Australia-Indonesia Youth Leadership Conference: Hearts and Minds

A delegation of thirty Australian and Indonesian youth will today participate in Hearts and Minds, the Australia-Indonesia Youth Leadership Conference being held in Yogyakarta from 1 to 9 June 2009.

Participants at the conference are aged between 21-28 years and have demonstrated strong involvement and leadership in their communities and commitment to further understanding between both countries. They have been selected from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and a number of locations in Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Flores. A number of religions are being represented.

The conference aims to empower them to exercise leadership in their communities on inter-cultural tolerance and cooperation, as well as developing community cohesion, particularly in relief work and capacity-building.

The eight-day program, which will be conducted at the Centre for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies at Gadjah Mada University, will include a series of seminars, workshops and discussions and a field trip to nearby Mt Merapi.

The conference will be the first of its kind and is an innovative way to further build on the strong bilateral relationship and people-to-people links between Australia and Indonesia.

Hearts and Minds is being coordinated by the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations (FAIR), a Sydney-based community group, and the Centre for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies at Gadjah Mada University.

The conference is supported by a grant from the Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII), an Australian Government Initiative, which has been promoting the development of people-to-people links between Australia and Indonesia for the past two decades.

A session being held on Friday 5 June entitled “Future Leadership and the Challenges of Diversity” will be open to the public between 0830-1145 at the GD Pasca Sarjana Auditorium 5th Floor, Gadjah Mada University. Interested participants and media should contact Eva on 0815 769 9032.

Media Enquiries:
Sanchi Davis, Cultural Attache tel. (021) 2550 5260 mob. 0811 936 302