National Alumni Council members from around the country gathered together for their Spring Conference, which was held April 16-18 in Culver City, CA. The five new NAC members were in attendance along with existing council members. Additional participants included Tom Ishikawa of Toyota Motor Sales, Darcy Olesen of the YFU Development Office and Laurel Back, Pacific Northwest Regional Director. The weekend of meetings focused on reviewing the NAC's current and ongoing projects, assessing the progress that had been made and establishing goals for the next 6 months. The weekend of meetings was very positive and productive and it is with pleasure that we report our progress!

     The YFU-USA Alumni Association Website is a huge success! In April the site had 4,110 hits up from 1,480 in December! New Regional Information pages have been added and are being updated regularly. Pre-Departure Orientation dates across the country are listed on the site as well as ongoing volunteer, internship and job opportunities.

     There are now 13 very active alumni groups in the USA and many more in development - that's up 300% from two years ago! An NAC Regional Facilitator has been assigned to each region to continue building alumni development.

(Newsletter Continued)

From left to right. Front Row: Darcy Olesen, Tom Ishikawa, Lisa Chinnery, Julia Martin, Jan Burwell, Vicki Daly-Redholtz. Back Row: Laurel Back, Jodi Shurtleff, Brad Lauman, Melissa McDonough, Sharon Carver, Melanie Walters, Craig Jarvinen, Jeanne Pierce, Benjamin Squire, Laurie Sutch and David Barber.

The meeting kicked off with a fantastic dinner at Santa Monica's Monsoon restaurant. Tom Ishikawa of Toyota Motor Sales hosted the dinner. It was a fabulous evening with plenty of Southeast Asian Food for all to sample and lots of interesting stories as new and old NAC members got a chance to mix and mingle.

NAC Mission Statement The Youth for Understanding Alumni Association will provide Alumni with the benefits and opportunities of lifelong involvement in the YFU community, furthering the mission of YFU International Exchange.

NAME OUR NEWSLETTER CONTEST!! The NAC Monthly Update has been remodeled! We need your help to find a new name for our publication. All entries must be submitted by Monday, June 14th. The lucky winner will receive a special prize from the YFU Collection! Send your entries to Julia Martin.