Australian Ambassador Celebrates Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty will tonight celebrate the successful conclusion of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) for 2011-12.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the program, which first took place in Victoria and West Sumatra in 1982.

Since late December 2011, the 36 Australian and Indonesian participants have lived and worked on development programs in the Rokan Hulu district and in Riau’s capital, Pekanbaru.

In Rokan Hulu the participants coordinated a number of community development activities including sports carnivals, English classes, healthy living demonstrations and the building of local playgrounds.

In October 2011, the Indonesian participants experienced life on Kangaroo Island and in Adelaide, South Australia as part of their two-month home stay and work placement program in Australia.

“The AIYEP program is a fantastic way for young leaders of Indonesia and Australia to work together and immerse themselves in local communities and promote mutual understanding between our two countries,” Ambassador Moriarty said.

Australian participant Doss McPherson said, “We’ve experienced such friendliness and hospitality from all the Indonesians we’ve met. We had a chance to form close friendships with our fellow Indonesian participants and share our cultures. By living amongst local communities, we’ve been able to immerse ourselves in a way that wouldn’t be possible as a tourist.”

AIYEP is an annual program promoting people-to-people links between young Australians and Indonesians and is managed by the Australia-Indonesia Institute and the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sport.

Media Enquiries:
Sanchi Davis, Cultural Attaché Tel: (021) 2550 5260 Mob: 0811 936 302