Secrets & Spies
Students from Australia, USA and Japan investigated the topic Secrets & Spies, delving into the world of espionage, secret operations and little-known stories of WWII. They created their own digital reports, including films, podcasts and websites.
The participating schools and their chosen topics were:
| School | Topic | Digital Report |
| St Scholastica’s College, Sydney, AUS | Good Samaritan Sisters in Nagasaki 1948 | |
| Erskine Park High School, Sydney AUS | POWS in Burma and Changi camps | |
| Amaroo School Canberra, AUS | Brisbane Line, Australian Special Wireless Group, Nancy Wake | |
| Pembroke High School, Adelaide, AUS | Secret Human Experimentation in camps | |
| St Mark’s Community School, Perth, AUS | Annette Wagner, spy | |
| Station Camp High School, Tennessee USA | The Manhattan Project | |
| Simon Kenton High School, Kentucky, USA | Oak Ridge Secret City | |
| Academy of the Canyons, LA, USA | Hedy Lamarr and Moe Berg |
Mock interviews: Reports: |
| Sendai Shirayuri, Sendai, Japan | Kugo Death Ray, Toyo Rose, Fukuryu bombs, FuGo balloon bombs |
Reports: |
| Osaka Meisei, Osaka, Japan | Technology of War |
Youth Ambassador Destination JAPAN
Youth Ambassadors, student delegates and teachers from each nation travelled to Japan in December 2019 for a week of official engagements, working with local Japanese schools, visiting historical and cultural sites and museums, meeting government and defence force officials and WWII survivors, and hosting a Youth Friendship Ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Park to foster international friendship and reconciliation.
The group visited four key cities in Japan with significant WWII histories:
- Tokyo – air raids 1945, Yokohama Commonwealth War Graves cemetery
- Sendai – air raids 1945, meeting a survivor, WWII air raid shelters
- Hiroshima – Atomic bomb 1945, Peace Park and Museum, meet a survivor
- Kure – WWII naval base occupied by Australian forces after WWII
They also visited key cultural sites in each city such as museums, shrines and monuments, as well as local high schools and worked with local students on peace projects. These included:
- Jogakuin High School – Hiroshima
- Hiroshima International School – Hiroshima
- Kure National College of Technology – Kure
- Jumonji High school - Tokyo
YOUTH AMBASSADORS
The three Youth Ambassadors for 2019 were:
Charlie Conrad-Montgomery - USA
Hello,
I am Charlie Conrad-Montgomery. I am currently a senior at Station Camp High School located in Gallatin, Tennessee, USA. Gallatin is a city in Middle Tennessee, north of the capital, Nashville. Throughout my entire life, I have wanted to do some sort of study abroad program, whether that be in high school or college. I love travelling, and I have always loved being a leader. This is such an amazing opportunity, and I am honoured to be chosen as the American Youth Ambassador as a part of WAPIP75. I am so overjoyed with this opportunity and cannot wait to meet the other ambassadors and learn about the Japanese culture. I am ready to take on the responsibility of what it means to be an ambassador, and hopefully inspire other kids of my own generation and more to come, in what it means to be a leader to further the success of this program.
こんにちは。
チャーリー・コンラッド・モンゴメリーです。現在、米国テネシー州ギャラティンにあるス テーションキャンプ・ハイスクールの高校生です。ギャラティンは、州都ナッシュビルの北 部、テネシー州中部の都市です。高校か大学で何らかの留学プログラムに参加したいと以前 から考えていました。私は旅行が大好きで、常にリーダーシップをとりたいと思っています 。今回は素晴らしい機会に恵まれ、WAPIP75の一環でアメリカのユース・アンバサダーに 選ばれたことを光栄に思っています。この与えられた機会を非常に喜ばしく感じていて、他 のアンバサダーと会い、また、日本文化について学ぶのが待ちきれない思いです。それと同 時に、アンバサダーの責任の重さを実感しており、リーダーとしてこのプログラムを成功に 導くことで、同世代の若者たちにとっての励ましとなればよいなと考えています。
Zack Lynch - Australia
Greetings,
My name is Zack Lynch and I am a year 10 student at Erskine Park High School. I come from a suburb of Western Sydney called St Clair. My interest in other cultures and love of history lead me to participate in this program and it will be my honour to represent Australia as its Youth Ambassador. I greatly look forward to meeting everyone participating in the program and I hope to help make it have the greatest possible outcome for all.
ご挨拶申し上げます。
私の名前はザックリンチで、アースキンパーク・ハイスクールの10年生です。セントクレ アというシドニー西部地区の出身です。外国文化への関心と歴史好きがこのプログラムに参 加するきっかけとなり、ユース・アンバサダーとしてオーストラリアを代表することができ て光栄に思っております。このプログラムに参加している皆様方にお会いできることを大変 に楽しみにし、また、全員にとって素晴らしい成果があげられることを願っております。
Rio Wada - Japan
Hi,
I am Rio Wada, a senior at Sendai Shirayuri Gakuen High School. I am from Sendai, the regional capital city of northeast Japan. As I belong to an English course of study at my school, I have been interested in participating in international programs that promote world peace and understanding. It is an honour to be part of the WAPIP75 as the Japanese Youth Ambassador. I am extremely excited to meet and interact with new people and I will make a great effort to help make this program to a success.
こんにちは。
仙台白百合学園高校のワダ・リオです。東北地方の県庁所在地である仙台の出身です。学校 の英語コースに所属しているので、世界の平和と理解をプロモーションする国際プログラム に参加することには興味がありました。日本のユース・アンバサダーとしてWAPIP75に参 加できて光栄に思います。新しい人々に会って交流することへの期待で胸がいっぱいで、こ のプログラムを成功させるために精一杯頑張りたいと思っています。
We also selected Jasper Dew, a student filmmaker, as a special documentary envoy from Pembroke High School, Adelaide, Australia to document the trip. Check out the video Jasper created below.
Watch this space for more of the students’ research projects and details of the Japan experience – coming soon!