It was Wittgenstein who said “the limits of my language mean the limits of my world”, and one can hardly find arguments against this statement. In the world that is becoming more and more connected and reliant on different cultures, those who have a good command of several languages will find it much easier to find their place under the sun.

In the context of Australia, we should definitely look into the opportunities provided by speaking Indonesian, since Bahasa Indonesia is the second language in this country. So, whether you’d like your kid to use this language for business or some other purpose, it makes perfect sense to help them master the language of a country that is so close and that has so many connections with the Land Down Under. So, what is it that parents can do to help their kids?

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Selamat Datang!

Welcome to Catatan AIYA! AIYA Membership numbers continue to grow and our Chapters and other activities are becoming increasingly active. We have been searching for a way to provide further updates to our loyal, paid members. So here it is – the inaugural Catatan AIYA, meaning AIYA Notes. This will likely be a quarterly comprehensive, internal newsletter to keep you posted on everything going on in the world of AIYA.

New AIYA National President – Clarice Campbell!

AIYA National officially has a new President! After four years in the role, Nicholas Mark is passing the AIYA baton over to Clarice Campbell, someone who we’re sure many of you have come to know over the years.

Nick started out as the co-founder and inaugural President of AIYA NSW back in late 2012, and has been AIYA National President since April 2015. He has seen AIYA grow and develop over the years, into a bilateral organisation run by over 150 volunteers and facilitating 300 events a year across both countries. Read more about Nick’s AIYA journey here.

Clarice Campbell has experience in AIYA since 2014, moving through from AIYA VIC President to Operations Officer (Indonesia) and more recently has been the Director of Operations for the past 2 years. Clarice is living and breathing the AIYA vision and mission, and will be the organisation’s first President to be based in Jakarta. AIYA’s greatest strength is as a network that engages young Australians and Indonesians as university students through to their time as young professionals, and Clarice is all set to move AIYA into its next phase.

Survey Reminder

You will have seen our various comms over the past month about the AIYA Survey 2019. This survey is crucial to inform AIYA about what matters to our members and what we can do to continue to improve. We really appreciate any time you have to complete the survey and we encourage you to share the link through your networks.

Open Recruitment (Directors, Secretary and more)

With a new AIYA National President, several other roles at AIYA National are also open at the moment as we restructure a fresh National Executive. The following positions are now open for applications until 24 July 2019:

• Director of Operations
• Director of Communications
• Director of Partnerships and Memberships
• Company Secretary
• Operations Officer (Indonesia)
• Communications Officer
• Finance Officer

Have you always wanted to join AIYA National or find out more about what AIYA National does? Apply now or contact Clarice at [email protected] to find out more.

Upcoming Chapter AGMs

As an AIYA Member, you are also eligible to apply for and run in an AIYA Chapter election. Various Chapters will be having their AGM in the coming months. If you are thinking of joining your local AIYA Chapter, we encourage you to contact the current the current executive to find out more and to keep the following months in mind:

• August – NSW
• September – NTT, Jakarta
• October – WA, VIC, ACT
• November – Yogyakarta, NT

More information will be released via the AIYA Links in due course.

NAILA 2019

AIYA’s flagship initiative is the National Australia-Indonesia Language Awards (NAILA). The 2019 NAILA committee is led by Melanie Kilby and Sheila Hie, and again strives to reward and foster Bahasa Indonesia capabilities in Australia.

Before we open up applications and release the fine print, we want to hear from our members to vote on this year’s theme! Complete this Google Form to have your say.

Merchandise

AIYA is also gearing up to release some mantap AIYA merchandise to celebrate the AIYA Community. AIYA members will soon have an opportunity to contribute to designs and have your say on our 2019/20 merchandise – watch this space!

Ada pertanyaan?

Got a question about AIYA, Chapters, Catatan AIYA or anything else related to Australia-Indonesia youth? Send us an email to [email protected] and we’ll assist as soon as possible or point you in the right direction!

Salam semangat,

Nick, Clarice & AIYA National

REUTERS / Willy Kurniawan

It has been a long and restless Indonesia democracy fight to say the least, hundreds of election staff (KPU) have died followed by nine demonstrators killed during the riot of civil unrest in the capital city Jakarta last month. With the endless circulation of speculations and hoax used as weapons, this has alarmed the country since the presidential debates rolled out early 2019. Undivided attention given to both of the presidential candidates has pushed numerous crucial problems aside while political conversation had been inevitable for many Indonesians.

Read More

Nowadays many parents send their children to language schools at a very early age. This is something that has been trending for quite some time now and it’s something that’s growing progressively popular. The reason for this can be found in all the benefits of being bilingual, some of which are improved academic success, better communication skills and higher chances of getting a better job somewhere down the road. People choose different languages for their children, usually depending on their location, countries which do most business with their homeland, but also personal preferences. When it comes to Australian children, their parents are showing increased interest in Indonesian and want their children to be able to learn it at school. But, why is Indonesian so important to them? Here are some answers to this question.Read More

The Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) menghubungkan pemuda di Australia dan Indonesia melalui pertukaran sosial, profesional dan budaya dan berlangsung dari Oktober hingga Februari setiap tahun.

Minggu ini, kita bertemu Rivana Amelia!

Victoria (Australia Phase) & Provinsi Riau (Indonesia Phase), tahun 2018/2019.

Bagaimana Anda menjadi tertarik/terlibat dengan Australia?

Indonesia dan Australia secara geografis merupakan negara yang bertetangga, akan tetapi memiliki perbedaan latar belakang dan budaya yang sangat berbeda. Dikarenakan oleh hal tersebut, walaupun sangat dekat, akan tetapi terasa sangat jauh dalam hal memahami satu sama lain. Hal tersebut membuat saya penasaran dan ingin mengenal tentang Australia lebih jauh.

Apa yang memotivasi Anda untuk mendaftar AIYEP?

Rasa penasaran saya terhadap Australia dikarenakan perbedaan-perbedaan yang seringkali dianggap sebagai pemisah antara Australia dan Indonesia, membuat saya ingin menjadi jembatan bagi pemuda-pemuda Indonesia lainnya untuk dapat memahami perbedaan-perbedaan tersebut, salah satunya dengan cara bergabung dengan AIYEP. Berdasarkan pengalaman saya, memahami budaya dengan cara berinteraksi langsung dengan masyarakat lokal merupakan salah satu hal yang efektif dilakukan. Lewat program ini pula saya yakin akan meningkatkan kinerja saya dalam dunia profesional lewat aktifitas magang dibidang yang sesuai dengan latar belakang pendidikan saya.

Apa pengalaman AIYEP terbaik atau paling berkesan Anda?

Bagi partisipan Indonesia, AIYEP berlangsung selama 4 bulan secara keseluruhan. Selama 4 bulan tersebut sangat banyak saya dapati pengalaman luar biasa, salah satunya yaitu pengalaman tinggal bersama keluarga angkat di Australia. Ketika fase kota Melbourne berlangsung, saya tidak tinggal di kawasan Melbourne, melainkan disebuah kota kecil yang dibernama New Gisborne. Selama fase ini sering kali terkendala untuk bertemu dengan teman-temen yang mayoritas tinggal di kawasan tengah kota, karena masalah jarak. But trust me, it’s really worth it since I have a wonderful family to be lived with. Dikeluarga ini saya tinggal bersama Ayah, Ibu, seorang adik kecil berusia 6 tahun, adik laki-laki berusia 21, kakak berusia 26 tahun dan seorang abang Ipar. Disini saya merasakan kehangatan keluarga yang sangat besar. Even though we have a really different culture but they always tried their best to make everything’s working well with me. Mulai dari berkomunikasi, makanan dan tempat beribadah. Banyak cerita dan pengalaman yang saya dapatkan dari keluarga ini. Dari program ini, keluarga saya bertambah tidak hanya di Indonesia, tapi juga di Australia.

Saran untuk pendaftar AIYEP tahun berikutnya?

AIYEP merupakan salah satu kesempatan yang luar biasa bagi dalam hidup saya, dan saya yakin hampir seluruh alumni merasakan hal yang sama. Bahkan mungkin kamu akan merasakan hal yang sama juga, dengan cara menjadikan kesempatan ini untuk kamu belajar, menggali ilmu dan membangun relasi sebanyak dan sebaik mungkin.

Terima kasih banyak atas Anda dalam kesediaan Anda untuk ditampilkan dalam seri Alumni AIYEP untuk AIYA.

Aplikasi untuk AIYEP38 buka sekarang hingga 16 Juni 2019, jadi pastikan untuk memasukkan aplikasi Anda! Informasi lebih lanjut dapat ditemukan di situs web AFS Australia. Para aplikan Indonesia dapat menghubungi Purna Caraka Muda Indonesia (PCMI) di kota terdekat.

Dear AIYA Members, Supporters & Followers,

The Australia-Indonesia Youth Association (AIYA) periodically conducts a survey of its members to identify who you are, where your interests lie and how you would like to see the Australia-Indonesia relationship evolve. AIYA is committed to connecting, informing and inspiring Australian and Indonesian young people, and the ideas and interests of our members are our top priority.

Click here to commence the 2019 AIYA Survey.

The survey will take around 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. Some optional questions leave room for additional comments, such as on policy issues. We appreciate the extra time you take to complete these questions and express your thoughts on the the things that matter to you.

The survey will be available until Monday, 7 July 2019.

If you have existing networks, friend, family or colleagues who are interested in the Australia-Indonesia relationship (or perhaps have very little interest or existing knowledge!) please share the link to the survey with them. Every submission counts!

For a refresher about our previous 2016 AIYA Survey, please review the full report here.

Thank you very much in advance for all those who are able to complete the survey. We very much look forward to sharing the results with you over the coming months and to implementing some of the feedback into AIYA’s future activities and initiatives.

Salam semangat,

Nicholas Mark & AIYA National

In an era of climate change, the challenges we face as a global community can often appear overwhelming and insurmountable. The forecasts and predictions of catastrophic climate change can no longer be ignored. Last week, AIYA hosted an educational seminar in Yogyakarta which aimed to tackle some of these issues head on. One of our guest speakers, Neil Faragher, joins us to share some of his knowledge on the topic of renewable energy and why we have reason to be hopeful.

1. In your opinion, what are the main environmental issues we are facing globally?

I am most worried about climate change and biodiversity loss.  A recent UN report states 1 million species are on the verge of extinction because of human activities – that will be a massive problem for our civilisation, and a key driver of this is climate change from ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst developed nations have been emitting greenhouse gases for over two centuries, global emissions continue to increase as developing nations raise their standard of living (as they should!). Globally, we must shift away from fossil fuels as our primary source of energy as soon as possible. Renewable Energy is a key solution to this problem.

2. Tell us about your background, how you became interested in Renewable Energy?

Originally, I studied to become a Mechanical Engineer at the University of Auckland. Soon after uni, I got a job where I was responsible for designing various plastic based products. I soon realised that these consumable goods I was helping develop would end up as landfill, or worse, pollution. As someone who really values the outdoors this was a big problem for me. Around a similar time, I saw Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and began thinking about how I could apply my engineering skills in tackling the problem of climate change. Shortly after, I was fortunate enough to get work with a company designing concentrated solar technology. This technology particularly excited me as it aims to make solar power cheaper by using mirrors to focus light onto a small area of highly efficient solar panels. I’ve been mainly focused on designing the thermal aspects of this technology.

Ivanpah solar power station, Nevada- USA

3. What are some of the exciting renewable energy technologies being developed and how can they be implemented to help us going forward?

Currently, I am particularly excited by three types of renewable energy:

• Presently, the USA, Morocco and Spain have built extremely large scale concentrated solar thermal power stations. These have the potential to replace entire coal power stations in the immediate future. They have the ability to store heat at high temperature and use this to drive steam turbines to dispatch electricity overnight. What’s exciting is that the next generation of these solar power plants will use sand rather than expensive molten salts as a heat bearing medium. This will be instrumental in lowering power costs.
• Another exciting technology is owned by Sundrop Farms based in Adelaide, South Australia. This technology combines solar thermal power with desalination and hydroponics to grow various vegetables such as tomatoes, capsicum and lettuce using sunlight and seawater as the main inputs. This has great potential to assist with food production in very dry climates around the world.
• Finally, I am inspired by the potential and ongoing improvements of battery production. Large scale battery installations are becoming cheaper every year and allow sunlight to be stored overnight. Installing more of these batteries results in less reliance on coal and gas for power generation – not to mention that we can also power our motor vehicles with batteries!

Sundrop farms, South Australia

4. How might some of these technologies affect the relationship between Australia and Indonesia?

Development of renewable energy technologies has great potential to strengthen Australia/Indonesia relations. There are plans to build an underwater power line linking Australia and Indonesia. Australia, with its vast areas of empty space and significant quantities of sunlight could export excess solar energy to Indonesia. Indonesia also has the ability to develop significant wind and geothermal energy technologies, reducing its heavy dependence on fossil fuels. It is essential countries such as Australia and Indonesia collaborate for equitable power generation if we are to be successful in tackling climate change.

5. In your opinion, what are some of the main obstacles we face in transitioning to renewable energy?

Unfortunately, the fossil fuel lobby is a huge obstacle we must overcome in order to transition to renewables. Major lobby groups from fossil fuel industries have been extremely effective in lobbying governments to block progress towards renewables. Although this has caused significant political hurdles and stalled advancements towards clean technologies, increasingly citizens are making their voices heard and demanding that governments take climate change seriously.

6. Based on your knowledge and involvement in renewable energy, do we have reason to be hopeful about the future?

Although the challenges of climate change can appear frustrating and overwhelming much of the time, my work in the field of renewable energy brings me great hope. As standard solar power is increasingly rolled out it becomes cheaper and more accessible to install. In many parts of the world, it is now cheaper to install solar power than it is to produce new coal power plants. The economics of renewable energy is becoming increasingly cost effective and will eventually override those blocking progress towards clean technology. I am also encouraged by the recent turn out of young people, particularly school students, who are demanding governments take greater action on climate change. With a politically and environmentally conscious generation like this one on the way, we can’t help but be hopeful.

Thanks Neil and Laura for the fantastic interview!