Girls Academy Idemitsu Tour of Japan ‘17 – a great learning experience

Students from Muswellbrook and Gunnedah Girls Academies recently returned from a life-changing trip to Japan.

The Idemitsu 2017 Tour of Japan took Alannah Miller and cousins Angelise and Katie Van Vliet from Muswellbrook and Gunnedah student Lucy Lincoln on a tour in late September-early October.

The seven-day tour was part of the support Idemitsu provides to the Girls Academies near their operations in Australia.

The Tour was awarded to Girls Academy students from Gunnedah and Muswellbrook who had shown consistent community leadership in their Academies and their schools.

The tour included a combination of meetings between the girls and Idemitsu to introduce them to the company, Japanese culture and potential career opportunities.

The tour started in Tokyo with a day of sight-seeing, followed by meetings at Idemitsu offices and visiting the Idemitsu Museum; visiting temples and shrines in Kyoto – including walking the entire 12,000 stairs of the Fushimiinari shrine; and visiting the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park and Museum.

Highlights of the trip included learning about Japanese culture, history and society; exploring education and professional opportunities at Idemitsu, and a fun-filled day at Universal Studios.

Idemitsu Australia Resources Group Manager Dan Yates said it was wonderful to see the tour.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for these young women to broaden their world horizons”, he added.

Girls Academy CEO Ricky Grace thanked Idemitsu for their ongoing support.

“An educational tour like this will expand the aspirations of these girls, who are the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders. It wouldn’t be possible without Idemitsu,” he said.

The Girls Academy is the leading provider of in-school support programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls. The Girls Academy program has four key objectives: increase school attendance; advance academic and personal achievement; improve year 12 graduation rates; and facilitate post-school transition planning.