WuXi City College of Vocational Technology
JIANGSU PROVINCE, CHINA
Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology (WXCCVT)
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” On September 18th this year, five students from Bundoora Secondary College were given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Wuxi, China and open that very book. These students mastered chopsticks and calligraphy, devoured chicken feet, performed a Chinese folk song, learnt the language, practised Tai Chi and picked their own tea leaves.
This opportunity stemmed from the vision of Howard Gao, an educational entrepreneur and investor, and founder of the Australian Education Society (AES). Howard saw a need to provide support and opportunities to students especially those from the less privileged backgrounds to achieve their educational goals and to experience the world with an open mind. Howard visited Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology (WCCVT) in January of this year and began discussions of exchange programs and enriching educational experiences for both Australian and Chinese students. It was from these discussions that the AES to China Program was born.
Bundoora Secondary College is a small school tucked away in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne. It is committed to being a school which advocates for the community and being a home to students from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures. The students at BSC strive to be critical thinkers and active, empathetic global citizens. Students were interviewed and selected based on their leadership potential, their interest in different cultures and their desire to embark on an adventure which would help them to develop and grow as members of a global community.
Led by the International Program Director of the AES, Carlyn Kang, the five Year 10 students travelled with and their teacher, Ms. Ellen Drake, and the AES team, for a week of the school holidays. Under a collaborative effort between the committee members of the AES and the board of directors at WCCVT, the students participated in a range of different workshops and flourished at every turn. They “stepped into [the] journey together, anxious and eager and … walked out confident” and with an appreciation for what they have, as well as an understanding of a vastly different culture.
One of the students, Malik Sitou, reflected on the lesson learned “that there is so much more in the world, and although we might be content with what we have here, we should make it our responsibility to go out to explore it and try to understand different people to the best of our abilities”.
Experiencing this enriching journey with the students, we as educators cannot express how valuable this program and partnership was. The students excelled in every area, stepped outside their comfort zones, challenged their own ideas and beliefs and came home with entirely new perspectives of the world and their place within it. The experience changed each student in different ways; cultivating confidence, leadership skills, resilience and the ability to embrace a different way of life and people. The students will use their newfound leadership abilities within the school community, teaching the lower year levels some of the skills they have learned and inspiring the students to aspire to have a growth mindset and an appreciation for other cultures.
AES plans to further develop the relationship with the students to consolidate that which they have learned in the pursuit of the AES motto “shaping the minds and driving the dreams of students”.
– Carlyn Kang and Ellen Drake
During the visit, the AES team and the Principal, the Vice Principal, the Head of International Education Department have agreed on delivering a student exchange program in winter 2016. In line with the mission of AES, Australian students from the less privileged backgrounds will have an opportunity to explore both study and cultural experiences at WXCCVT.
