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Japanese Youth Exchange 2016 presentation

Published: 02/11/2016

Six Flintshire students who travelled to Japan for the 2016 Flintshire Optec Japanese Youth Exchange gave a dazzling presentation of their experiences recently. The 6 young people talked about their experiences to an audience of other students interested in applying for the 2017 exchange at a Presentation Evening hosted by Cllr. Peter Curtis, Chairman of Flintshire County Council. Kerina Perhat, Cameron Gemmill, Olivia Andringa, Ruth Stubbs, Lola Seddon.and Megan Roberts visited Japan in late July to stay with Japanese host families in the towns of Murata, Kawasaki and Zao. They discussed their experiences of Japanese life, including living with a Japanese family, what kind of food they ate and the places that they visited during their two week stay. They also talked about hosting their Japanese students in this country, showing them aspects of Welsh culture and spoke about the bonds of friendship that were created over the four weeks of the exchange. Councillor Peter Curtis, Chairman of Flintshire County Council, said: The links that have been forged by this exchange are unique in offering the opportunity for both countries to come together to exchange ideas and learn about each other’s way of life and culture. The youth exchange has proved to be a major success for developing an understanding and tolerance, particularly in our young generation, which can only be of benefit to future international relations. Flintshire County Council, Councillor Chris Bithell, Cabinet Member for Education and Youth, said: Many young people have enjoyed and benefitted from their experiences provided by the Flintshire Optec Japanese Youth Exchange over the years and I would encourage others to find out more about what this exciting programme offers and how they can be part of it in the future. The students showed slides of their visits to Tokyo, shrines, and places of natural beauty and other images of their many activities such as traditional paper making and attending festivals. The Flintshire parents who welcomed Japanese students into their homes agreed that it had been a ‘once in lifetime’ experience for the whole family, and they would recommend it to any family whose child was interested in applying for the 2017 exchange. The exchange is coordinated by Flintshire County Council and open to all students aged 16 -18 on the 1 September 2016 in full time education in Flintshire high schools and colleges. Applications for the 2017 exchange are due to be returned by Monday 21 November. For further information or application forms contact Karen Jones, Japanese Youth Exchange Coordinator on 07759295984 or by email to karenjones@flintshire.gov.uk. Chairman, Cllr. Peter Curtis and Consort, Mrs. Jennifer Curtis, with the Flintshire Exchange students