The Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP)

The Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) was established in 1981.

It operates under an agreement between the Australian and Indonesian Governments and aims to provide wider opportunities for young people of Indonesia and Australia to appreciate the culture, development and way of life of each other’s country.

In Australia it is funded and managed by the Australia-Indonesia Institute in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; in Indonesia it is managed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport. The program is supported by the Cultural Office of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

It rotates between the States/Territories of Australia and the different Provinces of Indonesia each year.

The Australian participants, nine men and nine women aged 21-25 years, are chosen from applicants across Australia who are undertaking tertiary studies, or are employed, in areas of relevance to the bilateral relationship. An Indonesian counterpart group of 18 young people is drawn from throughout Indonesia .

The Indonesians visit Australia for two months to participate in home-stays, work experience placements, as well as cultural and social activities in the community. The Australian group then joins the Indonesian participants in a similarly structured two-month return visit to Indonesia .

The program has two main phases in each country: a capital city location, followed by a rural/regional stay. A counterpart system is established between the two groups for the Indonesian stage, in which each Australian is matched with a member of the Indonesian group.

The participants have the potential to be future leaders, and AIYEP is lauded for making a significant and lasting contribution to the betterment of relations between Australia and Indonesia. The program’s 25th anniversary was celebrated in February 2007.