Session #1:  Farming and Organic Agriculture, Covington, GA - You'll learn about topics concerning organic and non-organic farming in this session. Your visit will feature a tour of the pre-Civil War Mount Pleasant Plantation, a local winery, and the Charles Elliot Wildlife center. The harvesting session for cotton and peanuts - true Southern staples - will be in full swing, and participants will tour the fields and get an up-close look at the equipment. The experimental station of the Department of Agriculture at the University of Georgia is also planning a workshop on new farming techniques and post-harvesting methods. If you like to play in the dirt, this session's for you.

Session #2:  Square Dancing and Southern Culture, Macon, GA - If you like to "swing your partner 'round and 'round,” you don’t want to miss this session. Square dancing has been part of southern culture for generations, and you'll get to practice your skills with some of the area's best dancers. In particular, there will be special instruction in the Virginia Reel, the most popular dance in the 18th and 19th centuries where instructors and participants dress in the fashion of Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler! Plus, there will be tours of ante-bellum homes, Native American dwellings and the Harriet Tubman Slavery Museum.

Session #3 (Session Takes Place on Friday and Saturday):  The Faces Of Education, Decatur GA - This informative session will be a tour of teaching and learning in DeKalb County, Georgia, one of the largest, most diverse school systems in the state. Discussions with experts in education will include topics such as teaching in schools with large, multi-national student populations, the involvement of the business community in education, and technology in learning. There will be visits to interactive classrooms in several different schools, as well as the IMAX theater and nature exhibits. Participants will also visit the Stone Mountain/DeKalb County Schoolhouse Museum, the Fernbank Science Center and Planetarium, and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, the only museum affiliated with a public school system in the US! There will plenty of opportunities for you to talk with teachers, students, parents, volunteers and business partners about the next generation of education in the US, and Japan. And a riverboat cruise in Georgia's famous Stone Mountain Park will top off the session in grand, southern style!

Session #4 (Session Takes Place on Friday and Saturday):  Corporate Philanthropy/ Volunteerism Atlanta - In Atlanta, the most successful companies are not just the ones that make large profits, but those which give back to the community. And one of the most visible ways that companies participate as "good corporate citizens" is through volunteering. You'll begin the session with a visit to the United Way, the national organization for channeling funds and volunteers to a wide variety of public service projects. From there, you'll go to the Georgia Power Company for a round table discussion with both the Chief Executive Officer and Georgia Power employees on the benefits of corporate and individual involvement in the community. The second day of the session will feature two different events. Most attendees will participate in a morning and afternoon volunteer project alongside local residents from the Atlanta area. If you are interested in “corporate philanthropy,” you'll have the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion hosted by organizations as diverse as UPS, IBM, Coca-Cola, Georgia Pacific, BellSouth and the Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation. Then, you'll join the others in the afternoon volunteer project. This session promises many opportunities for learning, and you'll leave behind a lasting legacy of your visit to Atlanta!

Session #5:  Performing and Visual Arts Atlanta - There are many cultural traditions that make up the "melting pot" of American art, and there will be opportunities to experience several of them here. In this creative, fun-filled session you will enjoy performances by Ballethnic, an African-American dance company, the Atlanta Virtuosi chamber music group and the Actor's Express theater company, all local talent with long standing traditions of excellence and diversity in the arts. There will be opportunities to talk with the performers and share your own artistic traditions. Plus, they may even pull you on-stage for a class or improvisation! The next day, participants will visit a potter's studio located in an small town outside Atlanta where three generations of the same family practice their craft. And, we'll tour the home and studio of a nationally renowned folk artist.

Session #6:  Outdoor Recreation and the Environment, Blairsville, GA - Georgia is home to much natural beauty, including one place unique to this corner of the United States, the Okefenokee Swamp Park! Called the “Land of the Trembling Earth” by the native American inhabitants, the Okefenokee is a watershed that is one of the oldest ecological systems in North America, dating from almost one million years ago! This session will include tours of the islands, lakes, jungles, forests and prairies that make this a unique experience for preservationists, scientists and nature lovers alike. There will be boat tours along some of the original American Indian waterways, presentations about the native wildlife, plus plenty of time to explore the islands and marshes on your own. The second day of the session will feature a trip to the Atlantic beaches of Georgia for a tour of one of the historic coastal islands. It's a half-day's drive from Atlanta, but the rare habitats and soulful beauty will make it well worth the trip!

Session #7 (Session Takes Place on Friday and Saturday):  Small Business Development/Entrepreneurship, Atlanta - In the United States, small businesses are not only generating jobs at twice the rate of large corporations, but they're the origin of many of the new ideas, products and services in the marketplace. So join us to learn all about the challenges and opportunities of running a small business. This session will open with a visit to the Small Business Administration, a program of the US government whose sole purpose is the development and growth of the small business sector. There will be demonstrations of many of the resources the SBA makes available to small business owners, including access to the World Wide Web. Then, there will be a panel discussion with successful small business owners in fields such as manufacturing, high-technology, retail and professional services like communications and advertising. The next day will feature a tour of one of these businesses, lunch at a local Japanese restaurant (another small business) and a tour of one of the most successful start-up businesses in Georgia, a microbrewery! You'll take home lots of materials and plenty of new contacts.

Session #8:  Interactive Media and Television, Atlanta - The future of communications is already here, and Atlanta is at the forefront of this explosion! Come behind the scenes for an in-depth tour of Cable News Network (CNN), the largest and most comprehensive news, information and entertainment source in the world. You'll talk with writers and producers who actually bring the stories to the screen, and watch them at work. Then, we'll explore one of the most cutting-edge interactive laboratories in the country at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). There will be ample opportunities to discuss the implications of these new technologies for education, business, medicine and government. And, you'll have hands-on contact with interactive projects like software interface design, video and real time animation!

Session #9:  The Hearing-Impaired Exchange Program, Macon, GA - In this session, you'll explore some of the cultural differences surrounding Interpreting, Sign Language and Communication in the hearing-impaired communities in Japan and the US. Hosted by the Georgia School for the Deaf, the Georgia Sensory Rehabilitation Center and others, you’ll sample some of the wealth of activities for hearing-impaired people available in the Atlanta area, and learn about vocational guidance, computer training and job placement services. We will also explore some of the cultural differences among disabled people in Japan and the US, so bring your stories to share. This session won’t be all work, though. We’re planning a visit to an interactive museum and a tour of some of Atlanta’s most famous attractions.

Session #10:  The Visually-Impaired Exchange Program, Macon, GA - The Georgia School for the Visually Impaired will be your host for this informative, fun-filled session. There will be conversations concerning issues such as Access to Information and Communication, Education, Careers, Community Building, Sports and Recreation, Technology, Transportation, and National and Local Legislation affecting the visually-impaired And, we’ll talk about the socialization of visually-impaired people in both American and Japanese societies. Speakers from the American Council for the Blind, the World Braille Institute and local college interns will share their experiences, and there will plenty of free time with your host families. Save some time for fun, too, since there will be tours of the Museum of Arts and Sciences and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame!

Session #11:  Postal Workers Exchange, Rome, GA - This hands-on, informative session will help prepare visiting postal workers from Japan for the transition in which will occur in 1999. You'll learn about the record of success the American postal system has enjoyed in its 30-year history as a public corporation. Participants will get an up-close-and-personal look at American technology and organization, and there will be plenty of time to discuss issues like the role of unions in the postal system and the emerging threat of electronic mail (e-mail). Of course, plenty of time will be set aside for socializing and history-laden tours of the host city.


Session #12:  The Changing World of Medical Care, Atlanta - The delivery of medical care has become a very complex issue with many implications for professionals and patients alike. This session will explore the changing infrastructure of medicine, using specialties such as Family Practice, Obstetrics/Gynecology or Preventive Health Care as starting points for discussion. Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lead discussions on Public Health, Education, Advocacy and Emerging Populations such as the elderly and the chronically ill, and how all these issues affect the quality, availability and delivery of health care, both in Japan and the United States. We’re planning a tour of the CDC as well as the world health exhibition at the Carter Center of Emory University.