Staff Intranet - News

Thursday, 01 September 2022

The largest Japan-Australia mobility program continues in 2022 with 131 students arriving from Tokyo in August. The students from Tokyo will complete a semester abroad at one of ECU’s three campuses, with ECU South West included as a study destination for the first time.

The Tokyo City University Australia Program (TAP) is part of a seven-year partnership between ECU and Tokyo City University (TCU).

The Study Abroad curriculum includes:

• seven weeks of English language studies delivered by Edith Cowan College
• six weeks of academic units with the School of Arts and Humanities; and
• participation in the semester-length, award-wining, Experiencing Australia Program.

The Experiencing Australia Program is the lifeblood of TAP, strengthening the bond between TCU participants and ECU student volunteer “buddies” by taking them on activities to iconic locations in Perth and Bunbury, with a strong focus on Australia’s First Nations culture.

This semester, more than 80 ECU buddies have stepped up, eclipsing past volunteer records in TAP and highlighting the commitment of the ECU community in seeing international students return to Australia. More than 30 per cent of the ECU buddies are international students themselves.

This volunteer contribution is timely given TAP’s pilot at ECU South West, with 30 TCU students quickly filling up available spaces at the campus.

“ECU South West is delighted to be welcoming a Tokyo City University Australia Program cohort of students for the first time ever. I hope it’s an enriching experience for them all; they’re a great bunch,” said Professor Cobie Rudd, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) and Vice-President, ECU.

“I know the City of Bunbury is also thrilled to have the students here and the Mayor has already met them with a warm personal greeting on day one.”

A key event on all TAP students’ social and cultural engagement calendars is the upcoming South West Festival of Japan, running 9 – 17 September at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery.

The annual event is now in its fifth year and over 3,500 festival-goers are expected to join the festivities.

Thanks to a successful ECU bid for the 2022 StudyPerth Innovation Fund Program, 101 TAP students based in Mount Lawley and Joondalup will join their 30 South West counterparts to volunteer at the festival highlight event Matsuri (Market) Day, on 10 September.

ECU Internationalisation Manager, Mr Simon Davies Burrows said the festival and the ECU South West TAP pilot are in keeping with the overall philosophy of inclusion in TAP – the aim being to not only continue ECU and TCU’s ambitious partnership, but to also provide safe and inclusive cultural learning opportunities that expand into the community.

“The Experiencing Australia Program is about showcasing iconic WA locations, but it’s also about helping students build those people-to-people linkages that can develop into lifelong friendships,” Mr Davies Burrows said.

“We have so much to learn from each other – and that’s why events like the South West Festival of Japan are so important. It provides a fantastic opportunity for the wider community to engage with our TCU students and learn about Japanese culture.”

By the end of Semester 2, more than 1,000 TCU students will have completed TAP since its commencement in 2016.

The next cohort of students are due to arrive in February 2023, with over 100 TCU students set to once again, call ECU home.