Dispatch of Paju City Youth Language Study Group to Toowoomba, Australia

16 Paju Youths Dispatched for Three-Week Language Study
in Toowoomba, Australia Starting January 11

Gyeonggi Paju City (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 13th that it dispatched a language study group of 16 members, consisting of local youth and accompanying teachers, to Toowoomba, Australia, a sister city abroad of Paju City, on the 11th.

A group of 16 language study tour members, consisting of youth from Paju City and their accompanying teachers, are taking a commemorative photo before departing for Toowoomba City, Australia, a sister city of Paju, on the 11th. Photo by Paju City

This language study program is being conducted at the Australian International Institute of Understanding (AIIU) for about three weeks from the 11th of this month to February 2nd.

Paju City expects this language study program to broaden the horizons of local youth and serve as a stepping stone for them to grow into global talents equipped with foreign language skills. The three-week language study course has been well prepared with programs designed to provide diverse and extensive experiences of different cultures.

During the study period, students will mainly learn about Australian history, culture, and geography through English classes while improving their language skills. There will also be opportunities to experience Australian farms and Indigenous cultures.

Additionally, students will stay with local families during the program to experience Australian family life, visit Toowoomba City Hall, meet Mayor Geoff McDonald and city council members, and engage in exchange activities to promote friendship between sister cities as youth ambassadors of Paju City.

The newly selected study institution, the Australian International Institute of Understanding, is a non-profit organization that operates various language study and exchange student programs to help students from diverse nationalities, cultures, and languages around the world broaden mutual understanding and build friendships and trust through interactions with Australian families, schools, and communities.

To reduce the participants’ self-funded costs amid the surge in study expenses after COVID-19, Paju City has expanded its 2025 budget to support 2 million KRW per general participant and cover the full study fee (about 6.5 million KRW) for low-income participants and accompanying teachers.

Toowoomba is a metropolitan city with a population of about 160,000, located about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Brisbane, the capital of Queensland in northeastern Australia. It is a transportation hub connecting major Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin, Adelaide, and Perth. Known as a city of gardens, flowers, and education, it functions as a regional center set against Darling Downs, Australia’s largest grain-producing area. Every year in September, the largest flower festival in Australia, the Carnival of Flowers, is held for 10 days.

Paju City has been actively engaging in exchanges with Toowoomba in various fields such as education, culture, and economy, including dispatching language study groups, short-term exchange of public officials, mutual dispatch of festival celebration delegations, and business delegations.