ACICIS’ Semester 45 (August 2017) cohort is the largest cohort of ACICIS students in Bandung on record, with 23 students in total enrolling in ACICIS’ International Relations Program (IRP) and ACICIS’ West Java Field Study (WJFS) at Parahyangan University (UNPAR). 14 students undertook this program with the support of New Colombo Plan Mobility Program, with four other 4 students supported by New Colombo Plan Scholarships.
18 students chose to undertake the IRP Professional Placement alongside their academic studies at UNPAR. During their placement, the students were involved in major projects conducted by their host organisations, these projects focused on community development, business development, and education. Three WJFS students also concluded their field study on a wide range of topics, in West Java and other provinces of Indonesia. Last month, we wrapped-up this semester with final presentations and a closing dinner.
Four students undertook their placement with Yayasan Sayangi Tunas Cilik (Save the Children) in Bandung. Zoe Munzberg and Matthew Shaw (The University of Adelaide), Madeleine White (The University of Sydney), and Georgia Eagleton (The University of Western Australia) worked on numerous child rights-focused projects and visited schools in the area.
Interkultural Edukasi Partner hosted four ACICIS students this semester. All students were given the opportunity to teach English at local elementary school, to plan the course materials, and were provided with Indonesian class sessions with the staff. Bethany Kracke (University of the Sunshine Coast) and Gabrielle Jeffs (The University of Adelaide) specifically worked on administration systems, while Jayden Thistlewaite (Western Sydney University) focused on teaching practices and translation work. Rahila Haidary (The University of Western Australia) worked on developing teaching strategies specifically for children.
Sinead Macauley (Murdoch University) and Daniel Campbell (Monash University) were placed at the Bandung Institute of Governance Studies (BIGS). They both contributed in running the large ‘Data Revolution’ program and were involved with data research projects on e-governance, ICT, and smart cities.
This semester we also welcomed a new host organisation, Ashoka Indonesia. Ashoka is an international organisation that promotes social entrepreneurship. Duanduan Wang (The University of Sydney) took part in Ashoka’s current program, Young Changemaker. She also worked on database & website maintenance, translation, and market research.
Truman Calleia (Western Sydney University) undertook his professional placement at Astra International in Jakarta. Focusing on international business, Truman had the opportunity to work on a number of tasks, including digital marketing, reporting writing and translations.
AKATIGA has been consistently hosting ACICIS students for the past few semesters. Lauren Rourke (Flinders University) and Jamal Benouzekri (RMIT University) completed their placement with AKATIGA and had the opportunity to participate in the International Annual Conference of The Agrifood Research Network. Lauren actively worked on proposals, funding documents, and assisted the administration team. Jamal contributed to research reports on small and medium enterprises.
A number of IRP students undertook a placement with Resilience Development Initiative (RDI). Four students focused on producing a publication paper on various topics. Cherry Zheng (The Australian National University) wrote about humanitarian works within refugee communities and had the chance to visit Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre in Bogor. Anjali Nadaradjane (Macquarie University) wrote about women’s health in Lombok Island. Nicholas Maunsell (The University of Sydney) compared the renewable energy policy between Indonesia and Australia, and Alexis Castro Robles (UNSW Australia) highlighted the important and significance behind the development of Geoparks in Indonesia. The mentors from Resilience Development Initiative praised the students’ dedication to their research projects.
West Java Field Study students spent their semester writing up their papers on their chosen topics, before presenting their findings at the end of semester. Hannah Sutton (Murdoch University) wrote and presented on ‘International student volunteering: Empowerment or exploitation of host organisations’, where she spend the most of her field study in Bali, Indonesia. Karis Erceg (Murdoch University) conducted her field study in Bali and presented her findings on ‘Community-based ecotourism, the conflict between conservation and development’. Harriet Roberts (The Australian National University), chose to present her research in Bahasa Indonesia, on ‘The effectiveness of Tenaga Kerja Indonesia Regulations and Indonesian Worker-Rights Protection Institutions. The UNPAR supervisors were satisfied with the results and hard work done by the students.
At the end of the semester, ACICIS students, UNPAR staff and host organisation representatives enjoyed a farewell dinner. ACICIS is very proud of the students’ achievements this semester! We wish Bandung students the best of luck for future endeavours and beyond. Sampai bertemu!
