Alternative to overseas training online

-Fukko Ojo Higashi High School Covid-XNUMX with multiple countries due to departure restrictions

As an alternative to short-term study abroad and overseas training, which cannot be implemented due to immigration restrictions due to the spread of the new coronavirus, there is a growing demand for online overseas exchange that allows people to experience life overseas by combining video and conference systems.In February, Fukuko Ojo Higashi High School (Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City) held an online program to interact with high school students from the Philippines and Hong Kong.Students who had previously given up on traveling due to club activities are now able to participate in online exchanges.

-Experience the site through videos and dialogue

Online overseas exchange is a program that combines experiences such as watching videos that introduce sightseeing spots and school life, and enjoying conversations with local students using a conference app.Demand is increasing from high schools that have continued overseas training, and major travel agencies are also handling it.

Every year, Joto High School held a New Zealand language training in March, but due to the corona crisis, it was abandoned this year as well as last year.International students are also restricted from entering the country, so exchanges within the university are not possible.As an alternative, we have been conducting online overseas exchanges with multiple countries since last summer.
For exchanges with the Philippines, we used the "Study Tour" provided by Kobe City's venture company "With The World" (represented by Shunta Igarashi).In Iloilo City, Philippines, the company collaborates with a local NGO to conduct educational support activities for poor households living near a waste disposal site.Before the corona disaster, he was working on local visits for high school students as a tour to learn about social issues.Since immigration was restricted, I switched to an online tour that conveys the state of the area through video and interacts with high school students living in the area.
Joto High School students listened to Carlo (16), a local high school student. "Because I'm near the garbage pile, I'm bullied at school because it smells. Even though that smell is the garbage that they produce on a daily basis."
After the exchange, 17-year-old Sakiha Yonemitsu said, "I learned that there are people living like this behind economic development."Yu Konishi, 17, said, "The bullying must have been very painful, but I was inspired by her strength when she talked about her dreams for the future."Shiro Sueyoshi, 16, said, "I can't go to overseas training because I have club activities, but I was able to participate because it was an online tour.
Igarashi said, "So far, more than 400 junior and senior high school students have participated in the online tour. I hope it will be an opportunity to learn how children of the same age in other countries are coping with the corona disaster."
(Chikako Imai) (edited)