The first Global Citizenship I (GCI) special lecture was delivered online to the first-year students of the Department of Global Awareness (DGA) on July 15, 2025.

The lecturer was Mr. Kouta Hirose, who is currently participating in a co-op program (also known as cooperative education) near Vancouver, Canada. Co-op programs in Canada integrate academic study with practical, paid work experience in a student's field of study.

Mr. Hirose graduated from Akashi Nishi Senior High School in March 2022 (the 44th graduating class and the 17th DGA graduate) and began studying English at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies in April. During his third year, he decided to study in Canada.

Mr. Hirose discussed the following topics online: 1) self-introduction; 2) what a co-op program is; 3) differences between co-op programs and working holiday programs; 4) his experiences at a language school and at work; 5) his career plans after the program; and 6) what he learned from the program.

After the one-hour lecture, several questions were asked, including about his favorite food, his English proficiency while studying at the DGA, and the languages used in Canada.

He said, "At first in Canada, my English speaking skills were weak because I didn't provide reasons for my statements. I was perceived as superficial. Since then, I have tried to support every statement with a reason. I encourage you to practice expressing your opinions with supporting reasons consistently."

In his final message, he said, "Of course, you should study English, but please also try to find another field of study besides English language learning. In Canada, there are many immigrants from around the world, and they all speak English."

The second day of the Meisei-sai (Akashi Nishi Cultural Festival) was held.

First, all the students gathered at the gym and saw the band made up of some teachers and students play music. The audience was excited. 

In the north building on the 1st floor, the Tea Ceremony and Flower Arrangement Club held a tea ceremony. 

A cup of powdered green tea and a dumpling were served for free.

At the entrance area of the south building, there were two classes selling food---the 3-8 class was selling octopus balls and the 3-2 class was selling frankfurters. 

In the morning some volunteer singers and dancers performed on the stage. At 9:45, ITOOKASHI sang wonderfully. At 11:05, Landmine boys sang wonderful songs and danced beautifully.

In the afternoon,  an ALT Blake performed rakugo. The title was 'Zoo'.  The story amused the audience very much.

Then the 1-8 class sang a school song and a song titled 'This Is Me' in the finals of the chorus competition.

They did their best. They came in the fourth place.

At 14:05, the ESS (English Speaking Society), which many DGA class members belong to, held a play titled, 'Toy Story 3'.  The audience enjoyed a funny story performed by students and two ALTs. It was made easier to understand by Japanese subtitles on a screen.

Then the brass band played several songs. One of them was 'Matsuken Samba.'  Teachers of the third year appeared and sang and danced to the music. The students were amused and excited at the performance.

At 15:10, a closing ceremony was held.  The 2-7 class of the DGA received the third prize of all the 2nd-year plays. The 3-8 DGA class was awarded the first prize of all the 3rd-year food shops.

     Akashi Nishi Senior High School held a two-day cultural festival on June 11 and 12. 

In the morning of the first day, an opening ceremony was held. Commercial films for ESS and 3-8 were shown.

Every student enjoyed seeing the chorus club and the drama club perform.

After these wonderful performances, the 2-7(DGA) drama, "Remember Me", was performed. The story was clear and actors (double- or triple-casts) performed well. 

Then, a dance group from 3rd-year DGA girls, Twinkle's, danced beautifully on the stage, followed by The Beasts, a 3rd-year DGA male singer and a dancer, performed.

Outside, 3rd-year students were selling food. The 3-6 class, Fujichan Dango,  prepared tasty dumplings. The 3-4 class, CHIGU-Donald, fried French fries, seasoned with several-taste powders. The 3-5 class, Gori-chan Pancake, baked delicious pancakes.

The 3-7 class, Shiawase-no Baby Kasutera, sold  soft and small sponge cakes. The 3-2 class, Grand Maison Makino, broiled yakitori, grilled chicken. The class 3-1, KOBUSHI-DE Croffle, baked croffle, a kind of pancakes which combine croissants and waffles.

All the 1st-year classes took part in a preliminary round of the chorus competition.  The 1-8 class sang a school song and a song "This Is Me."

The 1-8 class was chosen as one of the four classes which have advanced to the finals. The final chorus competition  will be held in the afternoon  of June 12. 

On May 3rd, Yuma Hishitani, a second-year student from DGA, participated in Soroptimist International of Akashi Club Youth Forum. The theme was “A woman’s way of life in the bright future ~ Learning from ancient women~”. 7 students from Akashi city’s high schools made a speech on the theme.

Ms Hishitani talked about her experience of learning traditional Japanese dance.

After the speeches, 7 participants discussed the theme and deepened their understanding.

     In the evening of April 17 (Thu), a farewell party for Churchlands students was held. Churchlands students, teachers,  ALTs, and host brothers and sisters with host family members came to a careteria of Akashi Nishi.  They talked over pizza and drink. They had a good time, singing a song in the end.

     Early in the morning  on Apri18, the host family brought Churchlands students to school, and said farewell

to each other.  Churchlands students  left school on foot to JR Tsuchiyama station. They were going

to stay in Kyoto for a few days. Then they were going back to Australia. Their trip to Japan was from April 6 to April 21.