60 for 60: Durham Tech partners with Sister Cities of Durham to provide cultural immersion program
In celebration of Durham Technical Community College’s 60th anniversary, the College is publishing 60 for 60 – a storytelling campaign that highlights the people, places, and events that have progressed and shaped the College’s six decades of impact. To view more 60 for 60 stories, visit www.durhamtech.edu/60for60.
Sister Cities of Durham is an affiliate of Sister Cities International, a nonprofit organization that coordinates exchange visits between partnering countries, including Tanzania, Arusha; Celaya, Mexico; Durham, England; Kavala, Greece; Kostroma, Russia; Sibu, Romania; Tilaran, Costa Rica; Toyama, Japan; and Zhuzhou, China.
Dorothy “Dot” Borden, current Lifetime Director of Sister Cities of Durham, described Wynn as inspiring, capable, and an individual who contributed immeasurably to the organization.
In 1995, Wynn traveled to Kostroma, Russia with a Sister Cities of Durham delegation to explore the growth of entrepreneurship and the free market economy. That same year, Sister Cities of Durham had eight delegations traveling to other countries and seven delegations visiting the United States.
Wynn also established opportunities for students from other countries to attend Durham Tech.
“Phail arranged for four students from East Africa to take classes at Durham Tech. Three went on to get a degree at a four-year university, and one obtained his master's and went on to become a minister,” Borden said.
In 2013, Durham Tech’s Center for the Global Learner began working more closely with Sister Cities of Durham to offer a three-week language and cultural immersion program for students from Toyama, Japan.
“These kids come here with one goal in mind, and they are all in. They want to learn to speak English,” said Theresa Rinehart, former Durham Tech instructor.
On average, Durham Tech welcomed 15-24 students from the Toyama College of Foreign Language every year from 2013 to 2020. Sister Cities of Durham coordinated host families for the students while they completed the program at Durham Tech.
“I want to progress my English skills,” said Sachie Miyata, student from Toyama. “I have no chance to speak English with others in Japan, so it’s nice to come here and have so many opportunities to practice my English.”
Another student said Japanese companies are more globalized, so they need to learn English more.
The program was 50 hours and focused solely on teaching students English and about the culture and history of North Carolina and Durham. The College also took students on various trips to places like Duke University, Duke Gardens, museums, local restaurants, and various other places to give them a true local experience.
Michelle Honeybun, an English Instructor at Durham Tech said the program is a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in American culture whilst honing their English skills. Honeybun said she encouraged students to take their classroom discussions back to their host families.
“For example, we discussed stereotypical American culture in class, and then students would question their host families on whether or not they agreed with the stereotype. They would then report back to me in class the next day,” Honeybun said.
Due to Covid-19, the program transitioned online. Dr. Farwa Shah, Coordinator of English Language Pathways at Durham Tech, developed a one-week course focused on language, history, and culture to accommodate the virtual platform.
She taught the course to nine students from February 27-March 6 this year.
Durham Tech will continue to offer more virtual courses for Toyama students as Sister Cities of Durham continues to link cities together from all over the world.