The Australia-Indonesia Muslim Exchange Program (AIMEP) is taking applications for 2024! The AIMEP is a unique opportunity for young and emerging Muslim community leaders and activists in Australia and Indonesia to participate in an international visit program of cultural, religious, and intellectual exchange.
Applications close Monday 13 May 2024.
Indonesia and Australia are next door neighbours, yet we often know very little about each other. The AIMEP is a program that has worked towards bridging that gap for over 20 years. It promotes intercultural understanding and community connection through direct dialogue and interaction.
The program seeks to give a deeper understanding of these two countries’ cultures and societies, and foster new friendships and connections between emerging leaders. It does so through a unique focus on Muslim community experiences. Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country, and Australia has a steadily growing Muslim community, many of whom have lived in Australia for generations.
The AIMEP is a flagship program of the Australia-Indonesia Institute, one of a number of cultural councils established by the Australian Government to support people-to-people links between Australia and countries in our region.
The program is open to a wide range of emerging Muslim community leaders and activists aged between the ages of 23 and 40. Past Australian delegates have included community workers, teachers, lawyers, journalists, public servants, artists, and more.
Australian AIMEP 2023 delegate Soumaya Najjarin is greeted by Indonesian AIMEP delegate Munawir Aziz at NU headquarters in Jakarta.
This year, a cohort of 6 delegates from Australia will visit Indonesia, and 12 delegates from Indonesia will visit Australia. Before travelling, delegates will first meet and get to know each other through a four-week online program. They will then travel to their neighbouring country for a 10-day visit program to experience its culture and society in person. Through the program, delegates develop their knowledge of our regional context and build personal and professional connections that can last a lifetime.
Oz Malik, a creative producer and advisor and AIMEP alumnus from 2022, said: “My AIMEP experience will last me my whole life—the whole trip made me build a deep connection and I learnt so many things about Indonesia.” Another recent alumna, Perth-based entrepreneur Aisha Novakovich, commented that “I felt blessed to participate in this program. It was an enriching experience that opened up many doors to developing deep, and long-lasting relationships between Indonesians and Australians.”
Indonesian alumni, such as lawyer Nurul Fatimah Khasbullah, noted that “It is inspiring how diverse the Muslim communities in Australia are”, while women’s activist and educator Nurul Bahrul Ulum reflected that “AIMEP is about more than learning or exchanging ideas. AIMEP allows us to build strong bonds of friendship.”
Highlight videos from recent programs in Indonesia and Australia provide a sense of delegates’ experiences.
Brynna Rafferty-Brown, a director of Mosaic Connections, who run the AIMEP, said, “The AIMEP is about cultural exchange and intellectual dialogue, but it is about so much more: through the program relationships and networks are formed that can lead to collaborations and initiatives that benefit both Australia and Indonesia.”
She added, “We have a network of over 300 alumni from both the AIMEP and AAMEP (Australia-ASEAN Muslim Exchange Program). These programs have really provided a platform for emerging leaders to share ideas, learn from one another, and collaborate on projects that have a positive impact in their communities.”
Applications are now open for the AIMEP 2024 program, which will take place in the second half of 2024. If you are active in a Muslim or non-Muslim organisation that helps the community, or you contribute to the Muslim community in Australia in a personal capacity, and are aged 23-40, find out more and consider applying at www.mosaicconnections.com.au.
Applications close Monday 13 May 2024.
Australian AIMEP 2023 delegates at Indonesia’s parliament in Jakarta.
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