ACTIVITIES
Our Activities
Built around the Annual Conference, other events and the year-round JAYD Community, JAYD creates a space where students in Japan and the Arab region can stay involved over the long term. Here are our pillars of activity and our plans ahead.
Pillars of Activity
Annual Conference
Every July · Online
The core of our activities, made up of guest lectures by experts and sessions planned and facilitated by students.
Departments involved: All Organizers plan and facilitate sessions in Session Units. The PR Department recruits participants, and the Funding & Partnerships Department handles sponsorship and coordination with partner institutions.
Other Events
Throughout the year
Outside the Annual Conference, we hold lectures, study sessions and other events, both online and in person, to stay connected throughout the year.
Departments involved: The Events Department runs lectures and study sessions, and the In-person Programs Department runs in-person programs, mainly JUSCO (Japan-UAE Student Conference), a student conference held in Japan. The Funding & Partnerships Department supports them through sponsorship and coordination with partner institutions.
JAYD Community
Year-round · Discord
An information hub where people in Japan and the Arab region, students and professionals alike, exchange information and connect through event announcements and language pairs.
Departments involved: Run by the PR Department.
Social Media
Instagram · X
We share content such as “The Arab Region and Me,” a series in which our organizers talk about their connection to the Arab region, and introductions of our lecturers.
Departments involved: Run by the PR Department.
1st Cohort Conference (July 2026)
The record of the conference and the report are on the 1st Cohort page.
How the Annual Conference Works
The conference follows an “Input-Output Model”: knowledge gained from academic lectures is deepened through discussion among students. Holding it online and free of charge means anyone can take part, wherever they live.
Day 1
- Opening & icebreaker
- Guest Lecture45 minStudent Session75 min
- Guest Lecture45 minStudent Session75 min
- Reflection
Day 2
- Opening
- Guest Lecture45 minStudent Session75 min
- Guest Lecture45 minStudent Session75 min
- Final Session45 min
- Closing ceremony
Each guest lecture (45 minutes including Q&A) is followed by a student session on a related theme (75 minutes). There are two lecture-session pairs per day, four in total. At the end of Day 2, a final session (45 minutes) brings the whole discussion together.
Buddy Groups: Participants are divided into small groups that mix students from Japan and the Arab region, and take part in discussions and activities in these groups throughout the conference.
Code of Conduct: Sets out respect for each other’s cultures, avoidance of politically divisive themes, and protection of participants’ privacy. Read the Code of Conduct
JUSCO (Japan-UAE Student Conference)
JUSCO is an in-person student conference held in Japan. It is the flagship program of the In-person Programs Department, a place to deepen, face to face, the connections built online.
- When
- Summer 2027 (planned)
- Where
- Japan
- Who can join
- Japanese and UAE students
- Run by
- In-person Programs Department
Yearly Cycle
JAYD operates in annual cohorts and renews its organization every January. Here is the yearly flow of all our activities toward the 2nd Cohort.
Q4 2026
Preparing for the next cohort
- Introduce how JAYD works to university students in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and welcome new Regional Teams.
Q1 2027
Starting the 2nd Cohort
- Renew the organization in January, forming Regional Teams, Functional Departments and Session Units.
- Welcome our Academic Advisors and decide the structure and themes of the Annual Conference.
Q2 2027
Recruiting and preparing
- Recruit participants for the Annual Conference and hold an online orientation.
Summer 2027
Holding and reflecting
- Hold the Annual Conference online in July.
- Hold JUSCO in Japan in the summer, run by the In-person Programs Department.
- Collect participant evaluations and publish the 2nd Cohort report.
Year-round: We run JAYD Community, hold events such as lectures and study sessions, and share content on social media throughout the year.
Expansion
The 1st Cohort showed strong interest in academic dialogue among students in Japan and the UAE. JAYD will expand in stages, starting with the GCC countries, with the aim of eventually connecting students across the entire Arab region.
Expansion Plan
Japan Team & UAE TeamDone
1st Cohort · 2026
Launched mainly by students at The University of Tokyo and Zayed University, who held the 1st Cohort Conference.
GCC countriesOpen
Next stage
We are welcoming students in each country to launch a JAYD Regional Team.
The entire Arab regionLong-term
Long-term goal
We aim for students from more countries to join in co-running JAYD on an equal footing.
How a New Country Joins
Launch a Regional Team
STEP 1
Undergraduate and graduate students in that country come together to form a JAYD Regional Team.
Choose a Regional Coordinator
STEP 2
The team chooses a Regional Coordinator (RC) to lead it.
Join the Organizing Committee
STEP 3
On an equal footing with the Japan and UAE Teams, the team co-runs sessions as part of the OC.
Toward In-person Exchange
Keeping our doors wide open online is where JAYD started. Building on that, our medium- to long-term goal is to create opportunities for students to meet in person and see each other’s societies with their own eyes.
Foundation grants
Funding
We aim to apply for grants from foundations that support international exchange and human resource development, to cover travel and accommodation costs.
Corporate and organizational support
Funding & opportunities
We ask companies and organizations that share our goals for support such as funding, venues and lecturers.
A lasting network
Foundation
We will grow a network in which past participants and organizers stay involved as alumni, building a base in both regions to host in-person exchange.
To make in-person exchange possible, we welcome inquiries about sponsorship, partnership and support.
How to support JAYD