Cultural exchange with Hoxton Park

Students from Brisbane Water Secondary College has have taken part in a cultural exchange day.

Teacher Mr Ian Backhouse accompanied 19 Year 11 Society and Culture students from Woy Woy Campus on their, visit to Hoxton Park High School in the south western suburbs of Sydney as part of the cultural exchange day on Friday, May 18.

"The visit was primarily to promote the understanding of different cultures within our multicultural society and to foster tolerance and compassion amongst the students regardless of their social or ethnic backgrounds," Mr Backhouse said.

"Hoxton Park High School has 56 per cent of their students that are from non-English speaking families and there are students from many different countries and cultures at their school.

"The hosting society and culture class had representative Australians originally from Turkey, Samoa, India, East Timor and Cambodia.

"The students were expected to get to know each other through social activities such as a 'Speed Dating' introduction game and then to choose one person to interview as part of the requirements for an assessment task on personal and social development.

"Lunch was a shared order of pizzas which had universal appeal.

"The students were very apprehensive to start with but it was refreshing to see the fear of stereotypes disappear within half an hour of meeting the students from Hoxton Park.

"They were great mates by the end of the day. So much so that many didn't want to leave."

Mr Backhouse said that Woy Woy Campus would host the return visit by Hoxton Park High School next year, and the plan was to hold the visits as a permanent annual event.

Press release, 24 May 2007 Ian Backhouse, Brisbane Water Secondary College