Kangaroo Island Region played host to two students from Indonesia as part of the Australian Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP). There were 18 students from different Indonesian provinces visiting South Australia as part of a student exchange to learn more of each other’s culture and work environments. Australian students will reciprocate the visit. Students spent three weeks on KI.
Alfons Sroyer and Aldorio (Rio) Satriajaya spent some time with the KI NRM Board. Rio spent three days with Water Officer Jo Sullivan visiting a number of water monitoring sites around the Island helping with the water sampling and measurement.
Alfons hoped to gain an insight into office management, organisational systems and community engagement from his six day work placement with Communications Officer Bev Maxwell. He arrived a few days after NRM staff moved into the DENR office, so was able to gain first-hand experience of change management when two organisations integrate. As it was the time of the annual review of the Board’s Business Plan, Alfons was able to observe the different ways the Board seeks to engage with its stakeholders.
Alfons also assisted in some of the promotional activities of the Board including the preparation of the Board’s entry ‘Festive Feral’ into the annual charity Christmas tree exhibition.
Alfons wrote an article about his work placement with the Board for the local paper The Islander saying it was very important for his future and career.
The opportunities afforded to these two enthusiastic Indonesian students were greatly appreciated by them and it was good for staff to host young people from a neighbouring country with such a different culture.