Who is ICG?
We would like to introduce ourselves to you.
We are Intercultural Consulting Group or easier to remember is ICG !
ICG is a an Australian Company holding an ACN and we engage in a suite of Travel, Educational and Historical activities.
Intercultural Consulting Group has been operating since 2000 offering educational opportunities for a wide range of age groups from school groups to adult and special interest groups. ICG is a registered business but operates in a philanthropic environment. The group founders Michael and Donna Fiechtner are both qualified educationalists/teachers having over 60 years of educational experience between them having worked at all levels of education both in Australia and Internationally. Both having developed educational facilities in Japan and implementing relevant international educational opportunities for children and adults alike while living there. Michael and Donna have two grown children who experienced education in Japan first hand and today are truly part of the multicultural global society. Ryan is Guest Services Manager at Whistler Blackcombe Ski Resort in Whistler Canada and Isobel is studying Creative and Fine Arts at The Qld College of Art, Griffith University. She has recently headed to Milan Italy to continue her studies.
ICG has always taken a variety of school groups and adult groups to Japan over the last 15 years and developed a network of contacts that provide both cultural and educationally diverse opportunities. Both Michael and Donna are well versed in Japanese life and know the country well.
An inbound program also has provided Japanese immersion opportunities into Australia. ICG has extensive relationships with a range of contacts in Japan who provide unique experiences not found elsewhere. It also has a dedicated Japanese office operating as Hiroshima International College.
ICG has provided indigenous educational opportunities in Japan also on a number of occasions. ICG has a unique relationship with The Hiroshima Peace and Culture Foundation and has worked closely in the area of Peace Education . During 2013, ICG toured a Hiroshima Peace Exhibition in Brisbane , Canberra and Sydney working with the Red Cross to tell the story of Hiroshima and the need for World Peace. In August 2013 , 9 former British Commonwealth Occupation Force soldiers took part in a tour to Japan to remember the events of August 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The 9 former soldiers aged from 85- 92 took part in commemorative events in Hiroshima and Tokyo as well as extensive sightseeing opportunities at the Invitation of the Hiroshima Mayor. ICG knows Japan from a very personal level and opportunities provided concentrate on real cultural and social experiences. In February 2016 ICG launched A World Youth Forum and held the first in Hiroshima city Japan. Students from 17 nationalities took part in this amazing event. 65 students will travel to Hiroshima in March 2017 to take part in the 2nd of this annual event.
Recently, ICG through rather unique circumstances has turned its attention to the battlefields of France and Belgium hosting tours to coincide with ANZAC DAY at Villers Bretonneux in France on the Somme and Ypres and Remembrance Day in Belgium. Tours across France are regularly conducted and provide a real taste of History and French Culture. A number of school and special interest trips are presently in the planning stages.
The battlefield tours also aim to highlight the growing interest in World War 1 history. ICG has developed a close relationship with Vignacourt in Northern France ,the home of the LOST DIGGER glass photographic plates, now part of a travelling exhibition during the Centenary commemorations of World War 1 and offering very personal insights into the war years.
During July and early August 2014, ICG organised and hosted a group of 12 Youth Ambassadors from Vignacourt France and facilitated visits to 5 states and 1 territory to meet living descendants of those Aussie Diggers photographed in 1916-1918. Besides meeting the descendants, the group also met with the Australian Prime Minister for a 35 minute reflective opportunity. An exhibition,titled Vignacourt “Then and Now” also was shown.
ICG has developed a close relationship with Vignacourt and the school there is now linked with schools in the Bundaberg Region of Queensland and conduct a number of interesting prgras including a buddy mascot program with Anzac Bear William Court and French Soldier Rabbit Robert Thuillier. As well as this there is sharing of culture through various educational opportunities between the schools. The village of Naours near Vignacourt will also soon have a relationship with a Queensland High School taking part in the identification and recording of over 3000 signatures left a network of caves during the Great War.
The ICG Japanese and French links are startling. Hiroshima in Japan and Ypres in Belgium are closely linked as cities of World Peace, Both having been destroyed in time of war.
Plans are also well underway for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day tours for 201 and beyond to capture the spirit of the centenary of The Great War.
ICG recently collaborated with the Korea Foundation to offer Youth Leadership opportunities to multicultural Korean students and will work to grow this network to a range of countries and schools exchanging world views and hopefully helping to create the leaders of tomorrow. Michael and Donna travelled to South Korea in early April 2015 to further develop these plans. It is hoped to convene a world youth conference in Ypres Belgium in 2018 to coincide with the 100 anniversary of the Armistice of World War one to focus on world Peace and what youth can do for the future.
ICG is also proud to have been chosen by Brisbane Boys College to provide the supporters tour to the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament in Fukuoka,Japan in May 2015. The Brisbane Boys College team had great success as they were runners up in this highly contested event.
ICG is looking to work collaboratively with QUT (Queensland University of Technology) on a range of developing projects in India and also with the Creative Arts Faculty. Student visits to India as well as the Western Front and collaborating to design and develop an interpretive centre in Vignacourt France are in the discussion and early planning stages. The work in Vignacourt will also include intern opportunities in the school village and museum.
A full length feature film ( Photos in the Attic) and book telling the incredible story behind the Thuillier photographic plates of Vignacourt are also presently in development with a screen play and script having been developed in France in June 2015 and Queensland Producer Phil Avalon recently signed to head up the project..
In 2019 the World Cup Rugby tournament will be held in Japan for the first time and ICG is looking forward to organising a patriotic tour for this event.
There are many more projects including working closely with Legacy Qld to raise some funds for much needed support of Australian Diggers.
At ICG we love offering the most interesting and unique experiences possible. We want people to come back again and again and see what else they can do with us.
We know the places that we visit and have local knowledge.
As teachers we know the curriculum and needs of students well and our school experiences are not off the shelf trips but specially designed “edventures”
For adult groups we focus on what the group wants to experience and set out to ensure that the best is offered , again not an off the shelf visit but something quite unique.
At ICG we are with you 24/7 to provide the best experiences possible
ICG is a small provider of unique and outstanding cultural, educational, historical and tailor made opportunities for all ages.
We are dedicated and committed to providing unforgettable experiences that leave lasting memories.
Checkout our website that aims to inform and interest people on the projects that we are involved in.
Follow our Facebook page Intercultural Consulting Group where we aim to let everyone see what we are up to and follow our journeys through pictures and interesting articles from around the travel world!
AT ICG we “Dare to Dream and We Live the Future and its challenges through the world of travel experiences !”
Let us create a unique experience for you personally, your school group or an adult group opportunity now.
We know what you will love what we do.
We look forward to having you join us on a unique adventure.
Best wishes
Michael and Donna Fiechtner
InterCultural Consulting Group
Supporting Intercultural opportunities.
ICG has a number of websites and a facebook page
Check out the range of opportunities on offer.
Special New Project www.photosintheatticproject.com
www.interculturalconsultinggroup.com
www.memoriesofvignacourt.com
www.bcofremembered.com
www.storiesofthesomme.com
www.hiroshimainternationalcollege.com
Checkout some of our travel opportunities past and present at
www.icgtouring.com
Facebook……..Intercultural Consulting Group
Our Mission.
At ICG our mission is very simple-
"provide the most interesting and amazing opportunities and engage people in a way that they will never forget."
At ICG we offer a diverse range of cultural and educational opportunities. We are all learners and should never stop learning. We aim to provide the most interesting possibilities to travellers, educators, industry and interested groups.
Life is full of opportunities that should be taken when they are presented. Dreams can become realities if we only are prepared step through the doorway and experience a whole new world.
It is all waiting for you at ICG. Don't be limited by your imagination!
If it is a journey to an ICG travel spot, an educational experience for a class or school, or an industry visit to learn by sharing knowledge, ICG can do it all.
We pride ourselves in being open to possibilities. Explore what ICG can offer... you may be surprised !
