What inspired you to work for World Campus International?
After joining the Japan program two times, I could not get enough of it. However, when I learned that some of the friends I made during the program were working for World Campus, it inspired me to experience the program in a different way. The staff that I had worked with while I participated was also a motivation for me to become staff myself, because I looked up to them and wanted to be as accomplished as they were.
Me and other participants experiencing the ways of a ninja in rural Japan
Why do you do what you do?
For me, the job is twofold. On one side, I strive to improve myself as a person and become a better teacher. On the other side, I really want the participants to have the same amazing experience as I did when I was a participant. Both aspects are important reasons for me to be a counselor.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
The most common challenges are being forced to work under pressure and handle unexpected situations. The program often follows a schedule, and as staff I often have to make sure that things are on time. This can be stressful, especially when unforeseen events force us to make schedule changes. Dealing with this requires being calm, but also flexible.
Practicing Japanese style archery, Kyudo
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Don't worry! I had a lot of worries before joining the program the first time, such as my Japanese language being terrible and not being a good performer. However, the program is very friendly to people who have never traveled before, and even with no Japanese knowledge or performing experience it is absolutely nothing to worry about.
What makes World Campus International special?
The entire program is a unique experience that is incomparable to anything else—a group of international students staying with Japanese host families, doing activities, and interacting with the community in a way that is impossible to do as a tourist, and even incorporating a musical thank you event for the locals. There is nothing about World Campus that is not special.
What is World Campus International’s mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our mission is to develop global citizens, people who are globally aware, and who fit into our ever-globalizing world. We do so by expanding our program to a growing audience and also by creating new and different programs. The program also aims to impact the lives of as many people as possible in a positive way, something we do through our community interaction. With hundreds of participants we can affect the lives of thousands of people!
Having a chat and testing my Japanese skills with the local people of Japan
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope that our participants return with an expanded comfort zone, being more open to new ideas, and a broader understanding of what it means to live in a global society. I also wish that they return with a feeling of accomplishment and that they have improved themselves and made a lot of new friends and family.
How do you help support participants?
We are there to guide you to how you can interact with new people, especially your host family. We make sure you take something with you and learn something new every day, and we offer emotional support in difficult situations. Overall, we make sure that no matter how little or much travel experience you have, you get the most out of traveling with us.
What qualities in program & host community relations are important to you? (And to World Campus International?)
For us, it is important that host families want to learn from their guests. We have communities that want to meet our participants, and a part of how we can ensure this is by not paying them for hosting. As a result, both participants and host families learn from each other and form strong bonds that expand beyond the program itself.
What hopes do you have for the future of World Campus International?
My hope is that the Japan program will grow to the point where we have to run multiple programs a year, so we can reach as many people as possible. A program in Norway is already in its early beginning, but I hope to see World Campus become even bigger than it currently is.
World Campus International 2018 program staff
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Being open-minded is one of the most important assets you can have in a global society. Traveling abroad forces you to see things from a different perspective and makes you open to new ideas. What you usually take for granted might suddenly not be there, and you learn how to adapt. Some things can only be experienced hands-on, and traveling offers a lot of such experiences.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
For traveling to be meaningful, it must have a lot of experiences you can't experience back home. It is also important that you can share your traveling experience to see it from different perspectives, and as such the people that you meet and travel with are an integral part of a good journey.
