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Video conferencing link is building bridges

A successful Sister City relationship between Campbelltown in Sydney’s south west and Koshigaya in Japan was also recognised by the Australian Sister Cities Association (ASCA) annual awards program. The relationship, including last year’s Kids 2 Kids video conference, won Best Youth Project at these prestigious national awards.

Kids 2 Kids was held on 29 June 2004, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Campbelltown and Koshigaya. It involved setting up a video conferencing link between Campbelltown and Koshigaya that enabled 100 primary school students from four Campbelltown schools to chat, in real time, to 100 of their counterparts in Koshigaya schools.

Mayor of Campbelltown, Councillor Russell Matheson, said Kids 2 Kids was an exciting opportunity for the two cities to strengthen their friendship through the younger generation.

“Kids 2 Kids was an exciting initiative which brought the concept of Sister City relationships to our younger generation,” he said. “This award recognises not only the hard work which went into making Kids 2 Kids a reality, but also indicates our commitment to furthering our Sister City relationship with Koshigaya. I congratulate everyone involved in this project and look forward to continued Sister City success.”

Principal of Campbelltown Public School, Joy Fulligar, said that Kids 2 Kids was a wonderful opportunity for students from Campbelltown and Koshigaya to learn about each other’s culture in a fun and interactive way.

“Kids 2 Kids was a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to work with Council, and have that face to face connection with Koshigaya,” she said. “The children learned from the experience and realised that there were many similarities and differences in both of our cultures.”

Campbelltown’s Sister City relationship with Koshigaya has previously been recognised as one of the most successful in Australia. In 2003, Campbelltown City Council received a prestigious Certificate of Recognition from the Australia-Japan Foundation, one of only four awarded each year.

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