PTJC New Gen Japan-Canada Dialogue 1: Marie Gomez - York University

Marie Gomez, a 2020 JACAC Student Forum participant from York University, Canada, speaks of her experience with the program, her travel to Japan and the importance of international mobility

20 July 2021

Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research, University of Alberta, is currently working on promoting and celebrating the accomplishments of our academic programs, such as the Japan-Canada Academic Consortium (JACAC) student forum, which in the past 12 years has brought together hundreds of students from Japan and Canada.

Marie Gomez, a 2020 JACAC Student Forum participant from York University, Canada, describes her experience during the conference, which was held at the Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka, Japan. The forum theme was “Energy Politics for the 21st Century: Searching for the Best Mix.”

“It was really not only an educational experience, but a friendship experience, a cultural experience, which I would never take for granted. […] So, if you are thinking about doing some sort of experience with the Prince Takamado Japan Centre and Alberta, just do it and it will be great. I really think that I would be living life the same way I do now if I had not gone to this forum.”


The Japan-Canada Academic Consortium works to promote and encourage a movement of ideas and knowledge between the two countries. The JACAC Student Forum began more than ten years ago. Over the years, it has explored a wide range of important topics including climate change, aging society, the youth and work, immigration and refugee, and global governance. Each forum consists of expert lectures, fieldwork, group work including research study, group presentations, field trip, etc.