First appearing in the July issue, this new column focuses on the many unique, vibrant Chapters of JALT. The editors welcome articles (of an academic nature or lighter in tone) of up to 1,000 words (in English, Japanese, or a combination of both). Contact them for further details. This month's report from Dennis Woolbright and Malcolm Swanson centers around Kitakyushu, its experiences and achievements. In the September issue, Roger Pattimore of Ibaraki will describe their "Global Ties" efforts to bring a chapter-sponsored Thai teacher to Japan. In October, Graham Bathgate will offer a profile of the Tokyo Chapter, its seven newly-elected executive members, and the story of breathing new life into the Chapter.
You've Come a Long Way, Kitakyushu!
The Lonely Planet Guidebook for Japan paints a bleak picture of Kitakyushu, focussing on its industrial landscape, and recommending travellers bypass it on their way to the heart of Kyushu. Those of us who have made it home just smile, for we know what our city has to offer as the gateway to the island. This isolation has made Kitakyushu locals a proud and hardy breed, and we have woven this very tenacity into the fabric of our JALT chapter.
In a bid to transform Kitakyushu into a centre for international, cultural, and scholarly exchange, Mayor Sueyoshi, upon welcoming the foundation of Kitakyushu JALT, stated, "...the city recognises the fundamental importance of open, face-to-face exchanges between people from all over the world." Indeed, examining what we've achieved in moving towards this goal, it is hard to believe that we came into being as a full chapter only just over a year ago. It is no small boast to state that we stand very much at the helm of where JALT ideally should be going, particularly at the regional level. As past-president, Gus Rojas states, "Our main motivation has been to involve local members, and get back to what JALT was originally founded on: the concerns of members at the grassroots level."
Although still a small chapter, we have been able to offer regular presentations and events. In addition, we have participated annually in the city's International Week, hosting workshops and seminars. In October of 1993, a seed was planted when two Vietnamese scholars were brought here for cross-cultural seminars as JALT International Scholarship awardees, followed by two teachers from Cambodia the next year. In May, 1995, we successfully ran the first JALT Southwest Regional Conference, with speakers from both Thailand and Korea, in close collaboration with the city and Monbusho. This was to be a testing ground for the organisational skills of the chapter, as well as the facilities and personnel of the area, and having proved ourselves, we began to set our sights higher. Since then, we haven't looked back.
In November, 2001, JALT will host the third Pan-Asian Conference, in conjunction with the regular national conference, on the theme of "2001: A Language Teaching Odyssey." Kitakyushu JALT actively lobbied for and won the right to host this conference.
Kitakyushu JALT was among the first chapters to have its own website, now located at <http://www.seafolk.ne.jp/kqjalt/>. It also hosts two national sites managed by local members: the 1998 JALT Conference site, and the Chapter Meetings site, where TLT announcements are posted.
One of our prime areas of interest is regionalisation. Distanced as we are from major population areas, we have had to look to our neighbouring chapters for support, help, and growth. In the warmth of this regional kinship, we "hanami"-ed with Miyazaki JALT at the Pan Kyushu Retreat in March of this year. Under the leadership of David McMurray, it proved an ideal starting point for greater cohesion between our Kyushu chapters. Kitakyushu will host the second retreat in Beppu in March, 1999.
Additionally, the first "Kyushu Roadshow," a caravan of members taking presentations and support out into smaller and isolated areas, will kick-off this summer.
Of course all this would not be possible without the commitment and talents of our community. In this area, we are lucky to have a large resource of capable people to draw upon. As well as having a wide range of people willing to present locally, for other chapters, and at the conference level, we are also well represented at the national level. Our president is one of the twelve elected chapter representatives at EXBO meetings. Others include the Program Chair for 2001, and the 1998 4Corners Tour coordinator.
We are also represented on the staff of The Language Teacher and various other N-SIG publications. In short, Kitakyushu JALT runs the full gamut, from a tenacious, down-home regional organization, to a spunky national and global team. Come on down and see for yourselves!
Dennis Woolbright and Malcolm Swanson