Prefectural Advisors
The role of the PAs are to support to both JETs and contracting organizations by providing consultation and mediation when needed. They provide information to JETs about daily life in Gifu Region, and can contact CLAIR on the behalf of JET's and COs if needed.
Gifu Prefectural
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Gifu Prefectural Government -
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Regional Prefectural Advisors
There are 87 JETs placed all over Gifu Prefecture, which means that it is difficult for the PAs to maintain close contact with all of them directly. For this reason, the Regional Prefectural Advisor (RPA) system was created to make sure that there are advisors in each of the five geographical regions of Gifu Prefecture – Gifu, Seino, Chuno, Hida and Tono. The RPAs are experienced JETs that can give you advice to help you settle in. They also do a range of things like prepare a Regional Guide to be handed to you at Life Orientation, organize events in their respective regions, help run and present at the multiple orientations and conferences throughout the year, and are there to help whenever you have any questions.
WHAT DO RPAS DO?
RPAs are experienced ALTs and CIRs who act as area leaders and local resources on top of their normal ALT/CIR responsibilities. The RPA Committee meets with the PAs once a month.
Because Gifu prefecture is so large with different conditions throughout the prefecture, RPAs are able to provide more regional specific information (public transportation, shopping, etc). They can direct you to resources around the area (eg: when you need to go find a gynecologist for a routine check-up but your supervisor is a middle aged man, your RPA can direct you) or point you to who you need to go to for problems.
Note: For things that effect your work, you will need to talk to your supervisor.
The RPAs help create social opportunities and resources for JETs. They also help plan and present at orientations and conferences.
RPAs are not trained in counseling and act only as experienced peers.
RPA SELECTION
Recommendation and application forms will available to all Gifu JETs around December/January. If you are interested in being an RPA, first please let your CO know in January that you would like to be considered for the position, and then please fill out the short application. Interested JETs will be taken into consideration by the PA and RPA committee, who will then nominate the candidates in February to be approved by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education.
WHAT DO RPAS DO?
RPAs are experienced ALTs and CIRs who act as area leaders and local resources on top of their normal ALT/CIR responsibilities. The RPA Committee meets with the PAs once a month.
Because Gifu prefecture is so large with different conditions throughout the prefecture, RPAs are able to provide more regional specific information (public transportation, shopping, etc). They can direct you to resources around the area (eg: when you need to go find a gynecologist for a routine check-up but your supervisor is a middle aged man, your RPA can direct you) or point you to who you need to go to for problems.
Note: For things that effect your work, you will need to talk to your supervisor.
The RPAs help create social opportunities and resources for JETs. They also help plan and present at orientations and conferences.
RPAs are not trained in counseling and act only as experienced peers.
RPA SELECTION
Recommendation and application forms will available to all Gifu JETs around December/January. If you are interested in being an RPA, first please let your CO know in January that you would like to be considered for the position, and then please fill out the short application. Interested JETs will be taken into consideration by the PA and RPA committee, who will then nominate the candidates in February to be approved by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education.
Nine JET participants form the Regional Prefectural Advisor (RPA) Committee, one to two JETs for each of the five regions in Gifu.
Meet Our Advisors
Meet the Gifu JET Advisors for Fiscal 2022
Angelo PascualALT PAProfile
Gelo joined the JET Program in August 2018, thus realizing his dream of living in Japan. Aside from being the ALT PA, he also teaches at Gifu Senior High School of Agriculture and Forestry (Nōrin) where he can buy the freshest produce and play with farm animals. Gelo's profile is as diverse as his home country, the Philippines. A globetrotting registered nurse who has a strong penchant for sweets, anime, history and current events his past adventures include living in Saudi Arabia for a number of years; volunteering as an English teacher in Chile and traveling to more than 30 countries, among others. |
Sam KeaneCIR PAProfile
Sam has been part of the Prefectural BOE team since November 2021. Having taught English in Osaka and Japanese in his home of west Ireland, he has always sought out ties to local international communities, including organizing welcome exchange events for Japanese students at the University of Limerick and becoming embedded in the international community in Belfast. As CIR PA, he hopes to promote a JET lifestyle based on mutual understanding, dedication, and cultural exchange. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, visiting galleries and museums, and generally having the craic. |
Matthew BeavenSeino RPAProfile
Matthew is a first year ALT from Perth, Australia, teaching in Ogaki City. Before coming to Japan, Matthew worked as a tennis coach whilst he studied a degree in international relations. He loves having conversations for hours on end on just about anything. He is also a big fan of sport (tennis, cricket, cycling, Australian Rules Football), music (mainly 80s), movies, books and politics. He looks forward to meeting new JETs and helping with any issues people may have. |
Connor KeaneSeino RPAProfile
Connor is a first year municipal ALT from the east coast of the U.S. currently working in the Seino region at a junior high school in historic Sekigahara, just west of Ogaki. He enjoys cycling, creative writing, befriending stray cats, and eating entire watermelons in one sitting. His Japanese skills are weak, but his vocabulary is growing! He's pretty new here and is still learning the ropes, but he's excited to provide whatever support he can to the JETs of Seino. |
Kevin SwordHida RPAProfile
Kevin is a fifth-year ALT from Vermont, USA. He enjoys sending and receiving postcards, hiking and yosakoi dance. On trips, he goes to temples and shrines to collect goshuin, a stamp and calligraphy that serves as proof of prayer. Goshuin can be very colorful and are a great souvenir to remember a place by. He also enjoys playing the piano at schools during break time. His favorite artists to play are Joe Hisaishi, the composer of the Studio Ghibli soundtracks, and the solo piano works of the late Hirotaka Izumi, of the jazz fusion band T-Square. He can help with a lot of stuff, including all about getting settled in Japan so definitely reach out! |
Liam ArrandaleHida RPAProfile
Liam is a first-year JET from Manchester, England, UK. He graduated with a degree in Journalism and English Literature, and is now teaching at Kuguno JHS/ES and Enako ES. After work, you can probably find him in Konishi, his favourite izakaya in Enako. He likes football (soccer for the Americans), boxing, hiking and travel. Please feel free to join him in the gym or boxing dojo whenever you like. His Japanese is so-so, but he studies every day. He looks forward to helping Hida JETs get settled and is always available to help with day-to-day concerns. Shoot him a message any time! |
Clint BraggerTono RPAProfile
Clinton-Khile Brägger is a half-Swiss, half-American boy from Los Angeles. He graduated from the Film and Television program at University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in film production and directing. Now he is putting his film skills to use on his YouTube channels, where he chronicles his life in Japan, as well as makes tourism content for Mizunami City. Upon arriving in Japan, Clint quickly found a passion for Kyudo — a traditional form of Japanese long-bow archery — and has recently passed his second level skills test. Clint’s dream after JET is to open a Swiss fondue and raclette restaurant in the heart of Nagoya, and continue working on his film passion projects in his free time. |
Lindsay LampTono RPAProfile
Lindsay Lamp is from St. Louis, Missouri, home of Budweiser, Fitz's, Imo's Pizza, Ted Drewe's, toasted ravioli... probably some non-food things, too. She majored in Psychology at Truman State University, and minored in Asian Studies. Before she came to Japan, she was working (and far more often, playing) as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. Lindsay moved to Japan in August of 2019. She lives in Mizunami (same as Clint), and teaches at three different junior high schools in the area. She usually cooks or plays video games, and she also loves hiking, music, watering her plants, and wandering around Nagoya. She looks forward to getting to know everyone, so please feel free to contact her. |
Cloe FerranteGifu CIR RPAProfile
Cloe is a first-year CIR from France, working at the Prefectural Office in Gifu City. She first spent a year in Japan as an exchange student where she worked with JET ALTs through her part-time job. This made her discover her love for education and pushed her to study instructional design when she went home, leading her to become an e-learning designer helping university professors with their online courses during the pandemic. Now on JET, she enjoys school visits and cultural presentations the most, and she will gladly help you out with digital education tools or Japanese interpretation. When Cloe’s not running around or hyperfocusing on obscure subjects, she can usually be found playing video games or pretending to be a pop idol at her dance studio. |
Emelie VandenbergGifu RPAProfile
Emelie Vandenberg is an American from the snowy backwoods of New Hampshire. She earned a BA in Theater with a focus in dialect coaching and worked professionally as an actor, director, and dialect coach. Emelie now works as a SHS ALT in Gifu City and enjoys practicing Aikido, learning Japanese, playing DnD, and making a bundle of 1,000 origami cranes in her free time. She's looking forward to getting to know everyone and building new connections. |
Colin JonesChuno RPAProfile
Colin is an Argentine American first year JET from Houston, Texas. He is currently working at Mugi and Sekiuchi SH in Mino and Seki. Before coming to Japan, Colin studied at Texas Tech University, graduating with a Bachelor’s in History, with a Minor in Secondary Education. In his free time, Colin likes to play video games, read, and study Japanese and Spanish. More recently, Colin has started to get his feet wet with photography. If there’s ever anything you need help with, or if you just want a taste of Texas Sweet Tea or Argentine mate, just let him know! |