Junior Ambassadors Selected to Represent Hawaii at the 35th Asian-Pacific Children's Convention

(Originally published March 14, 2023)

The Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH) is pleased to announce the selection of four Junior Ambassadors (JAs) to represent JASH and Hawaii at the 35th Annual Asian-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC) in Fukuoka, Japan in summer 2023. This year will be the first year JAs will be able to travel to Fukuoka since the 2019 program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The APCC is a cultural exchange program that deepens participants’ appreciation for the cultures of other nations and regions, promotes mutual understanding and friendship, nurtures international awareness in young people, and works towards world peace and co-existence. It is hoped that the JAs will build an international network of friends.

For the next several months, the four Junior Ambassadors—two boys and two girls, all aged eleven at the time of travel—will participate in a JASH-designed training program for their Japan experience this July. In Fukuoka, the students will meet over 160 fellow Junior Ambassadors from over sixty countries and cities in the Asia-Pacific region in a global youth camp. This will be followed by a homestay where they will each live with a Japanese host family. It is our hope that our Ambassadors will mature into adults with a strong sense of social responsibility.

The 2023 Junior Ambassadors for the United States of America-Hawaii Delegation are:

Kyrie Chen, attends Momilani Elementary School

Rylen Isobe, attends 'Iolani School

Sano Blailes, attends Ala Wai Elementary School

Vaiva Peroff, attends Waikiki Elementary School

They will be accompanied by chaperone Sandy Takeda, who has been actively involved with the JASH APCC program since her children also participated in the program as JAs.

The USA-Hawaii Delegation also has the honor of sending our APCC alumnus and current Bridge Club Hawaii President to join the delegation to participate in the 5th Bridge Club Presidents Meeting. Bridge Club are APCC alumni organizations that are established to further offer and promote additional bridge-building and youth leadership initiatives. This year, Betsy Wo (Junior Ambassador 2011; Peace Ambassador 2022) will represent Bridge Club Hawaii.

JASH is honored to have served as the Liaison Office for the Hawaii delegation since 2003. If you wish to know more about the APCC program, please visit the JASH website at jashawaii.org/apcc.

Pictured: 2023 APCC - Hawaii Delegation

Back row (L-R): BCH President Betsy Wo and Chaperone Sandy Takeda

Front row (L-R): Rylen Isobe, Sano Blailes, Vaiva Peroff, and Kyrie Chen