From February to June 2023, ACICIS hosted four students from The Australian National University, The University of Queensland, and RMIT University to participate in the ACICIS Development Studies Immersion Program in Yogyakarta. All students were supported by the New Colombo Plan mobility grants from the Australian Government.
In the first six weeks of the program, students undertook a comprehensive introduction language course at INCULS, in Gadjah Mada University as the host university. Alongside the language classes, students were also presented with various development-focused seminars and case study visits with themes such as Introduction to Indonesian Development Sector & Community, Disaster Risk Reduction & Management, Gender Development in Indonesia, Human Rights for Vulnerable Groups in Indonesia and Sustainable Development & the Environment.
As the main part of the DSIP program, students undertook a professional placement at organizations in Yogyakarta. As an example, Rocky O’Halloran from RMIT University interned with Yayasan Kanopi Indonesia, a sustainable development-led organization that focuses on preserving nature such as conservation for endangered animals. Felix Hall (University of Queensland) undertook his placement at Yayasan Harapan Fian Yogyakarta, a children and urban poor empowerment organization. In this institution, he developed a database for a local public health center to make patient assessments more convenient and practical. He also developed a business strategy for the organization’s flagship project. The DSIP Program has come to an end with the ACICIS Farewell Dinner in which we could enjoy a beautiful clarinet performance by Felix. In the same occasion, Ned delivered a wonderful speech representing the ups and downs in his DSIP time. Thank you so much for all the wonderful memories. We wish our students a good luck in their future endeavours. Sampai bertemu lagi di lain kesempatan!
