News
Australian-Indonesian Association President, Firdaus, outlines ten simple reasons why people want to join a community group like AIA.
If you are an Indonesian living in South Australia, the question may be how do I give back to my community? How can I participate in the society and contribute in a positive way? What matters to me? What can I gain back from it? Is $20 a year worth the gain I will get from joining the AIA?
If you are Australian with an interest of Indonesian, connection personal or otherwise, business and social exposure, the questions may be how could I promote to my fellow citizen a better understanding of Indonesia and Indonesian culture as our neighbor? How do I meet Indonesians in a social context in Australia? How do enhance my language skills and my nuanced cultural understanding? How do I help bridging and narrowing the gap of the two communities, the Indonesian in SA and the mainstream Australians? Be an ambassador for your country and for Indonesia.
WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME TO JOIN AIA?
1. It builds up a sense of community
It’s good for your community- the more people work together and get to be familiar with the way things work, more people support each other, especially through tough times.
2. You can follow your interests and share your passion
It may be in Arts, Music, Recreation and Sports, Education, or humanitarian interests you can share your passion in the AIA
3. You can build your CV
If you are applying for university or a new job or even a new relationship, it helps to be able to demonstrate the unselfish efforts you are putting in for the community
4. You can make a contribution
We all want to make a better place for the world, even if it’s only by making sure our team has its turn at taking the flag. Promote your culture, promote better understanding from people to people.
5. It’s good for your country
We need a strong civil society, where we share a common goal. The more Australians know about Indonesia and Indonesians the better our standing is in the community, businesses, and government authorities. You are the people ambassador for Indonesia or vise versa.
6. You learn new skills
Governance skills, committee management, negotiations, minute taking, business planning if and from joining a committee
7. You can make new contacts
Keeping your network in good repair helps you to see opportunities when they come up and gives you people to call when you want help.
8. Meet new friends
Get to know people and work together with the things you all care about
9. It can be good for your health
Having a good social network extends your life and keeps you healthy. You can join the various activities and events that AIASA provides you.
10. Among 2018 AIASA events you can be/could have been part of include:
Bushwalking, Contemporary Music Night; Wayang Kulit performance, theatre workshops; Cancer Walk; Picnic; Parliament Tour, Cooking Demo and Appreciation at Foodland; Cultural Performance at schools
Membership is only $20 per year for individuals ($18 for concession) and $30 for a family. So sign up now!
AIASA President Firdaus
September 2019
News
The Australian-Indonesian Association of South Australia (AIASA) has announced that Indofest-Adelaide will be held in Victoria Square on Sunday 28 April 2019, with funding confirmed from the City of Adelaide and the South Australian Department of Human Services, Community Services Division.
This popular festival managed almost exclusively by volunteers ran for ten consecutive years until 2017, when it moved to its new location of Victoria Square attended by a record crowd of 10,000.
AIASA President, Ms Firda Firdaus, says the funding will help the Association to present this free family event to Adelaide audiences again after taking a break in 2018.
In March 2018, Indofest-Adelaide 2017 won the highly prestigious and competitive South Australian Governor’s Multicultural Awards for Cultural Diversity under the organization category (pictured). Receiving this award is a huge honour and recognition for the hard work and success of Indofest-Adelaide 2017.
“Bringing ideas to life in such a big festival run by the community in a voluntary capacity required much effort. Many challenges arose along the way. However, every problem that appeared was solved and every obstacle was overcome,” said Ms Firdaus.
“The contribution from members of the Indonesian community in Adelaide, and the hard work and collaborative endeavor of the large number of people sitting on the committee were the driving force and the stimulus of this outstanding result.”
I would like to announce that Indofest-Adelaide is going to be coming back bigger and better in April 2019!
News
AIASA’s yearly Indofest Schools Program (ISP) began on 29 May and the group Pelangi Nusantara performed for St. Dominics Priory College for the lower and upper primary school as part of their Asian Week celebrations. The students were fantastic.
The remaining ISP visits will take place across term 3 and 4 of this year. This year’s coordinator is Mei Turnip.
If anyone is interested in getting involved as either a community group or school or if you require further information on this program, please contact indofest.isp@gmail.com
News
Indofest 2017 won the Organisation category of the South Australian Governor’s Multicultural Awards announced on Tuesday 27 March 2018. by His Excellency the Governor of South Australia, Hieu Van Le.
Initiated and run by the Australian-Indonesian Association of South Australia, one of Adelaide’s most colourful and much-loved festivals celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2017 and the President of AIA-SA Ibu Firdaus was full of praise for the community.
“The AIA-SA wishes to congratulate the whole Indonesian community in Adelaide for their fantastic achievement, effort, support, and the semangat of Gotong Royong to share our mission! This award is very much YOUR AWARD and we all should feel very proud of it. Thank you all and keep up the good work. Indonesia maju bersama,” said Firda.
Check out the photos on Flicker!
News
Indofest 2017 is an extra special event as we celebrate our 10th anniversary! Wanting to capture the essence of the local Adelaide Indonesian community, this year’s Indofest has a special Kampung Indonesia theme. The word kampung is an Indonesian word meaning village or community. Our local Indonesian kampungs have been working tirelessly together to put together a vibrant, innovative and exciting program making this year’s Indofest a true standout!
To highlight the spirit of the local Adelaide Indonesian community, Indofest 2017 has seven main elements that are all interconnected. These elements are:
- Kampung Indonesia
- Main stage entertainment
- Melanglang Indonesia Children’s Activity Trail
- Alun-Alun Village Square
- Food Stalls
- Cooking Demonstrations
- Pasar Indofest – Indofest Market
Follow the links to find out more about the exciting activities of each element.
The Adelaide Indonesian community looks forward to welcoming you to Indofest 2017 on Saturday 1st October and say a big ‘terima kasih’ for your ongoing support over the past 10 years!
News
This year the Indonesian community is celebrating 10 years of Indofest with an exciting and unique Kampung Indonesia initiative. Along with traditional and contemporary music and dance, delicious food stalls, interactive workshops, cooking demonstrations, and retail stalls, the festival hub will come alive with an array of kampung pavilions representing different regions of Indonesia. The kampungs will be dotted around Victoria Square, allowing visitors to ‘explore’ the diversity of Indonesia and meet members of Adelaide’s local Indonesian community as they showcase what their kampungs have to offer through interactive workshops, sampling of regional cuisine, traditional games, handicrafts, costumes, textiles, local language, dance, music, visual art and more! This exciting event enables the Indonesian community to build upon a sense of ownership of Indofest-Adelaide to share the profile of Indonesia beyond Bali. Visitors to Indofest-Adelaide will experience a little of the diversity, beauty, and uniqueness, while reflecting on the richness that underpins the notion of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, the national Indonesian motto meaning ‘Unity in Diversity’.
News
Bahasa Indonesia is currently taught in 83 South Australian government schools. This equates to over 14,000 students from Reception – Year 12 learning the language of Indonesia, Australia’s closest Asian neighbour.
By adopting the Australian Curriculum the Department for Education and Child Development (DECD) affirms that languages education is accessible to all Australian students. This has resulted in an annual increase in the number of students learning Indonesian language in South Australia and in 2018 there will again be an increase as more schools choose this language as their preferred, whole-school focused language program.
Language learning is an evolving and ongoing process which cannot happen in isolation from other parts of the curriculum. It is through the skill, dedication and expertise of over 125 Indonesian language teachers in South Australian government schools that Indonesian language learning is brought to life.
Students are able to continue linguistic development as they progress towards language proficiency while exploring the rich diversity of Indonesian culture. Through language education students increase their understanding of Indonesia as a country and the role its national language plays to a diversely language-rich nation.
Developing cultural awareness of Indonesia occurs when students are exposed to aspects of Indonesian performing, moving and visual arts, social issues, religion, cuisine, historical events, knowledge of government, tourism, finance, environment and the cultural diversity of contrasting ethnic groups.
DECD ensures there is a learning pathway for all students undertaking languages education, endeavouring to provide a continuum of learning from Reception to Year 12 and beyond. Should a school not be offering a student’s language of choice, such as Indonesian, alternative curriculum-choice options are available to all DECD students. This may include studying Indonesian through the School of Languages or in distance education mode with Open Access College.
In 2016, 25 of our most senior DECD students studied Indonesian language to Year 12 level, with 2 of these students achieving an A grade as part of their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).
Since 2013, 18 South Australian government schools have strengthened ties with Indonesia from the establishment of E-Languages Sister School Partnerships. These have been achieved by linking DECD schools with Indonesian schools and their communities. The aim of these partnerships is to establishing authentic digital interaction between the students in Indonesian language, while developing intra-cultural and inter-cultural understandings. These important partnerships are established with a view to sustaining long-term relationships between the two schools and focus on the innovative use of digital technology. Benefits to students include improved knowledge and first-hand experience of a culture different from their own. Teachers, in turn, are able to share pedagogy and curriculum, increase language proficiency, strengthen professional learning through the exchange of knowledge and ideas and expand educational horizons through global perspectives. In 2017 a further 8 schools will formalise E-Languages Sister School Partnerships with schools in West Java, Indonesia.
Indonesian language continues to thrive in South Australian schools through the creative and devoted guidance of our Indonesian language teachers. In 2017 DECD is again the proud sponsor of the Indofest in Schools Program.
News
A big “terima kasih” (thank you) to Hon Zoe Bettison MP, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, for hosting a Parliamentary Reception to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Australian-Indonesian Association of South Australia (AIA-SA) on 21 August 2017. Presidents of AIA-SA, past and present (pictured), gathered for this special event and their leadership and inspiration was acknowledged. The Minister thanked AIA-SA’s hundreds of volunteers who continue to contribute to the development of understanding between Australians and Indonesians through their work both now and over the years, especially towards the development of the biggest and most enduring community festival in South Australia, Indofest, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2017. Congratulations to everyone who has assisted and supported the Australian-Indonesian Association of South Australia over the past 50 years.
News
The back to the 80’s themed Indofest Music Night at the Estonian Cultural Centre on Saturday 22 July, 2017 was a huge success. Wigs, shiny jackets, big earrings and leg warmers were everywhere and people danced to 80’s pop and Indonesian dangdut music. Huge thanks to the talented musicians who performed live and Mas Arief and his team of helpers for a fantastic night of music, fun, food and fab fashion!
News
The Australian Indonesian Association of South Australia (AIASA) was founded in 1967 by a group of Colombo Plan scholarship recipients from Indonesia who had made South Australia their home. The not-for-profit organisation was formed to promote better understanding, friendship and goodwill between the people of Australia and Indonesia, based on friendship and trust; contribute to peaceful relations between Australia and Indonesia; and to bring together and disseminate information to various groups of people in South Australia with an interest in Indonesia.
To meet the needs of the community and deliver on its objectives, the AIASA presents an array of activities and programs each year. From the earliest days, the maintays of the AIASA include Independence Day Celebrations, Cultural Performances, Family Day Picnics, Social Bush Walks, Conversation Classes and Sporting Competitions. Other programs emerged over time including the celebration of Hari Kartini, Fundraising Dinners and Seminars held in conjunction with other Indonesian Community Organisations in South Australia. By working in a “gotong royong” (mutually cooperative) fashion with various Indonesian community groups, the AIASA’s most successful achievement to date has been annual staging of Indofest-Adelaide, a festival that has been celebrating all things Indonesian.
Another important aspect embedded in the AIASA’s aims and objectives is a financial aid program which supports members of the Indonesian community both in Adelaide and abroad. Currently its dedicated charities include Yayasan Sayap Ibu, a long-established orphanage situated in Yogyakarta, and Yayasan Senyum, an organisation that facilitates the delivery of health care to people with craniofacial disabilities throughout Indonesia. The association also makes donations to assist people affected by disasters in Indonesia such as tsunami, floods and earthquakes in Indonesia.
By closely linking activities its aims, the Association has succeeded in connecting Indonesians who reside in South Australia, Australians who have an interest in Indonesia or have travelled to Indonesia, and for Australians in relationships with Indonesian people. Over time membership of the Association has increased due to a growing number of Indonesians now calling South Australia “home” together with more Australians travelling to Indonesia, as well as increased Indonesian language and culture programs being taught in schools.
The AIASA is always open to accepting new members and new ideas. If you would like to become involved with the AIASA and the Indonesian community in South Australia more information can be found here.
