About the Bridge Challenge Trip
Introducing more Fukuoka children to the world
What is Bridge Challenge Trip?
This is an overseas homestay challenge program held every spring for Fukuoka children from 5th grade of elementary school to 3rd year of high school. The children sent here can have a variety of experiences through homestays and cultural exchanges in each country and region.
Starting in 2019, the summer program will resume every other year, providing even more opportunities for Fukuoka children to learn through overseas experiences.
You can rest assured that the contact point in the country you are visiting is a public institution that has a long history of interaction with APCC.
I hope that this Challenge Trip will eventually be held in various countries and develop into something that will send more Fukuoka children out into the world.
Features of Bridge Challenge Trip
It is also safe for children who are going abroad for the first time, away from their families.
Approximately 15 children from a wide range of ages, from 5th grade of elementary school to 3rd year of high school, and 3 volunteer chaperones participated.The group consists of approximately 18 people in total.We will strengthen the group's unity through preparatory training before traveling to the country we visit, build relationships that allow us to have fun together and support each other, and prepare for our homestay in the country!
- Not a sightseeing trip,Challenge yourself to experience a different cultureprogram to
- At the destinationExperience a homestay for about 4 nights
- At local school visits and exchange meetings,Interact with local children
- The contact point in the country you visit is the APCC point of contact.Public institutions with a long history of exchangeetc., so don't worry
Flow of dispatch
▼Bridge Challenge Trip (Spring) Overall schedule example▼
| Month | Content |
| Late October to late November | Recruiting members/Chaperons |
| December | Determination of group members and leaders |
| January | General training |
| February | Training by delegation |
| Late February | Overnight training (1 night, 2 days) |
| Mid-March | Unity ceremony |
| Late March | Dispatch (Departure - Return: approx. 1 week) |
| Early April | Training by delegation |
| Late April | Debriefing session |
Past dispatch results
▼Past dispatch countries and regions▼
| Dispatch business year | Number of groups | Countries and regions | Number of participants |
| 1st (1994) | 10 | China, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Palau, Micronesia, Tahiti | Total 276 people Supervisors: 62 people Members: 214 |
| 2nd (1995) | 11 | China, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, Australia, Hawaii, Palau, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Maldives | Total 184 people Adults: 71 people Children: 113 |
| 3rd (1996) | 9 | Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Mongolia, Australia, Hawaii, Micronesia, New Caledonia | Total 182 people Adults: 35 people Children: 147 |
| 4th (1997) | 8 | China, Thailand, Malaysia, Bhutan, Hawaii, Fiji, Guam, Maldives | Total 166 people Adults: 38 people Children: 128 people |
| 5th (1998) | 7 | Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Australia, Hawaii | Total 145 people Adults: 37 people Children: 108 people |
| 6th (1999) | 8 | China, Thailand, Malaysia, Mongolia, Guam, Fiji, Australia, Maldives | Total 144 people Adults: 47 people Children: 97 |
| 7th (2000) | 4 | Malaysia, Fiji, Maldives, Myanmar | Total 82 people Adults: 10 people Children: 72 people |
| 8th (2001) | 6 | Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Myanmar, Maldives | Total 112 people Adults: 26 people Children: 86 |
| 9th (2002) | 6 | China, Mongolia, New Zealand, Guam, Maldives, Malaysia | Total 134 people Adults: 24 people Children: 110 |
| 10th (2003) | 3 | Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand | Total 59 people Adults: 10 people Children: 49 |
| 11th (2004) | 5 | Bangladesh, Maldives, New Zealand, Guam, Tahiti | Total 91 people Adults: 15 people Children: 76 |
| 12th (2005) | 5 | South Korea, Thailand, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand | Total 87 people Adults: 15 people Children: 72 people |
| 13th (2006) | 5 | Bhutan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Tahiti, Guangzhou | Total 89 people Adults: 15 people Children: 74 |
| 14th (2007) | 5 | Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei, Mongolia, Australia | Total 90 people Adults: 15 people Children: 75 people |
| 15th (2008) | 10 | Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Hawaii, Australia, Vanuatu | Total 176 people Adults: 30 people Children: 146 |
| 16th (2009) | 7 | South Korea, Cambodia, Republic of Palau, Maldives, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia | Total 123 people Adults: 21 people Children: 102 people |
| 17th (2010) | 5 | Thailand, Bhutan, Australia, Hawaii, Maldives | Total 87 people Adults: 14 people Children: 73 |
| 18th (2011) | 7 | Singapore, Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, New Caledonia, Maldives | Total 125 people Adults: 21 people Children: 104 |
| 19th (2012) | 7 | Korea, Indonesia, Bhutan, Brunei, Australia, Hawaii, Maldives | Total 126 people Adults: 21 people Children: 105 people |
| 20th (2013) | Spring: 7 Summer: 2 | Spring: Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, Tonga, Maldives, Ipoh (Malaysia) Summer: Australia, Cambodia | Total 160 people Adults: 27 people Children: 133 |
| 21st (2014) | Spring: 7 Summer: 4 | Spring: Philippines, Bhutan, Brunei, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Ipoh (Malaysia), Atlanta (USA) Summer: Hong Kong, Vietnam, Fiji, Maldives | Total 185 people Adults: 33 people Children: 152 |
| 22nd (2015) | Spring: 9 Summer: 5 | Spring: South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brunei, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, Palau, Maldives Summer: Thailand, Malaysia, India, Mongolia, Australia | Total 243 people Adults: 42 people Children: 201 |
| 23rd (2016) | Spring: 9 Summer: 5 | Spring: China, Singapore, Bhutan, Tahiti, Maldives, Cambodia, Ipoh (Malaysia) Summer: Indonesia, Vietnam, New Caledonia, Tonga, Dalian (China) | Total 210 people Adults: 26 people Children: 174 |
| 24th (2017) | 8 | South Korea, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Maldives, Cambodia, Ipoh (Malaysia), Atlanta (USA) | Total 140 people Adults: 23 people Children: 117 |
| 25th (2018) | 10 | Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Maldives, Cambodia, Ipoh (Malaysia), Bordeaux (France) *The dispatch of the Sri Lanka and Maldives teams has been cancelled due to the worsening domestic situation in those countries. | Total 144 people Adults: 24 people Children: 120 people |
| 26th (2019) | Spring: 8 Summer: 4 | Spring: South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Ipoh (Malaysia), Atlanta (USA) Summer: Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Maldives, Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) | Total: 213 people Adults: 36 people Children: 177 |
Schedule during the dispatch period
▼Example travel schedule (Summer 2014, Hong Kong)▼
*The following is an example of the schedule. The period and content may change depending on the fiscal year.
| First day | 8:15 Meet at Fukuoka Airport International Terminal 10:45 Departing Fukuoka (Cathay Pacific Flight CX511) 15:00 Arrive in Hong Kong. After entering the country, travel by bus. 16:00 APCC Hong Kong Closing Ceremony 18:00 Welcome dinner and meet your host family 21:00 Homestay starts |
| the 2nd day | All day free time with host family |
| Third day | Free time with host family all day |
| Day 4 | 10:00 School visit ● Elementary school visit (guided by a Japanese teacher) Visiting classes and sports teams Lunch ● Visit to a secondary school Performance by students Speech by leader and representative of group members Performance by members and souvenir exchange 18:00 Farewell party 22:00 Return home with host family |
| Day 5 | 12:00 Meet with host family at the airport 14:55 Depart Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific Flight CX510) 20:55 Arrive Fukuoka |
Member experiences
Experiences of chaperones
