“The mentorship program helped me to grow my confidence as a young professional in the DC area. I’m excited to see where my career will go in the future and I’m so glad for the opportunity to begin building my network with JET alumni.”
-Mentee, 2023-4

“[The JETAADC mentorship program] was a great learning opportunity, even as a mentor. This program is very valuable, and I hope that it can continue!  
-Mentor, 2024-5

JETAADC is pleased to announce its 2025-2026 Mentorship Program. This five-month mentorship program serves to bring the JET alumni community together by creating meaningful professional development relationships between recent returnees and mid-to-senior career professionals. This program is designed to provide mentees with the tools, resources, and networks that they can use to advance their careers in U.S.-Japan relations and to assist them during an uncertain job market. JETAADC hopes to support recent returnees and strengthen the U.S.-Japan pipeline by building upon a previous grant project that JETAADC held through a USJETAA and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA mini-grant program on “Maintaining the JET Momentum: The Post-Exchange Pipeline to Successful U.S.-Japan Leadership”.

Goals of the Program

  1. To maintain a mentorship program for JETAADC recent returnees and early career
    professionals by providing them with professional development opportunities and
    personal development strategies to support their career goals related to U.S.-Japan
    relations.
  2. To provide an opportunity for mid-to-senior career professional JET alumni who are
    interested in giving back to the JETAADC community by sharing advice, experiences,
    and expertise through mentoring partnerships.

Application Guidelines
The application period for the 2025-2026 period is open:
To be a mentee, apply here.
To be a mentor, apply here.

Eligibility
Those eligible to apply to the program as mentees must be:

  • JET alumni. Preference will be given to alumni who have returned from the program in the last two years (since 2023). Special consideration will be given to 2025 JET returnees.
  • Alumni who currently reside in the DMV metropolitan area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) or have concrete plans to relocate to this area by mid-October.

Structure of the Program
Mentee Expectations

  • This program is mentee-driven, and mentees are expected to take initiative to drive the relationship and be responsible for their own career development and planning. The program aims to provide resources and support for mentees, but it is up to the mentees to set their own goals for the program.
  • Mentees must stay accessible, committed and engaged during the length of the program. Program Coordinator(s) will provide support by checking in with each mentor/mentee pair throughout the program.
  • Mentees are required to participate in the program’s Opening Ceremony in September 2025 and Closing Ceremony in January 2026.

Opening Ceremony
The program will officially begin with an Opening Ceremony on September 20, 2025.

Closing Ceremony
At the conclusion of the program, JETAADC will hold a Closing Ceremony in January 2026, where each mentoring pair will be asked to share their takeaways and experiences on the program.

Monthly Check-ins
Mentees and their mentors will independently schedule and hold monthly check-ins with each other based around professional development modules. It will be the mentees’ responsibility to reach out to mentors to schedule these meetings.

Professional Development Talks
The mentorship program will include a virtual speaker series focused on career development and will be open to all JETAADC members. This series will be held via Zoom and feature mid-to-senior career professionals in U.S.-Japan relations. JETAADC members will have the option to ask questions following the panel discussion, or submit questions by email. Mentees are strongly encouraged to attend these talks.

Program Timeline
The program runs from September 2025-January 2026, and mentees and mentors are required to independently schedule and hold monthly meetings with each other. Mentoring pairs are also required/encouraged to attend events, webinars, and activities created for the program. The amount of program events, webinars, and activities for each program cycle will be determined based on available budget and resources.

  • Mentee Application Deadline: Friday, August 22rd, 2025, 11:59PM EDT
  • Mentee Selection Notification Deadline: Approximately 2 weeks after the application deadline
  • Late-September:
    • JETAADC Mentorship Program Opening Ceremony (virtual) and Networking Event (virtual or in-person).
    • Mentees and Mentors will be asked to take a pre-program survey.
  • October to December:
    • Professional Development Modules: Mentors and Mentees meet independently and hold monthly check-ins focused on Professional and Personal Development.
    • JETAADC “Professional Development Talks” series will be held and open to all JETAADC members.
    • Program Coordinator(s) provide support and check in with Mentor/Mentee pairs throughout the program.
  • January:
    • Conclusion of Program and JETAADC Mentorship Program Closing Ceremony.
    • Mentees and Mentors will be asked to complete a post-program evaluation survey.

Contact
If you have any questions, please contact professionaldevelopment@jetaadc.org.