ABOUT US

THE JAMAICA JET ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (JJETAA)

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Alumni Association of Jamaica (JETAA Jamaica) was established in 2002 and operates as a non-profit organization. JETAA Jamaica comprises persons who have worked as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in primary, junior high and senior high schools across Japan under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.

​Mission

The mission of JETAA Jamaica is to assist in enhancing relations between Jamaica and Japan; promote Japanese culture within Jamaica; and serve as a support group for former, current and prospective Jamaican JET participants.

Objectives

The objectives of the JETAA Jamaica are as follows:

1. Introduce Japanese culture to Jamaicans with emphasis on Jamaican students

2. Maintain ties with former Jamaican JETs

3. Assist with cultural activities organised by various Japanese entities in Jamaica

4. Raise awareness about Japanese culture within Jamaica 

5. Harness the talents and experience of JET alumni to create a diverse and dynamic organization

6. Introduce Japanese culture to Jamaicans with emphasis on Jamaican students

7. Maintain ties with former Jamaican JETs

8. Assist with cultural activities organised by various Japanese entities in Jamaica

9. Raise awareness about Japanese culture within Jamaica 

10. Harness the talents and experience of JET alumni to create a diverse and dynamic organization

11. Share relevant information and experiences on the JET Programme and life in Japan with prospective JETs

12. Assist the Embassy of Japan in the promotion of the JET Programme

13. Establish and maintain close links with the Jamaican JETs in Japan, so that they may:

(i) keep abreast of developments related to JETAA Jamaica, and (ii) prepare for post JET life and re-integration into Jamaican society

Organizational Structure and Membership

The JETAA Jamaica consists of an Executive Committee comprising a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and a Public Relations Officer and a general membership made up of JET Alumni and Affiliate Members. Affiliate members are persons who have worked in the education sector in Japan, have studies in Japan, or any person, club or society who/which has been affiliation with Japan and/or with Japanese culture and who/which express a genuine interest to share in the activities of the Association.

BYLAWS

Official Name

The official name of the association shall be the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme  Alumni Association of Jamaica (hereinafter referred to as the JETAA Jamaica).

2. Mission Statement

The mission of JETAA Jamaica is to assist in enhancing relations between Jamaica and Japan; promote Japanese culture within Jamaica; and serve as a support group for former, current and prospective Jamaican JET participants.

3. Objectives

The objectives of the JETAA Jamaica are as follows:

1. Share relevant information and experiences on the JET Programme and life in Japan with prospective JETs;

2. Assist the Embassy of Japan in the promotion of the JET Programme;

3. Establish and maintain close links with the Jamaican JETs in Japan, so that they may:

1. keep abreast of developments related to JETAA Jamaica, and

2. prepare for post JET life and re-integration into Jamaican society

4. Introduce Japanese culture to Jamaicans with emphasis on Jamaican students;

5. Maintain ties with former Jamaican JETs;

6. Assist with cultural activities organised by various Japanese entities in Jamaica;

7. Raise awareness about Japanese culture within Jamaica;

8. Harness the talents and experience of JET alumni to create a diverse and dynamic organization.

4. Activities

In fulfillment of its objectives, the JETAA Jamaica will carry out, inter alia, the following activities:

( 1) Participate in Japanese cultural activities organized by the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica and other related agencies;

( 2) Participate in orientation sessions for Jamaicans who have been accepted to the JET Programme.

( 3) Prepare newsletters at least once per year for distribution to local and overseas stakeholders;

( 4) Implement activities to promote Japan and its culture to other persons/organizations to include, but not limited to: participating in visits to schools and tertiary institutions to promote Japanese culture and the JET Programme;

(5) Organise activities for JET alumni; Serve as a resource for the Jamaica/Japan community; Promote and publicize JETAAI.

5. Organisational Structure

The JETAA Jamaica shall consist of an Executive Committee comprising a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Public Relations Officer and a general membership made up of other JET Alumni and affiliate members.

1. President: The President shall be responsible for chairing all meetings of the Jamaican Chapter, shall act as the official spokesperson and primary liaison for the Association and shall supervise all major projects. The President is also responsible for working with the Treasurer to prepare the annual budget and work plan. The President of the Association shall also be designated as the Country Representative and therefore will be the Association’s representative on the JETAA International (JETAA-I).

2. Vice President: The Vice President shall be responsible for supporting the President and shall assume the duties of the President in the event of his/her absence. He/she shall provide day-to-day supervision of specific projects as directed by the President/Executive Committee and co-ordinates changes to the by-laws. He/she is responsible for liaising with new members/developing chapters.

3. Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for recording and circulating the minutes of the Executive Committee and General meetings and for maintaining appropriate records of the Association’s documentation and official correspondence. He/she is responsible for preparing the annual reports with the assistance of the other members of the Executive Committee.

4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial management of the Association’s resources, and the collection and maintenance of funds for activities. The Treasurer shall report directly to the Executive Committee and shall also be required to present a financial report at monthly general meetings and at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

5. Public Relations Officer: The Public Relations Officer is responsible for the coordination of the Association’s social activities and handles any advertising or promotional issues.

6. Membership

Full Members - Persons who have completed at least one year in the JET Programme are automatically qualified as members of the JETAA Jamaica. Full members have the right to vote at any monthly, annual, or extraordinary meeting.

Associate Members - Persons who have worked in the education sector in Japan, have studied in Japan, or any person, club or society who/which has an affiliation with Japan and/or with Japanese culture and who/which expresses a genuine interest to share in the Alumni activities may be invited by the Executive Committee to join the Association. Such persons shall be considered associate members and shall be allowed to participate in the various activities organised by the Association but shall not have the right to vote or be elected to a position within the Association.

7. Term of Office

All positions on the Executive Committee, except the position of Vice President, shall be held for a period of one term (year), after which all positions shall become vacant.

8. Demitting Office

Any Member of the Executive Committee wishing to demit his/her post before his/her term of office has ended must submit written notification of same to the Executive Committee. Any Member, who for whatever reason is desirous of withdrawing their membership from the Association, must do so in writing, to the Executive Committee.

Members who serve on the Executive Committee may resign from their position and remain as members of the Association. In the event of an Executive Officer position becoming vacant prior to the expiration of the term of office, the remaining members of the Executive Committee shall appoint a member to complete the term of office, within two weeks of said vacancy, by means of an emergency meeting.

9. Financial Operations

The JETAA Jamaica operates as a non-profit organisation. Funds for activities hosted by the Association are provided by CLAIR and the Embassy of Japan, upon submission of a work plan and budget for the next financial year by the deadlines established by both funding institutions. Additional income may be generated from the Association’s fundraising efforts. All funds received shall be held in a local bank account. The signatories to the account shall be the President, the Treasurer and any other member of the Executive Committee, with any two required to sign for any transaction to be executed. All transactions must have prior approval of the Treasurer and one other member of the Executive Committee before it can be effected.

10. Meetings

Meetings shall be held once per month as per the annual schedule developed by the Association’s Secretary. A quorum of at least three (3) members, one of whom must be from the Executive Committee, is required for meetings to be called to order.

An extraordinary meeting can be called at the request of any member of the Executive Committee or upon written request of 1/5 of the members of the Association directed to the President. No other business shall be conducted at an extraordinary meeting except that which was stated in the written notice of the meeting.

Annual General Meeting (AGM) - The AGM shall be held in March each year. The Executive Committee shall fix the date, time and place for the AGM. Written notice stating the date, time and place shall be communicated to each member no less than seven days before the meeting. The AGM shall allow for, inter alia, the presentation of the yearly financial report, review and approval of the annual work plan and budget and the election of new Officers.

11. Nomination and Elections

Elections to fill Executive Officer positions shall be conducted once annually at the AGM following the guidelines established for that purpose. The incumbent officers shall relinquish their duties and newly elected Officers shall begin their terms of office on April 1^st of each year unless there is consensus agreement by the membership to alter this for a justifiable reason.

11.1 Nominations

• The JETAA Jamaica membership shall be requested to submit nominations for the positions on the Executive Committee six weeks prior to the AGM. Any full member of the Association may nominate candidates; however, only active members of the Association are eligible to be elected to serve on the Executive Committee.

• Active members are those members who have provided assistance or supportive or voluntary services for at least three (3) formal activities organized by the Association (e.g., monthly meetings, outreach activities etc.) during the financial year.

• Nominations shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee at jamjeta@gmail.com. Persons nominated shall be formally advised of their nomination and invited to accept their nominations in writing.

• The nomination period shall run for two weeks.

• The list of proposed candidates shall be circulated to the JETAA Jamaica membership four weeks prior to the AGM. The names of the members nominating candidates for election shall not be stated. The proposed candidates who have accepted the nomination will be requested to submit platforms.

11.2 Submitting Platforms

• Platforms should be submitted in writing by interested candidates and should not exceed 1 page. The platform should highlight why the candidate should be considered for the position, including past experience in the Association and vision for the future of the Association. 

• Platforms should be submitted by email to the Executive Committee at jamjeta@gmail.com.

• The platform submission period shall run for two weeks. The precise dates shall be communicated to the candidates by the Executive Committee.

Once the platform submission period has come to an end, all platforms received shall be circulated for the consideration of the membership.

11.3 Voting

• Voting shall take place during the AGM via secret ballot.

• At the AGM, an independent person who is not a-JETAA Jamaica member shall be selected from among the attendees to serve as a Returning Officer. The Returning Officer shall be responsible for conducting the elections at the AGM. All full JETAA Jamaica Members present at the AGM shall be eligible to vote. Each member will be allowed one vote per post. Full members of the Association shall be as defined by Article 6 of these by-laws.

• Full JETAA Jamaica Members, who are also active members, are eligible to vote by proxy in the event that they are unable to attend the AGM. Procedures for voting by proxy are outlined in Article 11.4.

• The candidate receiving the greatest number of eligible votes for a post shall be declared successful. Where only one candidate has been nominated for a post, no voting is required and the candidate shall be deemed as elected to the post.

• In the event of a tie vote, a competition of chance before witnesses, such as drawing lots, janken, or a coin toss, in a manner mutually agreed upon by the candidates will be used to determine the winner.

11.4 Voting by Proxy

• Voting by proxy shall be allowed. All full Members as defined in Article 11.1 shall be eligible to vote by proxy.

• In the event that a full member is unable to attend the AGM, that member should advise the Executive Committee in writing of their inability to attend the meeting and should indicate the name of the member who will be casting the proxy vote on their behalf for each position.

• If a full member is unable to attend the AGM, that member may give someone attending the AGM their proxy in writing by indicating their preferred candidate.

12. Amendments

Amendments or additions to the By-laws must be brought before the members of the JETAA Jamaica at an AGM and must be approved by a simple majority vote (51%) of those members present.

Date: 16 March 2019