Vitae in English (must not exceed 2 pages in length)
(4) Any additional material (in English or Thai) about your disaster and environmental related activities or other social activities; for example, poster designs, comics, product deigns, photography, web design, short essays, newspaper articles, journals, video, etc.,

Application Form – Young Professionals:

Application Form – University Graduate Students:

Please submit all the documents to Mr. Wathana Onpanich at wathana@ba.jpf.go.jp no later than July 31, 2016 (Sun.) 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 CV, please only submit attachments as Microsoft Word files or Adobe PDF. Photo ID should be a JPEG or Adobe PDF.

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 website: https://handsproject.asia/en.html

HANDs! VDO Promotion (Thailand and Japan Program)