Local teenagers have a chance to experience Japanese culture through the YMCA Youth Leadership Institute. Youths will travel to Kobe, Hiroshima and Kyoto this summer (July 19-Aug. 1) to be immersed in the culture, history and family life in Japan. Applications will be accepted through March 30, and financial assistance is available.

Participating youths learn important leadership skills, cultural sensitivity and international communications. There are 13 spots available for the program, which is part of the YMCA Youth Leadership Institute, an international program offered each year to greater Seattle youths ages 14-18. The Kobe YMCA will provide guides for the group and arrange home stays. YMCA of Greater Seattle staff and adult chaperones will accompany the youth during the trip.

“The lesson I took back with me to the U.S. is: Travel is not about showing your independence but learning to rely on strangers from different backgrounds and gaining new experiences,” said Erin McLean, a junior at Inglemoor High and participant in last year’s program.

The subsidized trip costs $2,600 and includes airfare, transportation, food and activities. There is an interview process, orientation for parents and participants, plus pre-trip preparation and cultural training meetings.

For more than 40 years, the YMCA of Greater Seattle and Kobe YMCA have collaborated to offer this immersion program. Additional international programs run each year through the YMCA of Greater Seattle, in cooperation with several of the YMCAs in 124 countries worldwide. For an application packet and more information on the Youth Leadership Institute in Japan and international programs at the YMCA, visit seattleymca.org/international or call (425) 485-9797.