The Regional Department for the Communities awarded for the second time, during the month of June 2002, a Prize Trip to a group of eleven students attending the 11th and 12th grades in several Secondary Schools in the United States of America, where the Portuguese Language and Culture are taught. The main objectives were to encourage the youngsters to learn the language of their forefathers and to acknowledge the present Azorean reality.
This Prize Trip took place on Faial, Pico and Terceira islands with the participation of students from the Secondary School of Los Banos, from the Tulare Union, the San Jose Academy and the Tulare Western from the State of California, Durfee from Fall River, New Bedford, Peabody, Somerset and Taunton from the State of Massachusetts, Portsmouth from the State of Rhode Island and Elizabeth from the State of New Jersey. The students were accompanied by two teachers of Portuguese Language and Culture, from the Secondary School of New Bedford and Elizabeth from New Jersey.
Besides visiting the historical and touristic places of these three islands, there was also an exchange with local students and the possibility of attending Portuguese and History classes, which allowed them to deepen their knowledge about the Azores.