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AIAA Work For the Dole August 2004 - January 2005
The Australia
Indonesia Arts Alliance Work For the Dole Project has proved to be a
highly successful way for AIAA to maintain an office and staff to coordinate
Indonesian cultural projects, while at the same time providing an extraordinary
opportunity for unemployed people to participate in really exciting
and valuable training and work experience. Areas of study provided by
this new project inlcude event management, web design, video editing
and DVD production as well as computer skills and community development.
AIAA wishes to express its deep appreciation to Ballina Employemnt and
Training Centre and DEWB for their ongoing support. This year for the
first time AIAA is undertaking two 6 month projects for the first time.
The current project is taking place from August 2004 - January 2005
and has been focussing on the coordination of the Efen Jaenudin Musician
in Residence Project which was also supported by the Australia Indonesia
Institute and the other major project is the presentation of the Expressions
of Love between Australia and Indonesia Art Exhibition.
Participants in the project worked together with local musicians and volunteers to present the highly successful Byron Still Loves Bali Concert on 6 November and are now finalising art work and a DVD presentation to be launched on 27 January 2005 at Byron Community Centre for the Expressions of Love Art Exhibition. Our heartfelt appreciation goes to the Supervisors/Trainers on these projects : Alison Pearl, Dee Tipping, Stephen Turner, Carol Chapman and Rex Formwood as well as the fantastic participants and violunteers in particular Dharma Bradridge, Assistant Supervisor and Darshi San.
The following are comments from some of the participants who have been working on the project so far -
Written by Jon Michael Dugdale
17/12/04 I have been working at AIAA for a few months now and I’m really enjoying the time I spend here. We work on some great projects and it draws on a broad and diverse range of skills. Mostly my time has been spent producing multimedia such as posters, webpages, flyers etc but I think I am also developing some useful communication skills. As a visual artist it has been great to see the workings of an art exhibition from the other side. The staff at AIAA are very supportive and we have fun while we get lots done.
Written by Bastian Gucella
I have been involved with AIAA since beginning of August this year. I have been told by a friend about it. The prospect of working with computers and the connection between Indonesia and Australia intrigued me, having spend more than a year in Indonesia and loving it.
What interested me immediately was the technical working environment. I have a background in building and repairing computers and here was for me the opportunity to work in a Network environment, which was new to me. Very soon I started to repair and upgrade the computers and helped updating the Network. My main focus now is maintaining it, regularly backing up and updating Windows and keeping Antivirus, Spam and Adware protection current. Generally I do faultfinding and keep the computers up to scratch. This is a fulltime activity and often requires extra time, outside of normal working hours, because I need uninterrupted access to all the computers.
I find this very stimulating and very challenging. I learn in the process a lot more aspects of the technical side of computing. This alone gives me valuable experience as a Computer Technician, a goal I try to pursue also professionally.
On top of this, apart from the usual office work, there were also interesting courses using Dreamweaver and Digital cameras, including associated software programs. All these courses are hands on and are used in actual projects. Updating and creating the huge AIAA website and Event Managing of performances for Indonesian and Australian artists are also part of the job. These projects have so many different aspects, that almost anyone can find their own niche of interest and learn in the process something new.
I like the informal work environment and it is a pleasure to work with this group of motivated people, sharing all these many different tasks, according to interest and need.
There is so much artistic talent amongst the participants that you can’t help but picking up some of their skills, using programs like Photoshop and the art of shooting and developing short films, using relevant software.
Judith’s, each teacher’s and all participant’s enthusiasm carries the different projects very successfully. I am very happy to give something back to the Byron Bay Community and to benefit at the same time, in gaining some valuable work experience, which will help me in the future to work as a Computer Technician.
Written
by Carol Potter
I have been involved with Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance for the past 6 months. During this time I have developed skills in organizing & fundraising activities, and computer skills and programs which link website design and maintenance.
For the last month we have been working on video production which has been challenging for me, learning how to scan, edit and film different events. The events course has been very interesting, learning how to arrange an event professionally with our musician in residence Efen Jaenudin. And I have developed an understanding of co-operation between the people of Indonesia and Australia through cultural exchange.
Overall I’ve found this program rewarding, which has given me confidence to further myself.
Written by Brad Fahy
I commenced this project at about the half-way stage. I have an active and ongoing interest in Indonesia. This encompasses interests in the arts, crafts, and the physical and cultural aspects of this wonderfully diverse nation. My travels have taken me to and through Indonesia on five occassions during the last twenty years. During these visits I have spent a total of about ten months in the country. Travelling through Sumbawa, the Gilli Isles, Lombok, Nusa Penida, Nusa Cennigan, Nusa Lembongan, Bali, Java, Sumatera and the Island of Nias. On these treks I have made use of a variety of "transport", comprising of foot, horse, becak, motorbike, bemo, car, 4WD, 10 tonne truck, dugout canoe, sailboat, motorboat, inter-island ferry, steam train, diesel locomotive, light-plane and finally jet-aircraft.The places and adventures this transport has delivered me to include:- inside active volcanoes, inside tubular surf, into Neolithic villages, deep under the sea, lost in the Sumateran jungle and an endless amount of all-sorts of experiences.
Along the way I have made some good friends, learnt some Bahasa and lived the life of an Indonesian at a village level. I envisage that these interests, experiences and skills can be used to mutual advantage between the AIAA and myself. I am also using this opportunity to learn new computer skills, such as website design and hope to become competent at this. In the future, I hope to establish an Import business and to live between our two countries. Involvement in this project may be of assistance in this endeavour.
Personally I am Interested in enviromental issues, playing and listening to music, travel, surfing, sailing, scuba-diving, meeting new people, learning new skills, film, outdoor activities in general, social interaction, art and basically anything interesting new or different. Terima kasih banyak! Sampai jumpa lagi, kawan saya.
Written by Seamus O’Donnell
My name is Shane O’Donnell and I am originally from Ireland. I am very interested in the diverse cultures of our world and this is the main reason why I chose to become involved in this particular project. I personally undertook a visit to Indonesia ten years ago, so it seems appropriate that a decade on I have continued to have some form of relationship with Indonesian culture through my placement with the Australian Indonesian Arts Alliance care of Tursa and the Ballina Employment Training Centre.
I find the office environment here very friendly due to the kind staff and I have been learning some new skills, especially in relation to computers .
My thanks go to all the people involved and I am happy to be a part of this project.
Written by Sue Franklin
I have just started working on the AIAA Project and feel enthusiastic about the training and experience I am going to gain. I really want to get a job so I am interested in improving my computer skills. Being a visual art student it is very interesting for me to be working in an arts environment.
I feel very positive about working in a situation where I can gain skills and also help with a project that is beneficial to the community. It’s a win-win situation.
Written by Sonny Hart
Since joining this project six weeks ago I have had the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the project. I enjoyed interviewing the artists and setting up and videoing the interviews. The other aspect has been planning the production schedule and learning to log, edit and render video, which has be great for my self-esteem and skills base. I came to the project with skills in interviewing and coordinating art exhibitions. I am enjoying learning new skills and the opportunity to work with a project from inception to finish.
Written by Margie Farrell
I just started today, officially, as a volunteer and already I have learned a lot.
Firstly, in terms of planning an event or a product, like a DVD, it is important to have a time line and aim to stick to it. Secondly, I have learned about video production. I have learned how to capture video from a video camera and edit it on the computer. On the day I first came in to enquire about volunteering I gleaned some information about press releases and approaching the media about an event and publicizing it.
I am also learning about Indonesian Arts and Culture as well as learning about various Artists and Galleries in Indonesia and Australia.