30 September 2013 at 9:00 am
Seven Flying Kiwis travel to Chile
On 24 September seven Spanish language learners from New Zealand schools arrived in Santiago, Chile, for a three-week education, language and cultural adventure.
'Flying Kiwis' Charlotte Butler, Catherine Lee, Shai Robinson and Caznae Raynes with two 'Penguins'
The ‘Flying Kiwis’ initiative was developed by Education New Zealand in response to the highly-successful ‘Penguins without Borders’ programme, which was piloted in New Zealand and saw 40 Chilean students come to Auckland to live and study for two terms in the first half of this year.
The ‘Flying Kiwis’ are all students from Auckland schools that hosted the ‘Penguins’. While in Santiago they will attend school and live in homestays, with some staying with the families of former or current programme participants.
‘Flying Kiwis’ Catherine Lee and Charlotte Butler address guests at a welcome reception held at the Ambassador’s residence in Santiago
The experience will give the ‘Flying Kiwis’ and their accompanying teacher an invaluable opportunity to immerse themselves in the Spanish language and the Chilean culture, and will enable them to see and experience the lives of the Chilean ‘Penguin’ school mates they have been studying and living alongside in New Zealand. The ‘Penguins’ have had a window in to the lives of Kiwi students, and now it’s the turn of the Kiwi students to gain some insights into their world.
The ‘Flying Kiwis’ initiative represents another strand in the strengthening education relationship with Chile and also contributes to the establishment of enduring connections between Chilean and New Zealand young people.
New Zealand school communities in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland are currently hosting the second cohort of 101 Chilean students in the ‘Penguins without Borders’ programme.
