Local News in Brief : Huntington Beach : Youth Exchange Trips With Japan Planned

Applications are being accepted for the city’s annual youth exchange program with Anjo, Japan, for the summer of 1988.

Huntington Beach residents ages 13-19 are eligible for the program. Four finalists will be chosen to be host for a student from Anjo for two weeks in July and then travel to the Japanese city for a two-week visit in August.

The cost per student is from $800 to $1,000, a percentage of which is covered by the Sister Cities Assn. of Huntington Beach, said Pat Dapkus, the city’s liaison with the association.

The association’s contribution depends on the success of the year’s fund-raising, Dapkus said. She said that last year the group absorbed about 60% of the youths’ costs.

Dapkus said there are no academic requirements for applicants. But a three-member selection panel from the Sister City’s board of directors will look for qualities that include self-assurance, maturity and an interest in learning about a foreign country and its people, she said.

Letters of recommendation from teachers, neighbors and friends should also be included.

Deadline for applications is Dec. 31. For more information, call Dapkus at (714) 536-5579 or (714) 536-5202.