This poster presentation poses two questions; one is about the role of the “nation state” on the government-led international exchange programme where the participant’s intercultural learning is particularly seen on an individual basis. Second is how the participant’s learning and construction of an intercultural identity can be described by the idea of “community of practice.” The international exchange programme is called the Ship for World Youth (SWY) programme and has been operated by the Cabinet Office of Japan for the past 28 years. It is a programme that involves 200 youths (18-30 years of age) from 12 countries around the world each year. Although SWY is not an academic program and does not have a curriculum, the programme’s environment promotes good learning opportunities through discussion, particularly on global issues. The slogan of SWY is “How to make the world a better place.”

Published in: London International Conference on Education (LICE-2016)

• Date of Conference: 14-17 November 2016
• DOI: 10.2053/LICE.2016.0063
• ISBN: 978-1-908320-76-6
• Conference Location: Heathrow Windsor Marriott Hotel, UK