Our global circle of friends continues to grow!
In October of 2022, we attended the U.S. Japan Council 2022 at the Japan International Cooperation Center in Edogawa ward of Tokyo. Together with us was Hawaii State Board of Education Superintendent Hayashi, regional board members, and school principals throughout Hawaii. We divided up to meet with regional board of education members and schools of Hokkaido, Osaka, Yamaguchi and Okinawa, and had discussions on global education and human resource development.
HGEF oversaw pre-trip planning, coordinating, and interpretation services for the Hawaii State DOE during the trip.
The DOE tied sister-department relations with the Yamaguchi prefecture and Fukuoka prefecture boards of education during this trip.
We saw many schools working with each other as well. Iwakuni Highschool and Kalani Highschool, Suooshima Highschool and Kauai Highschool, Ewa Makai Middle School and Edogawa ward Koiwa 2nd Middle School, James Campbell Highschool and Osaka Prefecture Suito Highschool, Hiroshima Preecture Takehara Middle School and Honouliuli Middle School, have each tied sister school relations with each other. In addition, the Kyushu Sangyo University is having talks with the Hawaii DOE to build relationships as we speak.
The Fukuoka Prefecture basketball team has planned to visit Hawaii in October 2023 for school visits and friendly matches. The James Cameron Highschool and Saint Louis Highschool’s basketball teams will also travel to Fukuoka in the following month, and is planning a friendly match against the Kyushu Sangyo University.
Ānuenue school will be visiting Shiraoi town in Hokkaido to learn the indigenous Ainu culture, and introduce the Hawaiian culture they have inherited. They will make their way to Hiroshima afterwards to visit the Peace Memorial Park to pay their respects, then to Fukuoka to once again introduce the Hawaiian culture.
Kalani Highschool will be visiting Iwakuni Highschool in late August, while two middle schools and three elementary schools will visit Hiroshima city’s Nakajima elementary and Nobori city middle school.
It’s such a joy to get to watch the seeds we planted slowly grow, becoming the foundation of our global community. We will continue to work hard to cultivate global education and human resource development for Hawaii and Japan alike!
