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AIYEP participants from all parts of Indonesia, along with participants
from many different parts of Australia, have been enjoying and experiencing
life in Indonesia for the past 25 years. On February 2nd, 2007, AIYEP
celebrated its 25th
Anniversary.
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Celebrating 25 years of AIYEP
February 1st, 2007 in Jakarta
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AIYEP gives the opportunity for 18 young Indonesians to go to Australia to
experience life “Down Under” first hand. They live with
Australian families - their host families. This is always in two different
locations. In the past few years these locations have included country towns
such as Roma (in outback Queensland), Alice Springs in the Northern territiory
and Orange in inland New South Wales. They also get to live and work in cities
too including Brisbane, Darwin and Sydney. In each place they followed work
experience programs in line with their interests and skills here in Indonesia.
Their stay in Australia was not just a holiday, but a valuable work experience
as well.
After their 2 months in their different locations the Indonesian participants
met together with many of the Australian AIYEP participants before all
returning to Indonesia. The 36 participants then go to two locations together,
but this time in Indonesia. And not just big cities, but just like in Oz, a
small village as well. Locations of recent years have included Buton in far
south-east Sulawesi, South Kalimantan and Sumatra along with Makassar,
Banjarmasin and Palembang.
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Check out these website links from the KGRE Archives which feature AIYEP in
Indonesia over the past few years.
However in recent years it has not always been possible for Australian
participants to return to Indonesia with the Indonesian group.
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Fortunately in the 2006/7 program the Aussies DID join in the second
part of this annual program and returned to Indonesia with the Indonesian
participants.
This exciting, and annual AIYEP program is made available by the
Australia Indonesia Institute (AII) and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta
through the office of Fiona Hoggart, Cultural Attache based at the Embassy.
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AIYEP 2006 - 2007
The 2006/7 AIYEP participants in this long running program from AII have just
finished their in-country experience.
They have all been living side by side for the past 2 months in Barikin,
South Kalimantan, about 3 hours north of Banjarmasin. These 36 young people
were coming to the end of their month long stay in Barikin village about 30km
from Barabai on the Banjarmasin/Barabai Road from Banjarmasin when KGRE visited
them. Melissa is the leader of the Australian group of participants while
Bintang, from Medan, is the leader of the Indonesian participants. They had
been living and working with the community of Barikin on many small projects
since early December 2006.
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KGRE visited a few of the AIYEP sponsored activities in the village. They
included –
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a newly paved section of the school grounds at SD 1 Barikin now made suitable
for playing badminton when wet weather has made the rest of the playground a
mud patch.
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a renovated classroom in a nearby orphanage which has been turned into a
Reading Room for local students AND adults.
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roadside gutters that have been cleaned out and re-constructed (with the help
of local army personnel)
KGRE interviewed several other AIYEP participants about work that they had been
doing.
That included –
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introducing Aussie sports such as cricket and football to students in the
village.
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teaching popular Aussie schoolyard games to students such as Tunnel Ball and
Poison Ball.
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creating healthy food in organized cooking classes for both village adults and
their children.
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KGRE interviewed many of the 2006 - 7 AIYEP participants while visiting Barikin
village.
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The Board of the AII meets in Indonesia every year to discuss the program and
how it is going. In the days leading up to the anniversarythey met in both
Bandung and Jakarta. At the anniversary the members of the AII Board were keen
to talk with AIYEP alumni about the exchange program - the good and the bad
points. How can the program be improved? What needs to be done to make it even
better than it is? Two of the Board members, Tim Lindsay and Susan Mann, spoke
with KGRE and the one thing they both commented on was that alumni had only
praise for the program. It has been operating for 25 years and maybe it is as
good as it can be?
The Australian Indonesia Institute also conducts the very successful Muslim
Exchange Program. Check out these KGRE links.
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