Chch tops in sister-cities awards
Christchurch scooped three of this year’s five sister-cities awards at the recent Sister Cities NZ conference.
International Christchurch Youth (ICY), a group supported by Christchurch City Council, was rewarded for work on youth-related projects, including its organisation of school international days and the first Christchurch Sister Cities Young Artists Competition.
The group won the award for the best Youth, Education or School Project and was second in the Cultural, Sport or Recreation Project category.
Merrin School was second in the Youth, Education or School Project category for its sister-school exchange with Se Ryun School in Songpa Gu, Seoul.
ICY was formed after last year’s National Sister Cities Conference youth workshop in Christchurch. The Christchurch Young Artists Competition and Exhibition was the group’s second major project, inviting city 13- to 18-year-olds to submit a piece of art. The winning entry has been sent to the International Sister Cities Young Artists Competition in Washington DC, USA, and will be on display during the Sister Cities International Annual Conference at the end of July.
Merrin School’s award marks a five-year relationship with Se Ryun School, which developed from an exchange of artworks. These days students from Se Ryun live in the Merrin community and attend the school to further their English. Past activities have included visits between students, staff and parents of the schools.
Mary Jonker, teacher in charge of the exchange programme, says, “the sister-school exchange between Merrin and Se Ryun Elementary schools has been a very exciting and rewarding project to be involved in.”
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