About – Australia-Indonesia Youth Association

About AIYA

The Australia-Indonesia Youth Association (AIYA) is a non-government, youth-led not-for-profit which aims to better connect young Australians and Indonesians to each other and to Australia-Indonesia related opportunities.

Become a member

Our Vision

A stronger Australia-Indonesia relationship by advancing education and culture through increased youth engagement.

Connect

Connect young Australians and Indonesians to each other, and to educational, cultural and professional opportunities.

Inform

Inform about avenues to engage with Australia and Indonesia to enhance young people’s understanding of each other’s countries.

Inspire

Inspire youth, business, government, educational institutions and other organisations to support and facilitate youth engagement with Indonesia in Australia.

What does AIYA do?

AIYA runs various kinds of events that enable the sharing of language and cultural experiences. Examples include:

Language Exchange
Professional Networking
Trivia Nights
Speaking Competitions
Cultural Workshops
Sports Events
Academic Seminars

Through these events, run across both countries, AIYA seeks to incubate innovative ideas within the bilateral relationship.

AIYA is |

AIYA by the numbers

Chapters across Australia and Indonesia

Paid members

Social media followers

AIYA History

2011-2014

AIYA was established in Canberra.
Arjuna Dibley elected as National President.
AIYA established chapters in ACT, NSW, NT, VIC, WA, QLD, SA, TAS and Jakarta.
First Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth (CAUSINDY) held.

2015-2018

Nicholas Mark elected as National President.
AIYA established chapters in Yogyakarta, Jawa Barat and Eastern Indonesia.
National Australia-Indonesia Language Awards (NAILA) began.

2019-2023

Clarice Campbell elected as National President.
AIYA established chapters in Sulawesi Selatan and NTT from Eastern Indonesia.
Flexible Language Exchange (FLEX) Program initiated.

2023-Present

Claudia Wijaya elected as National President.

AIYA was established in 2011 in Canberra, Australia and its inaugural board members were: Arjuna Dibley, Fe Donaghue, Rachelle Cole, Hugh Passmore, Karina Akib and Chris Urbanski. At the time, these young Australian students were looking to further their connection with Indonesia and created AIYA as a way for Australian students to continue their engagement with Indonesia upon returning from exchange programs such as the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS). For most Australian students, there were few opportunities to further their connection with Indonesia and so AIYA was a way for many to find a community who understood their passion for the country.

Since then, AIYA has grown and established Chapters in both Australia and Indonesia, not only providing a space for Australians with an interest in Indonesia but also for Indonesians with an interest in Australia. AIYA hosted 5 events in 2012 and since then has gone on to host hundreds annually, connecting thousands of people. Throughout its history AIYA has had four National Presidents – Arjuna Dibley (2011-15), Nicholas Mark (2015-19), Clarice Campbell (2019-2023) and Claudia Wijaya (2023-Present).