Shiga-Michigan Assembly Project (SMAP) for Youth started when COVID-19 hit the world and travel between the U.S. and Japan became impossible. That devastated Michigan teachers and students of Japanese alike. The inability to connect with the global community was also deeply felt in Japan. So, we decided to make connections online between Michigan and its sister state of Shiga prefecture in Japan--and SMAP for Youth was born. Now, Michigan students can connect with Shiga students online, asynchronously and/or synchronously. By 2022, at least 7 schools in Michigan had connected with a school in Japan, strengthening the Japan-U.S. community.

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Are you interested? Contact JTAM for more information!