AYF International Team

Professor Kip A. Cates (AYF International Founder and Chair)
“Professor Kip”
Japan

Kip A. Cates was born in Vancouver, Canada and lives in Tottori, Japan. He has a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics (French, German, Japanese) from the University of British Columbia, Canada and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Reading, England. He has lived, worked or traveled in 50 countries and speaks nine languages.

Professor Cates is currently a professor in the Faculty of Regional Sciences at Tottori University, a national university in Japan, where he teaches courses on Globalization, Cross-Cultural Understanding, International Exchange and English Communication. He has previously taught classes in ESL (English as a Second Language) in Canada as well as classes in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) at Yarmouk University, Jordan in the Middle East.

He is one of a small number of language teachers involved in the field of global education and teaches graduate-level courses in this area for the "M.A. in TESOL" program of Teachers College Columbia University at its Tokyo campus. He is the coordinator of the "Global Issues in Language Education" Special Interest Group (GILE SIG) of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) and is editor of the quarterly "Global Issues in Language Education Newsletter" which goes out to 500 language teachers in over 25 countries around the world.

In addition to having written numerous articles on global issues and foreign language teaching, he has given presentations on the theory and practice of global education, peace education, human rights education and environmental education at international language teaching conferences such as TESOL, AILA, JALT and FIPLV, at international seminars sponsored by UNESCO and the UN, and to language teachers in countries such as Greece, Hungary, Malaysia, Lebanon, Vietnam, Canada, Egypt and Korea.

Aside from his membership in professional language teaching organizations, he has also worked on international projects with such groups as the Russian "Educators for Peace", the "Centre for Global Education" in York, England and the "American Forum for Global Education" in New York. He also an instructor for the 1995 TESOL Summer Institute on Peace Education and coordinated the 1996 UNESCO Linguapax workshops on "language teaching for international understanding" in Hiroshima, Japan.

His current projects include global education teacher training for the Japanese NGO Peace Boat and organizing a bi-annual “Asian Youth Forum” (AYF) which brings together college-aged EFL students from countries such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines for workshops promoting international understanding through the medium of English as an Asian language.

Websites:
<> Homepage <www.kipcates.com>
<> Tottori University profile <www.rs.tottori-u.ac.jp/bunka/cates.html>
<> Peace Boat profile <www.peaceboat.org/english/voyg/48/lob/050227/>
<> Global Issues SIG <www.gilesig.org>

Tieza Mica H. Santos (AYF International President)
“Tieza”
Philippines

Tieza is the first Filipino to hold the position of President in The Asian Youth Forum International, elected during 5th Asian Youth Forum International Youth Summit in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2007.

Three months after assuming her post in AYF International, she was chosen to join the current pool of Youth Ambassadors of One World Youth Project (OWYP). She is also the first Filipino who assumed the post in the said international organization founded in the U.S.A. with a wide network and collaboration with other international organizations and non-government agencies such as the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots and Shoots Programme, UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme.

Tieza holds a degree in AB European Studies Major in International Relations and double minor degrees in History and French Language (2006) from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. She also obtained graduate studies degree under the AB-MA straight honors' program of the Political Science Department and received her diploma in Political Science Major in Global Politics (2007). She also took a graduate course in International Peace and Security Studies at the University of the Philippines. She is the youngest MA degree holder in the 2007 graduate batch in her university.

Tieza holds interest in Western History, Cultural Diversity, International Relations, International Diplomacy, International Law, Environmental Management and Law, International Political Economy and Development, Regional Integration of Political and Economic Nations and Communities focusing on the European Union, International Government and Non-Government Organizations, Human Rights, Gender Issues, Policy Analysis, International Security, Global Sustainability Issues, Democracy and Global Governance as well as Peace Studies. Her interest also extends to social and community development, corporate social responsibility, cultural exchange and social entrepreneurship.

After college, she became an instructor at age 22 to teach Western History as a part-time lecturer to second year college students at the same university where she studied and graduated. Later on, Tieza took a leave from the academe to work on development projects.

Tieza’s passion to address social and global challenges is seen in her involvement in a number of national and international organizations such as the World Youth Alliance, Human Rights Youth Action Network, Amnesty International, World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and Oxfam International to name a few.

She is currently working with a team of international development specialist working on renewable energy programmes in developing countries like the Philippines. The project got her directly involved in community consultation, project coordination and establishing relations with international foreign investors and funding agencies such as the Asian Development Bank and other international financial institutions and development organizations. Her work also involves relations with all sectors and stakeholders involved in the project, from the local and IP communities, to the local and national government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Energy in the Philippines.

She has also been recently appointed as the Programme Manager of the Philippine Youth Business Foundation, the locally-based programme of the Youth Business International (YBI) in the Philippines (which is a programme of the International Business Leaders Forum of The Prince's Charities founded by HRH The Prince of Wales). Her involvement at the foundation allows her to work with charities and projects that provide opportunities for underprivileged young people to set up their small businesses.

Her travels around the country and abroad provided her extensive experience with young people of different nationalities and culture and made her realize the need to train and inspire the youth to take positive social action.

At present she is improving her French and Spanish language skills and also learning Italian, German and Japanese.

Shin Il is attends Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea’s most renowned university in foreign languages and global studies. He majors International Economics & Law and English Linguistics. Degree expected in February 2009.

He concentrates his study in the field of economics; Principals of Economics, Pure Trade Theory, Macro & Micro Economics, Global Finance Theory, North American Economy, Economic Development Theory, International Economics, and more. Also he focuses in English linguistics, Chinese language, journalism, global issues and more. Currently he is studying in Tianjin University（天津大学）, Tianjin, China, learning Chinese language and culture.

Since he returned to Korea in 1998, he started to devote himself to help students in their English studies. Not only in school, but in gave lectures in evening classes, orphanages, and academies. To continue his dream, he applied for Republic Of Korea Army Linguistic Specialist, and joined as official 02-3 linguistic specialist.

During his military service, he was respected by both superiors and subordinates. He was stationed in Korea Third Military Academy, where Korean future Army officers are educated and trained. He taught English to the cadets in evening classes and during their vacations. He was often dispatched to other military units or civilian organizations to assist national events such as 2003 Daegu Universiade, ROK-US Joint Operations and KTMA Cadet’s official visits to the U.S. Army Bases.

He specializes in coordinating events and activities. He was with various English camps, where as a head staff, organized and carried out programs for the students of all ages. 2007, he was offered the position of camp coordinator in more than 10 top Academies in Korea.

He was one of the first student interns in Bangkok Trade Center, Korea Trade Promotion-Investment Agency (KOTRA). Summer 2006, he was among 10 local staffs to carry out researches and handled official documents. Half a year later, he came back to Bangkok for the 5^th Asian Youth Forum, where he was elected to be vice president of the Asian Youth Forum International.

2007 summer, Shin Il changed his destination to China, where he was part of Korean delegation to Our Vision for Asian Leadership (OVAL), a business contest for university students. Among hundreds of applicants, he was chosen to be the 30 OVAL Korea delegates. Including participants and staffs, more than 300 hundred university students from most renowned universities in Korea, China and Japan gathered to Renmin University (人民大学) Beijing, China. Later summer, for the first China – Korea –Japan Friendship Exchange Program, he was invited to China along with many other ASEAN country youth representatives. This program was to promote friendship among three country students along with witness the preparedness of Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

He played violin for over 15 years, and currently in China he gives free lessons to students. In his university, he found Black Mind, a music related club affiliated to College of Business and Economics in Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He performed in various in-out of school activities. Every year since 2005, they have been performing in the school-wide freshmen orientation. They also took part in many contests, various school festivals, and club performances.

He specializes in organizing seminars, projects, reception parties, volunteer works, evening parties, various performances, and other various services.

Shin Il gives inspirations to many, an advisor to students in different countries such as Korea, China, Thailand, and the U.S. His way of thinking gave many people change thoughts and still is. During orchestra, during rap performances, during military, during university classes, during part time jobs, even among friends, he gave reasons to go on to the next level and to think impossible to possible.

Hoirull Tahiran Amri (AYF International Vice President)
“Hoirull”
Singapore