Sister City Program 2005
Bankstown hosts youth from Yangcheon, Korea, 18 – 27 February 2005
Youth from Yangcheon, Korea hosted by Bankstown
Bankstown City Council once again joined forces with local residents to encourage and promote international goodwill by hosting a group of 20 students from Bankstown’s Sister City of Yangcheon, Korea.
During their 10 day home stay the students enjoyed a packed program, which included a day at school with their host brothers and sisters, taking part in some traditional Aussie activities at a working farm, visiting Jamberoo Recreational Park and sightseeing in the Blue Mountains, greater Sydney and Bankstown area.
Bankstown youth hosted by Suita, Japan, 12 – 22 April
Gold Temple in Kyoto, Japan
In April, 24 students from our local area visited Suita, Japan as part of Bankstown’s biennial youth visit to Japan. All of the 24 local students, from six different schools; Bankstown Grammar School, East Hills Girls High, Sefton High, Birrong Girls High, Birrong Boys High, and Bankstown Girls High, were offered an exciting and educational experience in Japan.
Highlights of the trip included a day in Nara, Osaka Castle and of course quality time with host families. The students also had the opportunity to spend some days at a Japanese school which offered a great insight into the Japanese education system.
The Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Singers hosted by Bankstown, 25 – 30 July
Pikes Peak Chorale from Colorado Springs
The Pikes Peak Singers, a 35-voice Youth Choir from Colorado Springs, USA, teamed up with Bankstown’s Talent Advancement Program (TAP) members for the five day ‘Sister Cities in Harmony’ event. The stunning performances by the Pikes Peak Singers and TAP members were enjoyed by over 1500 local residents at the Bankstown Town Hall.
Concurrent with this event, Bankstown welcomed a youth delegation from our sister city of Suita, Japan. Representatives from the Japanese group were in the audience for the evening performance of the Sister Cities in Harmony Concert. Having representatives from two of our sister cities, together in one place, was a source of great pride for Bankstown Council.
Suita youth hosted by Bankstown and Broken Hill, 28 July – 9 August
Suita youth hosted by Bankstown and Broken Hill
During their stay in Bankstown, 12 Suita, Japan students enjoyed a welcome reception at Bankstown’s Town Hall and visits to Bondi Beach, a working farm in the Blue Mountains and Luna Park. They also spent a day at a local High School. The timing of this visit was fortunate as it coincided with the Colorado Springs Choir’s performance at Bankstown’s Town Hall.
The students then travelled to Bankstown’s other sister city of Broken Hill, NSW (4 – 9 August) where they visited places of historical and cultural significance.
Annual Bankstown Broken Hill Sporting Exchange hosted by Broken Hill, 23 – 30 September
Mayor Westwood at Sporting Exchange
The annual sporting exchange was hosted by Broken Hill, NSW with almost 200 young sportsmen and women travelling to our oldest sister city. Represented in the Exchange over the seven day sporting exchange were cricket, netball, softball, rugby league and baseeball.
This year the Mayor of Bankstown, Clr Helen Westwood was able to accompany the students to Broken Hill and enjoyed observing the friendly matches between each group. She was quoted in the media that “The Broken Hill Sporting Exchange is a valuable opportunity for Bankstown youth to spend some time socialising and learning about life in the country with their Broken Hill buddies.”
The Bankstown teams were the overall champions for 2005, taking home the Sporting Exchange Perpetual Trophy for a third year in a row.
Australian Sister City Association Conference and Youth Conference, 25 – 28 September
Council's then Youth Development Officer Ms Seide Ramadani accompanied five youth ambassadors (Ms Fatima Ali, Mr Ahmad Hannouf, Mr Anderson Lam, Ms Jahsinta Masasso and Ms Emma Swan) to the youth component of the annual Australian Sister Cities Association (ASCA) Conference in Latrobe, Victoria.
An exciting program gave the young delegates from around Australia valuable opportunities to network with other youth groups and discuss matters of mutual interest. They participated in workshops on a variety of international and domestic themes and had the valuable opportunity to present their feedback to the Sister City committee in Bankstown on their return.
Subsequent to the visit, Anderson became a participant on Bankstown Council's Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), a group who represent the voice of youth in our local area.
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